Israel/Palestine

King_David

(14,851 posts) Sat Sep 6, 2014, 06:15 PM Sep 2014

Editorial: Marzec’s views not consistent with student body

Like many other Ohio University students, Student Senate President Megan Marzec was recently nominated for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Unlike many of her peers, however, Marzec forwent a chilled water dousing to raise money for the disease, instead opting to pour a bucket of “blood” over her head to raise awareness for a different cause.

“As Student Senate president, I’m sending a message of student concern of the genocide in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine by the Israeli state,” she said in the video.

She then continued to suggest that OU should end its relationship with Israeli academic programs and businesses. Student experiences while studying abroad in Israel are the topic of today’s Post Modern, mind you.

It’s not our place to comment on Marzec’s personal opinions or values, but we do take issue with the way she chose to express them.

Although some students may agree with Marzec’s opinion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by using her position as senate president as a platform to express them — or by thinking that the student body is on board with her opinion — she did not effectively act on behalf of students. Rather, she acted out of her own self-interest.

http://www.thepostathens.com/opinion/article_feefd40e-33c4-11e4-ab9d-001a4bcf6878.html

4 replies

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Highlight:

Editorial: Marzec’s views not consistent with student body (Original Post) King_David Sep 2014 OP

Video draws ‘blood’ King_David Sep 2014 #1

What a travesty, she wanted to bring attention to Gaza. Damn these kids, I tell ya. n/t Jefferson23 Sep 2014 #2

Yep, and 'the kids' answered her, King_David Sep 2014 #3

They should let her know who's boss and what's important in life and what can wait. n/t Jefferson23 Sep 2014 #4

King_David

(14,851 posts)

1. Video draws ‘blood’

Reply to King_David (Original post)

Sat Sep 6, 2014, 06:16 PM

Sep 2014

When Megan Marzec, a senior studying studio art, dumped a bucket of what she called “blood” over her head in a video posted Tuesday, she started with a simple introduction.

“As Student Senate president I am sending a message of student concern of the genocide in Gaza,” she said in the first ten seconds of the roughly 50-second video. She called on Ohio University to distance itself from what she called “atrocities” in Palestine instigated by Israel.

Dozens of students attended Student Senate’s meeting Wednesday night to speak out against Marzec voicing her opinions while identifying herself as senate president.

“After watching your Ice Bucket Challenge, I am appalled by the actions you took,” said Max Peltz, a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity, during Student SpeakOUt. “Not only did you defeat the purpose of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, but you diverted the public’s attention to an issue on which most are uneducated.”

Many students said she was taking a position they did not agree with and, as the student representative of OU, she should not have done so.

“This bucket of blood symbolizes the thousands of displaced and murdered ... atrocities which OU is directly complacent with,” Marzec said in the video.

She told The Post the contents of the bucket were actually red paint, tomato juice and water.

Marzec posted the video Tuesday after she was challenged by OU President Roderick McDavis to the popular ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which aims to raise awareness and funds for disease research. Instead, she used the opportunity to ask the university to divest from Israel, economically and intellectually.

“President McDavis did issue the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to the Student Senate president in an effort to extend fundraising and awareness of the ALS cause to the student body,” said Stephanie Filson, OU’s Director of External Communications, in an email to The Post. “Although the president welcomes discussion on any and all issues of concern to students, there have not yet been any meetings between the Student Senate president and President McDavis.”

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