This is not an open letter to Megan Marzec.
To the editor:
This is not an open letter to Megan Marzec.
It’d be cowardly to write an “open letter” to someone, laced with warm remarks and gentle hints at a congenial past together, when directly contacting them remains a more genuine way to express any advice or thoughts.
This letter is instead directed toward the student body at Ohio University.
We, in student government, are charged with representing our constituents. We work to this end by getting to know one another, celebrating dialogue and fostering an environment within and outside our forum to share narratives and establish understanding.
It’s very hard to do that if, about some ideas, many aren’t willing to have a conversation.
It’s not for me to comment on Megan’s method to get this conversation rolling. From my viewpoint in Columbus, however, holding such a conversation at Ohio University — along with many college campuses — is exceedingly difficult. Since the event in question, angry students and parties at OU have made progress in that conversation nearly impossible.
At what point did I feel I had the right to comment on this? It began when I received misdirected hate mail meant for Megan. It continued when several wonderful Ohio State students contacted me with apologies for that experience and a will to talk to me. Parties from “both sides” of the conflict are interested, share their opinions and eager to learn mine.
My opinion is that a college campus is no place for hate. I condemn the hateful, self-directed approach that some have taken to commenting on Megan’s activism.
If you believe that your representative improperly represented you, look back at the times that you reached out to them to share your story and opinions. If those memories do not exist, you bear the onus to get a professional conversation started, so your representative can aptly represent you in the future. Lobbyists understand this. College students don’t always.
Student government is designed to provide the student body with a voice. Reaching out, attending student forums and even requesting a town hall to vet thoughts and feelings, are all effective means of doing this. Bullying and threatening elected leaders, aside from perpetuating divides, cannot be tolerated. For Megan’s sake and yours, make this your focus as you enter an important conversation.
Celia Wright is the Student Body President at Ohio State University.
