Sledding into Controversy: Campus outing sparks student backlash
By: Kasie Rogers
Where were you the night of Feb. 1?
Last Monday, tightly packed and mostly maskless, more than 100 Ohio State students adorned the railings of the South Oval ramp, toppling down hills of snow in make-shift sleds and moving bins.
Documented via social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram, the meet-up gained the attention of notable groups like Barstool Ohio State and even, the Ohio State Police Department.
Late into the night, OSUPD officers were recorded taking part in the sledding activities and afterwards, even posing for pictures with students.
According to The Lantern, one officer called the situation an “educational moment,” and an opportunity for students to blow off steam.
When asked about his view of OSUPD as a result of the sledding incident, Greyson Bury, a second-year world politics major said, "[I] hope that people are starting to see just why it’s so important for them to be defunded."
Recently, accountability has become a hot topic on campus, particularly in association with the OSUPD.
The situation last week provided an opportunity for many to voice their concerns on the subject, and with the number of COVID cases on the rise, many students are doubtful that the only thing in the air that night was school spirit.
“The whole event made my blood boil and showed me the priorities of students’ health in the midst of a global pandemic are nonexistent,” said one student who wished to remain anonymous.
But were police wrong for not reprimanding students, and choosing to join in on the fun themselves?
Should those who participated be punished for breaking Ohio curfew, disregarding COVID protocol, and misusing property?
Some students seem to think so.
"I feel that the students who moved the benches and the dumpsters should be held accountable because they have made a mess of campus," Nnaeto Emechebe, a fourth-year medical laboratory science major, said.
In the past year, in addition to demands from Black students for the department to be defunded, questions have been raised regarding the department’s shaky, and sometimes silent, stance on racial issues.
In the case of the sledding incident, students feel that it is business as usual.
"Given the political climate, the department can easily be perceived as biased in favor of the white OSU students,” Emechebe said. “If the large gathering had been made up of mainly Black students, OSUPD would have shut the whole thing down as soon as they were notified. However, in this case, they join[ed] the other white students in the mischief."