I really enjoyed being able to learn from several of the second year PSL advocacy projects. The first site that I visited was Claire Heinle’s “Queer Buckeyes: Include Us In Inclusion.” As a queer buckeye myself, I really appreciated being able to read about Claire having an experience very similar to mine, in which she came to OSU expecting a vibrant LGBTQ+ community with many university resources, and was met with a disappointing reality. Finding out about the exclusivity and inaccessibility of gender-inclusive housing, as well as learning that OSU is the only Big Ten school without a dedicated LGBTQ+ office/center on campus, really motivated me to get involved in the initiative to make OSU more queer friendly.

I also visited Max Warshawsky’s “Voter Suppression: Age of Corona” presentation, and learned valuable information about both the history, and current reality of voter suppression in the midst of a global pandemic. I thought that this presentation was very relevant and it showcased how simply bringing otherwise hidden information to light is a vital form of activism. Finally, I visited Briana Anthony’s “Vegetarianism (Sustainability, Animal Rights)” presentation. I really appreciated this project because it gave detailed information on how valuable reducing your meat intake can be to saving the environment. Briana’s project motivated me to think differently about vegetarianism.

We are living in the epitome of the digital age. Every component of human life has been modernized, digitized, given a website, and been preceded by a hashtag. While the digitization of society has produced countless benefits, it has also produced many complicated obstacles. One of the most prominent fields which have been intercepted by the modern obstacle of technology is politics. News exists across millions of platforms, each one often times spinning the same story in a different direction. While this is beneficial in that it allows for a diverse range of perspectives, it also is dangerous in that a magnitude of inaccuracies are portrayed as news, and thus perceived as fact by the public. The hyperpartisan nature of the United States political system has attributed greatly to this phenomena, inspiring people to paint their political party as superior and their opposing party as malevolent despite the reality of the situation. How, then, can we as Americans solve the digitized deception presented by the hyperpartisan media?

While it is easy to blame the producers of the media, I propose that we place the blame equally on the consumers. Every person has a responsibility to their democracy to seek out truth and vote accordingly. I urge every information consumer to only intake news that they seek out through professional news platforms, not information that they come across. Yes, this means disregarding the political information found on social media. It is beyond tempting to simply absorb information from the sites you are already spending your time on to browse through memes or look at photos of your friends—I am guilty of this on a daily basis—but consumers must regard these as opinion pieces rather than news sources. Instead, it is important to seek out information from reliable media outlets. I urge every citizen to dedicate a few hours of their time to researching media outlets, and find one that is well accredited, fact based, and which aligns with their viewpoints. It is also important to not stop there. After finding a reliable site that compliments your viewpoints, I urge consumers to find an equally accredited source that fundamentally differs from their partisanship alliances. Finally, it is important to consult both of these sources before formulating an opinion on any given issue or event. Rather than accepting the information from any source at face value, the consumer must decide for themselves after evaluating diverse, accredited sources.

While these solutions may not directly destroy digitized deception immediately, it can eventually. By disregarding unaccredited, hyperpartisan, opinion pieces presented as news, and placing value upon honest and factual sources, the demand will shift. Consumers control what is produced by decided what they value most. Value honesty, and truth will follow.

On Thursday, August 29th, I sat down with PSL’s very own Matt Berman. A second year student here at The Ohio State University, Matt hails from a town about 25 minutes from Cincinnati by the name of Mason, Ohio. Two of Matt’s greatest passions, music and the social sciences, are greatly reflected by his major in political science and minor in music. At the start of his freshman year here at OSU, Matt had plans of pursuing a career in the political sphere, with dreams of running for office one day. Once forming connections with many peers who were similarly motivated, however, he decided that his particular skillsets would be better suited for a career in law— which he now plans to pursue. Matt is a proud member of the Buckeye PhilHarmonic: the only student run orchestra on campus. He also prides himself in his active role in OSU’s Pen Pals organization, in which he and others write letters to school children in the Columbus area. Another way that Matt keeps himself busy is being a Resident Assistant at Park-Stradley, which he describes as “super cool,” and enthusiastically watching OSU football despite not attending a single game in high school. 

Matt is very involved in the PSL scholars program. He joined PSL as a freshman due to his intrigue in social sciences as well as because he knew that Smith-Steeb— the dorm where freshmen involved in PSL reside— was air conditioned and in a nice location. When asked about what he has learned from PSL, Matt describes how the program greatly assisted in steering him away from politics and towards law. The most valuable things he has gained from PSL, however, are friendships; his new friends range from those with similar political views to polar opposites. Another thing he has learned has been tolerance, and the importance of fighting for friendships despite differences. When describing his PSL experience, he offers some terrific advice, “You take out what you put into this experience.” He encourages incoming PSLers to be active in this community, take risks, and form connections. While concluding the interview, I asked Matt to describe himself. “I like to think that I’m pretty rad,” Matt ended with a smile. I would definitely have to agree with him that notion. 

During my senior year of high school, I created a club called the Alliance For Unity, or AFU. As my attempt to instill respect for all students into my community, the AFU is my version of a gay-straight alliance. This club was highly controversial and protested within my highly conservative, rural community. The club launched several powerful initiatives, such as building a patio outside of the library where we could grow fresh produce and students could find peace in nature, leading conversations about equality and inclusion, educating students about queer activism and history, launching mental health reform in the wake of multiple tragic suicides in our community, and acting as a safe space for students who had previously felt alone. Serving as the founder and president of this organization truly propelled me into a leadership position, giving me the experience and bravery to pursue leadership throughout my collegiate journey here at Ohio State. Furthermore, launching a highly combatted initiative lead me to develop outstanding tenacity, and a desire to institute legitimate change. I believe that my experience with the Alliance For Unity thoroughly represents my character and skillsets, and shows what I have to offer.