Name: Emma Kallaway
Position: ASUO President
Age: 20
Hometown: Seattle, Wash.
Class standing: Junior
Major: Business Administration
Arrests: None
Briefly explain your platform.
We envision an ASUO that works with students for students. Our three main priorities are: to improve and enrich the student resources on campus, to outreach better to students, and to increase fundraising in the executive and make fundraising and increased revenue in the executive institutionalized for the future.
What qualities and experience qualify you to be ASUO president?
What makes me most qualified is my experience previously in the ASUO. I am the only candidate that’s worked previously on an executive staff. I worked as a programs administrator last year. And currently I’m vice president of the Senate. So I think that makes me understand the very important balance between the executive branch and legislative branch. And I think the other thing that gives me experience for this position is my that I work in the residence halls. I’m an academic assistant for 70 students. And I think that gives me a very unique perspective on that first-year student.
What are your thoughts on the size and purpose of the student incidental fee?
I believe that the incidental fee is one of our number one tools for completing the mission of the ASUO, which is to increase the cultural and physical development of the campus. The incidental fee gives students a lot of power and it’s one of those things that makes the U of O so unique and so special because it gives us a lot of power. But I think that in these economic times, I hope we are using every dollar to its greatest resource.
How would you fund the LTD bus service?
For the next year, we’re using over-realized funds, but I think what we really need to do is look really closely at the ACFC budget. From talking to students and outreaching to students, which is my number one goal, I understand that it’s very important for students to have that late night service, so we need to look very carefully into how all the components in the ACFC fit into making that more permanent. The need to obtain more athletic tickets is important, but we’re going to see negotiations in the new basketball arena and we’re going to see fewer games that we need to pay for football, so I hope we can institutionalize the late-night bus service into the ACFC budget.
Do you support extending the 24-hour library program, and if so, how?
Yes. I support the 24-hour library program. In talking to students, I understand that everyone’s living situations are different, but the library is a place where we can study, so I think we need to find a way to make that permanent and find a funding source for it.
Should OSPIRG return to campus, and if so, what form should it take?
The greatest conflict that we saw with OSPIRG this year was addressing, “How is our money being used?” And I think that next year, if they were to return, it should be as a student program that can really grow and be able to regain the students’ confidence on where every dollar is being put to use.

Name: Getachew Kassa
Position: ASUO Vice President
Age: Not listed
Hometown: Portland, Ore.
Class standing: Senior
Major: Political Science
Arrests: None
Briefly explain your platform.
We envision an ASUO where students work for students. We want to reconnect students to resources and enhance the UO experience while building revenue through fundraising.
What qualities and experience qualify you to be ASUO vice president?
Numerous ones; four years of experience in programming, involvement in African Student Association freshman year, president of Black Student Union, board member of multicultural center, I have attended conferences throughout four years building leadership skills, collaborated with different student communities to work on agendas that benefit students.
What are your thoughts on the purpose and size of the student incidental fee?
I don’t think the I-fee should be increased every year. We have to watch out for student wallets. We should let students know where their money is going and why that’s benefiting them. The biggest connection between students and the ASUO is the I-fee, so we really have to be sensitive in managing it.
What do you see as the vice president’s role in the ASUO?
After being elected, Emma and I will prioritize our platform and agenda and figure out how to divide it up. Then I’ll know how to better execute my position.
How would you fund the LTD bus service?
It’s important to work with the ACFC. LTD is an important resource for students and we must find a more sustainable way to fund LTD; this issue shouldn’t come up every year. We should institutionalize something more permanent and think long-term.
Should OSPIRG return to campus, and if so, what form should it take?
OSPIRG is something students care about and they want it on campus. It should come back as a student program and we should address the accountability issue. Money that leaves campus is scrutinized more than money that stays on campus and by making OSPIRG a program, we can hold it to a higher standard.