A solemn resolution, feminist fervor, an applauded return and a humorous announcement made for a busy Week 5 meeting of Ohio University Student Senate Wednesday night.
Kept warm by Walter Hall from the snow outdoors, Senate heated up with an emotional discussion concerning campus emergencies, a poster campaign to highlight OU feminists, the reinstatement of former academic affairs commissioner Jared Henderson and the announcement of a spring “comedy night” during the meeting.
College of Arts and Sciences Senator Emily Burns, Women’s Affairs Commissioner Emma Wright and LGBT Affairs Vice-Commissioner Hannah Dunn showcased their efforts to increase the visibility of feminists on campus while fighting the stigma attached to the term.
Their campaign, entitled “This Is What an OU Feminist Looks Like,” aims to take pictures of hundreds of OU students who identify as feminists, put their faces in a collage on posters bearing the name of the campaign and distribute hundreds of them around OU and Athens.
“Feminism is a political awareness of the gender dynamics that shape our world and an attempt to make them less aggressive,” Burns said. “We really want to get the message out there that feminists aren’t just bra burning, man hating socialists… it all boils down to respect and equality.”
Burns held a photo-shoot in Baker University Center on Wednesday to photograph students for the campaign, an event she plans to repeat next week.
The posters will be revealed March 15, she said.
The sole presentation was followed by a resolution that passed unanimously to applause, sponsored by Senate Vice President Amrit Saini, rejoining Jared Henderson, a senior studying philosophy, to Senate, as the Honors Tutorial College Senator.
“I really think Jared epitomizes what Senate is supposed to be,” Saini said. “As sad as I was with him leaving, I’m probably more happy with him returning.”
A lively general body meeting took a quieting turn when Senate President Zach George introduced a resolution that would give Senate’s backing to requiring students to give OU their cell phone number, local address, email address and parental contact information for emergency reasons.
“As of right now, there’s no university policy that requires students to register (contact information) … and in time of emergency … there is no way for us to get ahold of (a student),” George said.
The resolution was not voted on this week though it received substantial discussion from the body, including Vice President for Student Affairs Ryan Lombardi.
“We have had several circumstances where it took us many hours to make that contact (with parents in an emergency situation),” Lombardi said. “For me, this really is about health and safety and the well-being of our student body and being able to communicate with their family or guardian.”
Though they acknowledged concerns over the university having too much access to student information, George and Lombardi said they viewed it as a necessity — with Lombardi saying he has never worked at an institution where this information was not required.
“When we lose a member of this Bobcat family… it sure as hell hurts,” Senate Treasurer Evan Ecos said. “I think we all have big fears about ‘Big Brother’ but if it at the very least saves one life, in my opinion, I think it’s worth it.”
The meeting concluded with George announcing that OU President Roderick McDavis has approved his proposal to hold a comedy night in April using $150,000 of student General Fee dollars.
See the front page of The Post for more coverage of George’s “comedy night.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
