Ravi V. Bellamkonda during Thursday’s University Senate meeting, where he was welcomed as Ohio State’s new president. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor
In his first University Senate meeting as Ohio State’s 18th president, Ravi V. Bellamkonda told senators and student leaders he plans to lead by listening and working through shared governance as he begins his tenure.
The remarks came during a meeting that also featured the Undergraduate Student Government’s survey data on campus free speech, along with an open forum where student leaders could speak to the University Faculty Senate.
Bellamkonda said he is excited to work with the senate and emphasized its importance.
“A University Senate is a very special, important body,” Bellamkonda said. “It’s my honor to preside over our proceedings as your 18th president.”
Bellamkonda also addressed the topic of freedom of speech and expression, calling the free and open exchange of ideas “a hallmark of any great university.” He referenced protests and demonstrations that have taken place on campus this year as evidence that Ohio State supports expression, but acknowledged the difficulty of determining limits on time, place and manner in accordance with Senate Bill 1.
SB 1 prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion programming, per prior Lantern reporting.
“There will always be disagreement about where that line should be,” Bellamkonda said. “But I do believe that the dialogue needs to take into account the full complexity of the situation.”
These remarks came before USG President Jessica Asante-Tutu and Vice President Kathrina Noma — fourth-years in psychology and public management, leadership and policy, respectively — presented findings from a student survey examining perceptions of free speech.
In that survey, comprising about 2,400 responses, 46 percent of students stated they feel Ohio State has an environment where certain ideas are discouraged to prevent harm or offense.?
“This is something that me and Kathrina have heard a lot, but to see it in our numbers again was very alarming,” Asante-Tutu said.?
Noma said that the most important issue among students was the chalking ban, in which Ohio State banned all forms of chalking across campus, per prior Lantern reporting. The ban was referenced 107 times in the written response portion of the survey, Noma said.
Asante-Tutu and Noma asked for four different policy changes, including reinstating regulated chalking, establishing a student posting wall for student organizations, a clear policy regarding flyers and increasing accessible spaces for student expression.
“This data really gives us a clear opportunity to strengthen both students and institutional clarity for people,” Noma said.
After the presentation, an open forum was held in hopes to gain direct student perspectives. Representatives from the Ohio Student Association, American Civil Liberties Union campus action team, Knowlton Society and USG all spoke to the senate.
Niko Moore, a representative for the ACLU campus action team and a second-year in economics, said that Ohio State has gone overboard with its policies regarding SB 1.
“Ohio State is not simply complying with state law, it’s overcompensating in ways that risk suppressing lawful student expression, contrary to both constitutional principles and Ohio law,” Moore said.?
Braxton R. Glover, a senator in USG’s General Assembly and a first-year in public affairs and political science, expressed his concerns regarding the Les Wexner name removal process.?
Students and the community have criticized Ohio State for keeping Wexner’s name on campus despite his longstanding ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, per prior Lantern reporting. He is the founder of L Brands and chair of the Wexner Medical Center.
“I believe the form that this process uses is deliberately made to confuse people who want to fill it out,” Glover said.
Glover added that USG has created a name removal template for students, faculty and alumni to use to formally request a name change.
After the open forum, Bellamkonda did not respond to any specific concerns, and simply said “Thank you all. I hear you, so thank you.”
The meeting also included information regarding BuckID advancements and a new proposal from the Council on Academic Affairs, which proposes reestablishing the Department of Aviation.
The full Agenda from the senate meeting can be found on the 耻苍颈惫别谤蝉颈迟测’蝉 website.
