LTE: Interning for Lacey Rogers at UCM
Former interns of the United Campus Ministry sent this Letter to the Editor in response to the termination of former Director Lacey Rogers in 2021. It has been lightly edited for grammar and style.
Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.
To the people of Athens County,
My name is Michael, and I am a senior at Ohio University. I was a student intern at United Campus Ministry from August 2018 to March 2020. Lacey Rogers was my supervisor during my second year. As a supervisor, she pushed me beyond my comfort zone and into creating programs based on my passions. Though Lacey and I no longer work for UCM, I am proud to say that she has become my good friend.
My name is Hayden, and I am a 2020 graduate of Ohio U. Just before the pandemic sent me home in March 2020, I completed my Social Work practicum at UCM under Lacey’s supervision. Lacey, the assistant director, and Jen, the office manager, were the powerhouse duo of UCM. As an intern, I saw and learned from Lacey. I witnessed her passion for social justice and her ability to make the best with what she was given. There were many times I questioned the board’s decisions. One example was the 2019 Annual Fundraising Event, where we struggled to gain the board’s support. I noticed the lack of support Lacey had from the organization itself.
I saw Lacey’s dedication to the Free Meal Program, where she hand-crafted every meal from odds and ends. She ran the PRISM after-school program, fundraisers and more. Most importantly, I saw Lacey guide interns and equip us with the skills we needed to pursue our social justice passions. She was a great supervisor who pushed me to be my best self and think critically and outside the box.
I worked alongside a passionate, dedicated and hard-working supervisor who was inadequately supported to do her job. Yet she tirelessly gave everything she had to UCM.
When we caught wind of the injustices Lacey was facing at UCM, a hub for social justice and activism, we were taken back. UCM? There had to be an explanation! That is the very thing, though - What is the explanation? Why was someone who dedicated so much and so many years just wiped from UCM and its history? The person who taught us how to be advocates against social injustices is being treated unjustly right before our eyes. Now, we must do something.
As a collective of former interns, the treatment of former Executive Director Lacey Rogers is appalling and not affirming of UCM’s mission and values. As said, Rogers has put her time and energy into this organization that has been central to our time at Ohio University and in Athens. The way Rogers was treated, micromanaged, placed on a contract and given a heavier workload while being paid less than her predecessors and successor, was blatant discrimination. We are greatly disappointed.
We are calling on you to help. Please sign this petition to request the resignation of the current board. Let’s get momentum behind this and not let this mistreatment of an Athens activist and agent for change fall through the cracks. Link to petition: https://chng.it/MsKDWbHwfs
Sincerely,
Michael and Hayden