Ohio University Student Union parodies Ohio University’s “It's yOU” campaign

Ohio University Student Union parodied the university’s “It’s yOU” marketing campaign with a twist that draws attention to issues on campus.In a Facebook album called “It's { }ur University,” Student Union posted edited pictures of student ID photos. The edited photos replaced student ID numbers with “dissatisfied student” numbers.The purpose of the campaign is to draw attention to issues such as ballooning classroom sizes, student debt inflation and the university’s financial support of the prison and fossil fuel industries.“These problems can be solved through collective action,” Daniel Kington, a sophomore studying English, said. Kington is a member of Student Union who helped contribute in the creation of the photo series.“A few of us were studying the effects of neoliberalism and wanted to create a photo set that shows how it affects universities,” Kington said.Neoliberalism is an economic policy closely related to that of Ronald Reagan. It focuses on capitalism and laissez-faire economic policies.“There was no better way to show it than to use our university’s ‘It’s yOU’ brand,” Kington said.Ohio University has been using the original campaign as a marketing technique. The phrase can be found on student IDs and informational pamphlets about the university.“It’s about the individual when it’s really not,” Kington said. “It should be about the collective experience and what we can accomplish together.”Students who have seen the photos are in agreement with the messages they are trying to get across.“It seems like they have good thoughts in mind,” said Lenny Soeder, a freshman studying graphic design. “I have no problem with it. I’m all for trying to bring people together for stuff like this.”Gabby Bacha, Undergraduate Student Senate president, has also been keeping up with the campaign.“I will say none of the Student Union members have contacted me,” Bacha said. “I feel that students can choose to articulate their concerns in any way they like, and if they feel this medium is most effective, then they should utilize it.”The university is also aware of the photos.“Student advocacy is an important part of Ohio University’s past and present culture, and our administration firmly believes in the tenants (sic) of free speech as it pertains to democracy,” Dan Pittman, a university spokesperson, said in an email. “Based on these convictions, the University strongly encourages students to exercise their First Amendment rights on issues of impact and importance.”