Senate Ombudsman Derek Nix will resign his seat at the end of winter term because he said he has grown tired of Senate’s “bad decisions” and lack of deference to his institutional memory.
“I have been struggling with this idea for a while and have finally reached this conclusion because I cannot stand aside anymore and watch Senate make bad decisions,” Nix wrote in a e-mail dated March 7. “I feel that my institutional memory has been of no use this year and that the work that I have done has gone unappreciated. It is for these reasons, along with my school work, that I will resign from my post as ASUO Senator and ASUO Senate Ombudsperson.”
Nix told the Emerald on Sunday the Senate’s bad decisions have included funding recurring expenses such as Campus Recycling’s composting program and the ASUO’s contract with Lane Transit District with a one-time infusion of cash from a carbon tax credit. Such temporary fixes will come back to haunt student government in the future, he said.
Nix also objected to Senate hearing OSPIRG’s informal appeal of the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee budget during Wednesday’s meeting. Nix said the appeal should have taken place one week later and the Senate would have had the option to recall the entire committee budget, which senators passed Wednesday without amendment to OSPIRG’s contract.
Nix said he had considered running in spring elections for a Senate seat but now has no plans to do so. He said he may still campaign, and his resignation is not related to intra-slate politics or Oregon Action Team’s presidential candidate Michelle Haley.
“Michelle Haley has nothing to do with my resignation from Senate,” he said. Haley declined to comment on Nix’s resignation Sunday beyond saying that the Oregon Action Team supported his decisions.
“If I do anything in this election it will be in a very small role,” Nix said. “If I do anything I’m not sure I’d help Oregon Action Team at this point in time. There are some things I don’t agree with. That’s another reason I’ll probably stay out of elections this year because there’s probably no other campaign I’d agree with other than Oregon Action Team.”
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