The Undergraduate Student Government Senate needs an additional seat for an international senator. One is not sufficient.

The recent restructuring resulted in doubling the number of senators from 26 to 54. The senate unanimously passed this larger composition, seeing the need for every 1,000-student constituency to be represented by one senator.

This philosophy was not applied to the 2,564 international undergraduates at Ohio State, who are limited to just one senator.

Thus, the USG Senate is effectively recognizing international students as a secondary interest and a mere sub-group. It failed to follow its mandate of representing the student voice. Over 600 students signed a petition (as well as 18 international student organizations) voicing the need for more representation of international students.

But our own student body president, Eddie Pauline, disregarded this voice. Even the diversity senator, Chantelle Porter — who is responsible for representing the interests and needs of the underrepresented — voted against having two international senators.

In democracy, there exist many faces of representation that must be treated as equals. Take for example, a Nigerian undergraduate student at OSU, majoring in finance and living in Taylor Tower. With respect to the USG Senate, the three predominant faces of this student are “business student,” “Taylor Tower resident” and “Nigerian student.” Under the current structure, this student’s specific living area and academic needs will be justly represented. However, less representation is delegated to the equally important needs of this individual as an international student.

This is unacceptable.

Many students may ask why the three diversity senators cannot wholly represent such a student’s interests. Certainly, this student needs the support of the diversity initiative, but there are only three diversity senators representing over half of OSU’s 35,749 undergraduate students. Also, domestic and international issues can be very distinct. The needs of international students do not always relate to the diversity senators’ responsibilities.

Also, “diversity” in America is too broad and loosely held to be applied adequately to international students, especially when considering that the complexities of diversity must be confronted in different ways. The international experience is therefore quite different than the experience of an underrepresented domestic student.

OSU is ranked ninth in the United States in regards to international student enrollment. International students represent over 7 percent of the student body. Thirty nationality-based student organizations are registered at OSU.

Yet, even with these numbers, not a single international student currently sits in the senate.

Perhaps this is due to the disconnection between the international students and the senate’s agenda. Many offices within OSU are already divided between domestic and international students. There is a separate international student admissions office. Non-immigrant international students register with the Office of International Education. The federally mandated program, Student and Exchange Visitors Information System (SEVIS), was put into place to monitor international students. Due to unscrupulous landlords, international students have paid higher rent than domestic students.

Also, an international senator’s responsibilities are not limited to international students. All students need to be aware of international concerns. The better one understands those of a foreign background, the greater one’s knowledge can grow domestically.

We ask the OSU student body to unite in support of international students. Through the restructuring of the USG Senate, the senators are effectively admitting that they were not sufficiently representing the student body. Then why is the USG Senate not in favor of equally representing international students?

Kenneth A. Galloway and German G. Trejo CaballeroThe International Institute for Democracy