Name: Sam Dotters-Katz
Position: ASUO President
Age: 21
Hometown: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Class standing: Senior
Major: Political Science and History
Criminal record: None
Platform:
Increase access of tickets to students by offering on weekends, oppose Tasers on campus while supporting campus security, institute a text-message warning system on campus, increase access and affordability to higher education through a foundation endowment endorsed by the bookstore, make sure student contracts are responsibly managed. Also, keep student money from being shipped off campus, institute compost initiative on campus and increase funding for sustainability coalition and survival center.
Qualifications:
People who have been inside ASUO for a long time get in some special interest pocket or become part of some political machine and can no longer effectively do their job as student advocate. Johnny and I are everyday students, and we’re going to advocate solely for students without a personal or political agenda.
How do you propose increasing interest in the ASUO to ensure quality candidates for open positions?
I think there is a deliberate attempt to keep the students in the dark about what the ASUO is doing behind closed doors because if the student body knew about the practices and ethics of the ASUO, they would be up in arms. The ASUO has become a culture of corruption and student politicians’ best skill now is survival by deception. We’re going to have a weekly call-in talk show on campus radio and we’re going to forego stipends so any student with a great idea can come, and we’ll make it happen.
What do you think about current student oversight of the Student Recreation Center?
Last year the million-dollar burden on students was moved off the incidental fee. In student programs, unions and clubs there is a big problem getting them the funds they need.
Do you believe the student government should expand as suggested by recent changes to the Green Tape Notebook?
I 100 percent support the constitutional amendment. The PFC is a circus and by separating what’s going in there you’re going to have a more effective process.
What changes would you make to the proposal for student ticket distribution?
Right now there’s an electronic system that will be instituted, and we support distribution on the weekends. But the seniority system is attached, and the incidental fee is paid equally by students. We favor reforming this ticket allocation system so it’s a fair shot so your shot at getting a ticket is not based on your age, but on the raucous you bring to Autzen Stadium.
Name: Johnny Delashaw
Position: ASUO Vice President
Age: 22
Hometown: West Linn, Ore.
Class standing: Senior
Major: History
Criminal record: None
Platform:
Keep student dollars on campus, create a later bus service through negotiations with LTD, reduce textbook costs through a foundation endowment with interest paid to the bookstore.
Qualifications:
This question was not asked.
How do you propose increasing interest in the ASUO to ensure quality candidates for open positions?
The ASUO needs to reach out to the students who don’t care – the 80 percent that don’t vote believe the ASUO doesn’t do anything for them. The ASUO needs become a more incorporating system for students on campus.
What do you think about current student oversight of the Student Recreation Center?
Right now it’s in the hands of professionals, and that will allow the rec center to expand whereas before it probably would have just gone deeper and deeper in debt. It’s a little disappointing that students don’t have as much control as they used to. It’s very important that there is a rec advisory board so people running the rec center understand what the students want and what they need.
Do you believe the student government should expand as suggested by recent changes to the Green Tape Notebook?
I don’t think student government needs to expand at this point. What it needs is to be more efficient. The PFC right now is a complete circus, and the new committees will take a lot of pressure off the PFC. The current timing is right in the middle of our elections.
What changes would you make to the proposal for student ticket distribution?
The proposed system will discriminate against freshmen and sophomores because only 15 percent of the tickets will be available for freshman through the online system. Sam and I want to create a system where tickets are distributed on the weekend and through the Internet so the students who are the die-hard fans will still be able to get the tickets, and those who cannot wait in line on Sundays can still get the tickets.