We strongly oppose the alternative funding structure behind Ohio PIRG. Currently, students are forced to financially support an obscure political interest group unless they actively opt out. A 2012 Student Finance Committee survey makes it clear that by a margin of 74 percent to 26 percent, students are not aware of this funding structure. Further, only 13 percent of students know that they can receive a reimbursement for the mandatory $8 donation. With such widespread ignorance, this is not voluntary political support — it is theft cloaked in progressive values.

Oberlin College students are the sole source of financial support for Ohio PIRG. What kind of grassroots group has only 26 percent of its backers aware that they are supporting it? Even worse, we as donors have no ability to influence how and where the money is spent. The student members of PIRG at Oberlin have done great work, and our issue is not with them but with the problematic funding structure. Many worthy student organizations are already doing great work under the accountability of SFC at a fraction of PIRG’s $50,000 budget. We do not understand why we could not continue the Oberlin PIRG initiatives at a local level while adding the transparency and oversight that it currently lacks.

We urge students not to support the reauthorization of OPIRG and the Student Life Committee and the General Faculty to support students over an obscure corporate nonprofit by eliminating this arcane funding structure in favor of something more modern and transparent.

– Philip Reisen ’13
Dana Paikowsky ’13
Deirdre Molitor ’13
David Tisel ’13
Charlotte Sawyer ’13
Peter Dutko ’13
Brittany Dawson ’13
Charlie Crawford-Silva ’13
Paris Gravley ’15
Jordan Hensley ’15
Alexandra Hohauser ’13
Delaney Ross ’13
Will Wickham ’13
Althea Lamel ’13
Zettie Shapey ’14
Hilary Neff ’13
Samantha Paltrow-Krulwich ’14
Sandra Ortiz ’13
Alison Messina ’13
Joseph Duprey ’13
Max Hovey ’13
Sarah Bernstein ’13
Hannah Wolfman-Arent ’13
Amy Huang ’13
Isadora Jaffee ’13
Rebecca Jones ’14
Kenny Ludlow ’13
Annie Rasiel ’15
Britt Higgins ’13
Francesca Reinisch ’13
Ornella Delle Noci ’13
Jen Rivera ’13
Emily Clarke ’15
Sarah Coco ’13
Jake Streich-Kest ’13
Ashley Docherty ’13
Jesse Vogel ’14
Richard McGuire ’14
Marion Park ’13
Michael Stenovec ’15
Marlee Blasenheim ’13
Haley Nevers ’13
Arielle Swernoff ’13
Kira Cohen ’13
Sofie Ghitman ’14
Joshua Rosner ’13
Erin Swenson-Klatt ’13
Lila Leatherman ’13
A.D. Hogan ’13
Lucy Smith ’13
Stephen Lezak ’15
Matthew Gallagher ’13
Ana Robelo ’15
Gian Parel ’15
Hannah Elhard ’13
Hannah Scharlin-Pettee ’13
Duncan Reilly ’13
Leah Mandel ’13
Isaac Buchoff ’13
Anna Zeemont ’13
Poy Winichakul ’11
Nick Bauer ’12