This week at The Ohio State University, elections for the undergraduate student government are under way. Voting opened on Monday morning and will close at noon on Wednesday.
As an English major minoring in political science, I have always found great value in how writing can amplify political issues and influence real change. I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and discuss the election with the ticket Her Campus at OSU is officially endorsing, Building 4 Buckeyes, with running mates Marin Funderburg and Anoushka Dubey.
When asked what inspired them to pursue positions in our student government, Funderburg described her life growing up in rural Ohio as one of the few openly LGBTQ+ individuals. This experience alerted her to the importance of representation, a passion she carried with her to OSU.
Dubey explained that from a young age, her parents emphasized that if you commit yourself to your education, doors will open for you.
“Whether you’re a woman on campus, whether you’re part of a marginalized community on campus, or just a vulnerable population in general, it can feel like a maze sometimes for people, and that’s why I decided to get involved in student government. We are both very passionate about advocacy and making sure that students on campus don’t just feel welcome here — they also feel like they are integrated into campus life and all the resources we have,” Dubey says.
Ohio State is such a diverse campus with students from a wide variety of backgrounds. No matter where you come from or what you hold most important as a student, Funderburg and Dubey are passionate about making sure your voice is heard. While their campaign holds space for students from every background, as a women’s magazine, it is important for us to understand how our student government will work to protect and amplify the voices of women.
When asked how the Building 4 Buckeyes administration would benefit women on campus, Funderburg and Dubey came prepared with clear policy proposals.
“This [amplifying women’s voices in student government] was really important for us because we knew we had a lot of power being women and using our voices, and there is space we could take up with these policies. So we crafted it together, and there were three main ones we came up with,” Funderburg says.
Dubey then walked me through Building 4 Buckeyes’ three-pillar policy aimed at protecting and supporting women on campus.
The first is the “SafeSip” initiative, a policy designed to protect against drink spiking. In practice, this would involve making drink covers and drink test strips readily available for students. Dubey explained that they hope to implement this by distributing these items at locations such as the Ohio Union or the RPAC.
Secondly, Building 4 Buckeyes wants to make menstrual products more accessible. Dubey said their team has already met with Period at Ohio State about this issue.
Lastly, Building 4 Buckeyes hopes to expand safety resources through Buckeye Watch. Dubey explained how her parents in Cleveland often receive information about crimes occurring on campus even before she herself has heard about them. She emphasized how important it is, given the price of our tuition, that students have safety resources that are effective and easy to access. One potential solution would be coordinating with campus police so students can request an escort home at night.
As a woman on campus, these three steps seem obvious, and yet they have rarely been prioritized by previous student governments. Funderburg and Dubey, however, are serious about protecting women at OSU.
There have been a multitude of concerns on the minds of the student body here at The Ohio State University. Whether it is a smaller-scale issue such as expanding dining options for students, or a larger issue such as addressing free speech restrictions, the presidential and vice presidential candidates for Building 4 Buckeyes approach each issue with care and dedication.
That being said, there was a specific need that Funderburg and Dubey saw within the student community that inspired them to run. Both expressed that their decision came directly from the connections they made while meeting with student organizations.
“We can’t tell the stories of other students, so we have been on the ground. We’ve been talking to people, and it was very clear that there was a need for leaders who weren’t just there for a title. Leadership was never our goal. We didn’t come into this saying we’re going to be president or vice president. We came in to help people. We knew that there was a need, and we believed we could be great advocates,” Funderburg says.
I next asked Funderburg and Dubey what has most excited or disappointed them since deciding to run for office.
“I’ve been so excited about the support we’ve gotten. That has been my favorite part. We’ve been going to so many student orgs and meeting with so many people, and truly we are given this privilege with this platform to go into spaces we probably wouldn’t have been in otherwise and meet so many different people. It’s just been amazing,” Funderburg says.
While there have been many positives and moments of joy in their campaign, Dubey spoke about the misogynistic backlash their campaign has received.
“The thing that has most disappointed me has been that there has been an image painted against us, as women, of being liars and gossipers just for being in the running,” Dubey says.
Dubey continued to explain how this reaction to women running for office has threatened the integrity of their campaign, making student government elections something people are sometimes hesitant to talk about and turning elections into something unnecessarily controversial.
“Safety, wellness, dining, housing, affordability. These are basic issues that should not be controversial. I think we just have different ways of approaching them, for sure, but our identity shouldn’t be dragged into it,” she says.
The divisive nature of politics today is unavoidable, even in student elections. It has become commonplace to witness smear campaigns, hear insults, and see disagreements escalate into full-blown altercations. At a time when the world can feel so divided — even on a college campus — my next question for Building 4 Buckeyes was this: how are you seeking to address the common good of all students in the student body, and how do you plan on working to bridge that gap?
“When we think about it, we remember who we are first. We are not president and vice president. We are students. We all came in through the same admissions process, we have experienced many of the same problems on campus. Above all, we are here to amplify student voices. I’m going after this because I want student issues to make it to the administration when they wouldn’t have had that chance before,” Funderburg says.
Dubey echoed this sentiment, expressing her desire to represent the voices of all students regardless of their background or political ideology.
“If a majority of students are wanting a policy that we can help happen, we’re going to do it. We’re not going to look at what political party it’s coming from. At the end of the day, our job is to advocate for students, and whatever the students want is what we’re going to unabashedly stand for,” Dubey says.
Another point of contention on campus has been how Ohio State students have felt particularly impacted by last year’s sunsetting of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office. Along with this, Senate Bill 1 has caused limitations for students in many areas, creating fear and uncertainty when students wish to use their voices to speak about causes they are passionate about.
For me, as a student studying politics, this has been difficult to witness and has only caused more division and discord on campus. One thing we discussed in our interview was how student organizations and clubs have felt this loss. They are losing funding and experiencing declining membership due to worries that students’ actions in organizations could be held against them or damage their academic careers.
After speaking with Funderburg and Dubey, I felt reassured that these candidates have recognized this unease among the student body, experienced it themselves, and are prepared to push back against it.
“For me, the biggest thing is free speech and expression. Every campaign is talking about this, but I think where we come from we have experience with this. I want students to feel safe to protest and advocate for the things that matter to them. So I will always stand ten toes down on that and make sure we can bring back the First Amendment rights that have been stripped from us because we are students,” Funderburg says.
Funderburg described her experience protesting the passage of SB1, explaining how this issue has been central to her as a student since this same time last year. For her, free speech is not just a campaign point, but an integral part of her life as a student.
Similarly, Dubey described her experience as an immigrant at OSU and emphasized how important it was for her to prioritize access to resources for undocumented, immigrant, and international students.
“I think a big reason I ran was for the undocumented students, the immigrant students, the international students, the new Americans here on campus. Whether you’re halfway down the street or halfway across the world, you should feel integrated here on campus and feel like you truly belong,” Dubey says.
This aspect of the interview resonated with me as a transfer student. Although I am not part of the undocumented or immigrant community, Dubey’s passion for fostering a welcoming community for every student at Ohio State can be felt no matter who you are. Funderburg’s passion for protecting every student’s voice, combined with Dubey’s attention to the voices that need uplifting, is a special and indispensable aspect of their campaign.
Marin Funderburg and Anoushka Dubey are not just building a campaign for themselves, but working to build an improved and elevated life for every Buckeye at The Ohio State University. I am confident that a vote for Building 4 Buckeyes is not just a vote for a president and vice president, but a vote in favor of every student lucky enough to be part of the thriving community at Ohio State.
Click here to cast your vote for Building 4 Buckeyes.