Students rally on Statehouse

by Erik Carlson
For The Post

COLUMBUS — Representatives from all 13 of Ohio's public universities rallied on the Statehouse yesterday in hopes of persuading the Ohio General Assembly to spare higher education from any reductions in the state budget.

Sen. Timothy Ryan, D-Niles, organized the rally and spoke along with other senators, state representatives and university students.

The event began just after noon when the Ohio State University contingent arrived, chanting "Two, four, six, eight, can't afford to graduate." The OSU students marched the two-and-a-half mile distance from their campus to the Statehouse.

Central State University students met OSU for the last half block and marched on to Statehouse grounds together. Ryan called this one of the greatest things he has ever seen. An estimated 350 to 400 students attended, he said.

"I don't want to tell a student working 40 hours a week, 'You're on your own,'" Ryan said as he began the program of speeches.

"The people in power are snubbing their nose at you and your generation because they think you will sit down and take it," Ryan said.

OSU student Nikki Jaworski told the crowd she was much like the state.

"I am a student - I have a tight budget, too, and so does my family," she said.

Jackie Cooper, student member to the CSU Board of Trustees, said Ohio students should show the government they mean business.

About 23 Ohio University students made the trip from Athens on a bus that arrived near the end of the proceedings. More than 40 OU students chanted in support of increased higher education funding at their own rally at 10:15 a.m. yesterday on the west portico of Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. Some students walked out of their classes to attend.

Historically, Ohio has not given ample funding for higher education, said OU President Robert Glidden, who spoke at OU's rally. Ohio would have to spend an additional $220 million in higher education funding to reach the national average.

OU organizer Josh Wolf said he was expecting a higher turnout, but he felt the group let its presence be known.

"We came in feisty," he said.

At the end of the Columbus rally, Ryan urged the students to go into the Statehouse and the Vern Riffe Center to speak to their senators and representatives and tell them to keep higher education an issue.

The OU contingent first went to Sen. Jay Hottinger's office, where they spoke with Jim Bellows, an aide to the Newark republican. From there the group went across the street to House Speaker Larry Householder's office, where Brett Buerck, Householder's chief of staff, met with them.

Buerck told the group Householder, R-Glenford, was unavailable to speak with them.

Student Senate President Jim Hintz said he understood that as speaker, Householder would be busy, but that what the students also need to realize is that Householder is the representative for OU students.

Hintz also said he hopes to get Householder to OU for an open discussion with students on the issue.

- Erica Ryan contributed to this story