Welcome back to Ohio University, Bobcats! I am so excited to see people on Court Street and College Green again after months of being away.
But as we are all returning, we are walking on a very different campus. In June, OU closed its Division of Diversity and Inclusion in order to comply with the Ohio state legislature’s Senate Bill 1. The centers this division funded, including the Multicultural Center, the Women’s Center and the Pride Center, were all closed while OU students were spread across the world.
Now when students ride up and down the escalators in Baker University Center, they no longer see highly visible and accessible resources available to them. They now see generic lounges where students can just as generically “express their unique identities and perspectives,” according to President Lori Stewart Gonzalez’s email announcing the closure of the centers.
It is clear that OU hasn’t totally given up. The university still plans, as of right now, on hosting its annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration, and several identity-based scholarships are still being awarded through the Honors Tutorial College. However, this is not why I believe hope is still alive on campus. Hope is still alive because of the students who attend or have attended this school.
When The Post published the story about the closure of the identity-based centers and posted the announcement on Instagram, there was a flood of comments decrying this move. People shared personal stories about how they used these centers when they were in times of crises. Others expressed their anger with strong worded comments directed at the university’s administration.
The comments that stood out to me the most, though, were the ones that flippantly said students should use these generic spaces as identity-based centers anyway.
Despite the fact that these are just comments on a social media post, I still find hope in them. When I walk through the off campus housing I now live in, I see pride flags everywhere. Pins on backpacks and tote bags being carried by students still proudly proclaim Black Lives Matter. Businesses along Court Street where students frequent have signs and flags declaring, either directly or indirectly, that they are safe spaces.
There is no doubt OU students will always make their voices heard, but now they’re taking action. Hope is alive at OU because students are making sure everyone feels welcome, regardless of the circumstances. This academic year will have many challenges, but I am sure students in Athens will overcome them. Many people are counting on it.
Jackson McCoy is a junior studying journalism and environmental studies at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to share your thoughts? Let Jackson know by emailing him at jm049122@ohio.edu.
