The Undergraduate Student Government will host an open forum for students and community to express their ideas about off-campus rioting at Ohio State at 7 p.m. tonight in room 201 in the Ohio Union.
“Right now the university, students and the city have conflicting opinions on how students who participate in the riots should be punished,” said Lisa Sullivan, spokeswoman for USG. “The idea is to give students voice.”
USG announced the forum through e-mail, in residence halls and around campus. More than 2,100 students responded to the e-mail, expressing their concerns about OSU’s reputation.
“We are inviting all interested students to attend a meeting on the riots so we can discuss how we can stop them from continuing,” said USG President Eddie Pauline.
Panels have been held in the past with police and students but only a small percentage of students attended.
OSU President Karen A. Holbrook and Mayor Mike Coleman established a task force committee to evaluate the rioting problem.
“We think that they are doing a good job of taking care of the psychological and overarching problems but in the end it’s going to be a conscious effort for the student,” said Sara Topy, USG chief of staff. “We need to take some individual responsibility and decide if this is really how we want to be known.”
