Some prominent figures visited Athens for some final campaigning before the election. Here’s more information on some of the week’s top stories.
Frances Strickland comes to Athens
Over the weekend, Frances Strickland spoke to a group of canvassers in Athens on Saturday to campaign for her husband, Democratic senate candidate Ted Strickland.
Despite her husband’s poor position in the pools, Frances was still optimistic that he’d be elected.
“I think when you’re (fighting for the average person), that’s the key to it,” she said before addressing the volunteers. “You always participate, you always stay in the fight, and you don’t look at whether you’re winning or losing.”
During her speech, Frances also thanked the volunteers for their work in the campaign.
Former Texas politician campaigns
Former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis spoke to a group of more than 20 supporters in front of Ohio University’s Class Gateway on Friday to campaign for presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
“(Clinton) has been fighting for women and families, and she has an agenda that is inclusive of the concerns of every American,” Davis said.
Davis encouraged both OU students and Athens residents to vote, stressing the importance of voicing opinions.
She also noted that Athens reminded her of Austin, Texas, which she referred to as a “bastion” of progressivism surrounded by conservative areas.
24-hour access in Alden
Beginning next academic year, the fourth floor of Alden Library will remain open for 24 hours a day.
“One of the most common requests students have of Alden Library is for more space to be open 24-hours,” Scott Seaman, dean of OU Libraries, said in an email. “We’ve been working with the University administration for several years to be able to get this done.”
The second floor of Alden Library is available for 24-hour use Monday through Thursday.
To function as a 24-hour space, nearly $3 million of renovations would be completed by August 2017. Those renovations include moving the Academic Advancement Center to the second floor and updating electrical, plumbing and air handling systems.
Post-election vows
An OU professor married her now-wife on the steps of the Athens County courthouse Wednesday in protest of Donald Trump winning the presidency.
Loran Marsan, a professor of women's, gender and sexuality studies, married Jolena Hansbarger, a graduate student studying business. The couple said they feared their right to marry could be revoked by a Trump presidency.
“This is what we can do to be happy today,” Loran Marsan, a professor of women's, gender and sexuality studies, said. “If (the right to
Survey results released
Hundreds of OU students have reportedly been victims of some kind of sexual misconduct during their time at OU, according to a survey conducted by the university.
Roughly 7 percent of the student body participated in the Social Experiences and Safety Survey. Of the respondents, more than 80 percent said they experienced sexual misconduct.
A report expressed some concern about the accuracy of the results, because more than 70 percent of respondents to the email survey were women, and a disproportionate amount were white and heterosexual.
