This is the first in a series of three articles about each senate ticket.
The executives on Fight, one of three tickets running for Student Senate, have all been leaders in different Ohio University organizations but never served on senate.
Having the executives be external gives them a chance to provide a new mindset, Allison Huedepohl, vice presidential candidate, said.
“Being that outside perspective ... we will be able to look at senate through a different point of view,” Huedepohl said. “We will be able to say ‘OK, this is what you are doing now but maybe we could do this instead because this is what a lot of the student body would recommend.’ ”
Presidential candidate David Parkhill served as president
Parkhill said he will be stepping down as president of College Republicans and continue as just a member of the organization to keep his work with College Republicans and Student Senate separate.
“We do have other leadership experience and experience leading teams, being a part of a team, being a good follower, being a good leader,” Cline said. “Really, it’s just taking that and putting it into a new organization.”
Because they have that experience, Parkhill said they can avoid what he calls "groupthink," something he said the other tickets will likely continue to contribute.
“Groupthink is rampant inside of any organization that only talks with members inside of itself,” Parkhill said. “I think continuing to elect people who are in senate that
One change Fight hopes to bring to Student Senate is a "Bobcat solution center," which would make senate a resource that students will go to with their problems.
Some other changes proposed by Fight include a rating system based on reports from students about professors who may cancel class or don’t use Blackboard correctly. That would
When professors fall
“Imagine if the university was a business and the customers were treated like how professors treat their students,” Parkhill said. “They’d be out of business very quickly.”
Fight’s main focus has been to address issues they have heard from students. The ticket has been speaking with different organizations for those platform additions.
During those meetings, Fight wants students to know that they are students too, Cline said.
As they discuss student issues, Parkhill believes the students are the ones who have the answers to those problems.
“I am never the smartest person in the room,” Parkhill said. “I never have all the answers. It’s the people out there who have the answers."
