Opinion: Rufus goes to Washington

Last week, I wrote about the mismanagement and failure that many campus activist groups have encountered in the fight against higher tuition and student debt at Ohio University. This week, however, another band of OU activists is enjoying more success. On Sunday, a group of about 15 Ohio University students participated in what is being called the largest rally against global warming in American history.According to 350.org, an environmental organization devoted to stopping climate change, more than 40,000 people attended the “Forward on Climate” rally in Washington D.C. on Feb. 17. Attendees of the rally intended to send a message to President Barack Obama and the new Secretary of State John Kerry to stop construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline, which would extend from Canada to Texas, is a project that environmental activists say would only serve to increase the burning of fossil fuels, the emission of greenhouse gases and the potential for a disastrous oil spill on American soil.The history-making rally was preceded by another unprecedented event. On Feb. 13, the Sierra Club, considered one of the most illustrious conservation groups in America, engaged in an act of civil disobedience for the first time in its history. Outside of the White House, 48 Sierra Club leaders, members and supporters were willingly arrested for refusing to disperse, an event that BuzzFeed reported under the headline “Taylor Swift’s Ex Conor Kennedy Was Arrested.” Because, you know, journalism.Caitlyn McDaniel, president of Ohio University’s Sierra Student Coalition, faced more than one obstacle in getting OU’s own climate activists from Athens to Washington. Events just prior to the rally suggested that interest in the sojourn was limited. The night before the D.C. rally, a candlelight vigil against the pipeline was organized by Fossil Fuel Free OU, a group pressuring the university to divest from fossil fuels. Unfortunately, only about six people showed up.McDaniel admits that the vigil wasn’t well publicized, publicity and the disseminating of information being an apparent problem for most political groups on campus. Despite this disappointment, interest in the rally was still strong. Transportation to the nation’s capital was another issue, but with the help of Athens residents and Ohio University Student Union, a group of student debt and tuition activists, OU’s Sierra Student Coalition was able to be a part of history.McDaniel says the rally started at noon at the Washington Monument and proceeded to march around the National Mall. Attendees heard from leaders of the Sierra Club and the global warming movement, as well as representatives of Native American tribes whose land would be violated by the pipeline’s construction. Most fittingly, when the rally concluded, the attendees pulled out trash bags and cleaned up after themselves.“It was an amazing experience,” says McDaniel. “Not just being there as an individual, but part of that crowd.”When asked about the victories and failures of various activist groups on campus and whether or not she has a key to success, McDaniel does not hesitate.“The Athens community,” she says. According to McDaniel, Athenians are always ready to “give their wisdom” to the politically engaged of OU’s student population. McDaniel advises that campus activists look not just on campus but also take advantage of the resources that Athens has, as well as meet with other activist groups to see where their interests overlap.Using these methods, an intrepid group of OU environmentalists was able to take Rufus to Washington and into history.