Athens police briefly closed down Court Street yesterday as about 10 people marched to remind Ohio University students about the consequences of their actions during fest season.
Dane Johnston, a master’s student and a member of OU’s Student Personnel Association, organized the demonstration. The “Students for a Safer Athens” march, based on OU’s “Be smart. Be civil. Be safe.” fest season campaign, also aimed to strengthen ties between students and residents.
“I feel like the message the community gets is just all they see are the bad things the students do,” Johnston said. “I want this to be a showing that students do care.”
The leaders of several student organizations spoke after the march. They included Jesse Neader, president of Student Senate; Tracy Kelly, president of Graduate Student Senate; Kyle Triplett, student trustee; and Seyi Odunaiya, a member of the Black Student Cultural Programming Board. Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi also spoke after the event.
“Thank you to the students who did show up today and are advocating on behalf of your peers,” Lombardi said. “You will come to feel like (Athens) is home, and it’s important you leave a very rich legacy for (future students) and continue to strengthen the relationship between the university and the city.”
Several of the students who spoke urged those who attend the fests to be safe and to remember their actions will be difficult to erase.
“Everyone has a camera or phone in their pockets, and it’s not a matter of if you get caught; it’s when you get caught,” Triplett said.
Although Johnston did not had much time to organize the event, he said he was satisfied with the turnout and hopes to repeat the march next year.
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