This letter is in response to Ohio University alumnus Matthew Beddingfield’s letter published on Tuesday. I would like to focus on the good and the bad of this year’s election.
Just like last year, I feel compelled to weigh in on the Student Senate elections taking place this Thursday. Last year, faced with an ugly campaign where issues were scarce and personal attacks thrown freely, I entered the presidential race as a write-in candidate. Ultimately, I received about 1,000 votes after three days of campaigning. Despite this, I was not given a position with any real purpose and have since fallen out of favor with Senate.
In his letter, Beddingfield claims that the REACH executives are “worthy” to lead the Student Senate. I take issue with this. Your Student Senate is not worthy to do anything; they are chosen to do so. Matthew also recounts the experiences he has had with the REACH execs that show their tenacity and valor. I too have had many experiences with them, some good and some bad. You see, Zach, Amrit and Evan all served as campaign managers for the RSVP campaign last year. During this time, they recommended taking actions so wantonly negligent and immoral that I ultimately left the ticket. I have no knowledge of whether RSVP or REACH followed through with said actions, such as creating fraudulent receipts or intentionally deceiving voters via the funding of a separate candidate, but I do know that my opinion of the REACH executives’ character was severely damaged as a result.
I will now turn my attention to the candidacy of Jared Henderson. Jared is someone who plays all his cards up front. During the time that I’ve known him Jared has acted honestly and in good faith. He has represented the students of the Honors Tutorial College extremely well. He has stood up to decision-makers who wished to stand in the way of, or more frequently not get involved with, important issues facing students. His work with the student organization Bobcats for a Conflict-Free Campus demonstrates his commitment to endeavors worth pursuing on their own merits and not merely for the recognition that can be reaped. Jared is a genuine and passionate individual who would lead the Student Senate with care and responsibility. I agree wholeheartedly with Matthew that senate is “a building block of an organization” but in this case I don’t see it as beneficial for students to stick with the same Student Senate they got this year. And make no mistake, that’s what they’ll get with REACH. However, if you’d rather have an individual who will petition zealously on behalf of students, who will do more than sit in an echo-chamber on Wednesday nights, then I encourage you to vote for Jared Henderson.
Chris Wagner is a senior in the Honors Tutorial College, a former member of Student Senate and was a student senate presidential candidate in 2010-11.
