Student protests in Athens

Time is flying in Athens, Ohio! It feels like I had left New Orleans only yesterday, but yet, so many things have happened since Spring Break. The weeks after the break finally brought us good weather (around 10°C-20°C), blooming trees, the fest season, and even student protests!

Let’s start chronologically. On Friday we’ve been to a play staged by the Ohio University Student Union. They re-enacted a meeting of the University’s Board of Trustees (Those are the people that oversee and control the university’s activities and funds) to illustrate and criticize their decision on raising the tuition. All of them were portrayed as either rich, arrogant or just indifferent about the student’s concerns.  I can’t tell to what extent this actually reflects reality, but we definitely had a lot to laugh. One of the funniest moments was when Ohio University’s president was asked about the possible construction of a pipeline along the Hocking River and its impact on the environment, and he (the student actor) simply responded: “How often should I say this: I don’t know!”

The general dissatisfaction and anger about the Board’s decision-making process peaked when the University eventually announced they would enter an agreement about a $1.2 million home lease, which will house the President and his wife. His old house, located on campus, right next to Baker University Center, apparently had a “bat problem.” Those bats were supposed to be living in the attic of their home, which made the move necessary. Subsequently, the Student Union announced a protest, right in front of the President’s old home, which they called the “Bat Rally.” The protest included hundreds of students, while many of them dressed up as Batman or brought funny signs saying things such as “Bats are people, too.” Even a couple of professors joined the protest to support the student movement. The protest was covered by USA Today, click here for the article. 

 

Finally, fest season has started in Athens. If you’ve never heard of it: It’s basically like a street fest where every house participates and throws their own party, sometimes even with their own DJs. The fests are on Mill, High and Palmer Street and conclude with the Number Fest, which is a festival outside of Athens. I only went to Mill Fest because I had to work on the other weekends, but I definitely had a lot of fun. Of course, police was more than present (some officers on horses) and made sure nobody would step on the sidewalk with a drink in his or her hands.

I completely forgot to talk about my other classes. Don’t think I’m not busy, it’s quite the contrary: I’m swamped with assignments! Still, everything is going very well and I cannot complain about my grades.