After Wednesday’s article about potential mishandling of the ASUO internship class, representatives from both sides of the spectrum opened up on their experiences.
The ASUO internship class is a class where students can learn how to be a part of student government. It is taught by a representative from the Oregon Student Association, a nonprofit advocacy organization working on student issues such as debt and financial aid.@@http://www.orstudents.org/@@
As the article stated, some students who took the class felt like fellow interns in the program can cause a feeling of alienation. One such student, ASUO Sen. Bri Woodside-Gomez, said that the climate of the ASUO can be very isolating.@@http://uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/Brianna*S*Woodside-Gomez, but I promise she goes more by Bri. -FB@@
ASUO President Ben Eckstein, who has always been a proponent of the class, said he has gotten a lot from program.@@http://uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/ben*eckstein@@
“As student body president, I have seen first how the program builds strong student leaders on this campus,” Eckstein said. “I hope every president in the future can also experience those benefits.”
OSA Executive Director and former ASUO president Emily McLain agreed with Eckstein, saying that a strong internship program is critical for a strong student government.@@http://www.orstudents.org/osa/info/C6/@@
“Historically, this class is a great way to learn about the ASUO and the University,” McLain said.
She also explained that OSA is welcoming to feedback and is adaptable. McLain said the program evolves every year to best suit the needs of everyone involved.
“I’m excited about the future of student organizing,” she said. “I am really excited about working with students at the U of O again next year. They make really strong student leaders.”
While there are many people who are in favor of the program, former ASUO Sen. Alex McCafferty had a negative experience within the class. Like Woodside-Gomez, he joined the class in order to get involved with the ASUO in fall term of his freshman year. Within the first two weeks, the group was taken up to lobby in Salem against Matthew Knight Arena.@@http://www.alexmccafferty.com/index.html, matthewknightarena.com/@@
“I was told that if they built the arena, there wouldn’t be money for more dorms,” McCafferty said.
When students in the class discovered that his viewpoints differed, he felt like an outsider. Although he had a good working relationship with the campus organizer at the time, he still felt like he wasn’t welcome among his peers.
McCafferty attended the Northwest Student Leadership Conference with the group and made lasting friendships there, but he still didn’t feel included with the interns in his program. He said he sees a problem with the class being headed by an OSA representative.@@http://www.orstudents.org/nwslc/@@
“Do I think they are mal-intentioned?@@that’s not a word@@ Absolutely not,” McCafferty said. “The group does good work, but there shouldn’t be a member of a political organization paid by the ASUO.”