Three of the four candidates for District 44’s seat in the State House are OU students. We could not be happier.
OU students could potentially represent the district in which OU students live, meaning we could finally be governed by our peers.
We could finally have both taxation and representation.
The candidates are Isaiah McCaslin, public policy junior, Emily Virgin, first-year law student and Matthew Hecox, history senior.
As students, these three will be able to legitimately represent Oklahoma students. They will be able to offer a different perspective and from a unique position to promote student issues.
This news is refreshing considering the talk of apathy among our generation. We have a well- deserved stereotype of complaining about the wrongs of the world but not standing up and taking action. But these students are doing both.
If one of these students is elected, we encourage him or her to truly bring up student issues and be our voice instead of playing along with the same-old-same-old.
Rumor has it this is the year of standing against the establishment. It seems at least some of OU are doing their part.
The very fact they’re running for the position means they’re challenging the gerontocracy that seems to govern so much of this country.
These students have also set a fine example for the rest of the student body.
Now our question is: What are you going to do to rise to the challenge?
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billyadams 2 years, 4 months ago
The issue that comes up most is that a representative is called upon to represent the voters in their district. So in order to have the student population more well represented you must have a push to have students registered here where they live, rather than back home. Until that happens, students won't be very well represented at all.
JJanowiak 2 years, 4 months ago
I would not want to be represented by an undergraduate nor can any student be a good representative and be a good student - their first job at the university - at the same time.
And I highly doubt that this is "the rise of political activism." Students have run for office before and failed, just as these people will fail, because residents of a district want to be represented by people of that district, not transient young people who are politically unrepresentative. That's how it should be.
irishcarbomb 2 years, 4 months ago
Yeah, and the last student from OU elected to pubic office was John Hammons. I have never actually met anyone who could have possibly been as astoundingly stupid. He made even attending class excruciating with his Glen Beck routine. Since being elected he has run the town into the ground. Being a student doesn't make you a good political canidate. Being competent does.