Megan Marzec, president of Ohio University’s Student Senate, wants a speaking role at the annual President’s Convocation for first-year Students. But OU administrators denied her request to address the student body on Saturday, Aug. 23, she says.
Megan Marzec, president of Ohio University’s Student Senate, wants a speaking role at the annual President’s Convocation for first-year Students. But OU administrators denied her request to address the student body on Saturday, Aug. 23, she says.
On Monday morning, Marzec emailed OU administrators and members of the media a statement formally requesting three minutes for her to speak at the event, and a one-page document produced by senate for placement in “welcoming packs” given to new students.
She asked for a written response from administrators to her request by Wednesday at 1 p.m. The president’s convocation serves as the kickoff to the school year and the official induction of students into OU.
“It was my understanding that the student government president did speak, and I know that it has been true in the past, so I asked for more information,” Marzec said.
In two emails Marzec provided to The Post, Monica Chapman, assistant to the President for Communications, told Marzec, "The Student Senate President does not have a speaking role at the convocation, but Dr. McDavis will introduce you, (Keith Wilbur) and (Sharmaine Wilcox) to the first year students."
Wilbur and Wilcox are the university's student trustees.
However, past senate presidents have not typically been given speaking roles at the event, OU officials and individuals involved with senate in the past told The Post.
For example, Kyle Triplett spoke to students at the event in 2010, when he was a student trustee. He later became senate president.
Last year, OU created the #BobcatExperience contest, where participants were challenged to describe what the “Bobcat experience” means to them. The winner is given a speaking role at the President’s Convocation.
Meg Omecene, winner of the second annual #BobcatExperience contest, will be the student speaker at this year’s convocation. Her written entry was selected by Vice President of Student Affairs Ryan Lombardi and Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones.
“I would say that I am very excited,” said Omecene, who is also the Public Relations Director for The Post and a student in the Scripps College of Communication. “I think it’s cool that I’m able to do this, because hopefully Megan will be pretty well known on campus and I’ll just be another friendly face that people will be able to come up to.”
Other speakers have traditionally included OU President Roderick McDavis, Lombardi and Hall-Jones.
Senate doesn’t take issue with Omecene or other students speaking at the event, but hopes OU also chooses Marzec, an elected voice of the students, for a speaking role at the event.
“From talking to other members of the elected student government there seems to be absolutely no opposition to having a student speaker from the Scripps school, in fact I hope that happens,” said Will Klatt, senate’s governmental affairs commissioner. “Any attempt to highlight a Scripps student speaker in an either/or capacity would raise the question as to if there are attempts divide the student body. We're all in this together.”
An OU spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
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