The past year’s presidential election saw a level of visibility and involvement on the political stage most in our generation have never before experienced. Candidates spent record-breaking amounts on campaigning, and it became impossible even to walk out the front door without being bombarded by loud and often petty political messages. So, it’s understandable that by now, as ASUO election season is upon us, students are tired of the drama and of hearing the myriad reasons why they should vote for candidate X, Y or Z.
The ASUO is no stranger to these sorts of theatrics and bickering, as we on the Emerald editorial board have pointed out countless times in the past. But this does not render the process of electing officials to student government of any less importance. The ASUO deals with your money and makes decisions that affect your experience at the University. This is why we urge all students, no matter how disillusioned or frustrated with politics – on the national or local level – to vote in the 2009 ASUO elections.

The incidental fee is one of the most direct ways student government affects your time at the University. All students pay the fee in order to fund various student programs and services, such as athletics tickets, bus service, campus media and the recreation center, to name a select few. The ASUO Senate allocates the money among these various programs through recommendations from four groups: the Programs Finance Committee, which deals with more than 120 student groups each year to fund events, conferences and opportunities for student involvement; the EMU Board, which oversees the budget and policies for EMU programs such as the Craft Center and Club Sports; the Athletics Contracts and Finance Committee, which negotiates students’ athletics tickets for NCAA events, and the Department Finance Committee, which oversees programs such as Campus Recycling and the Oregon Marching Band.
Each group consists of ASUO senators and representatives appointed by the ASUO Executive – all of which are ultimately elected by you, the students. If you value your ability to use recreational facilities, your opportunity to support University athletics, your access to artistic and cultural activities, or your right to safe and reliable transportation, it is up to you to make sure it sticks around. If you’re outraged that your money is going to fund a program you care nothing about, it’s up to you to voice those concerns.
There are those who argue the ASUO is chronically detached from the student body, and that no amount of student input will change this. Historically, this has proved all too true, but the editorial board believes there are candidates who share such sentiments, and who are genuinely determined to involve students and move away from the elitism and in-fighting that have come to characterize the ASUO. And it is the responsibility of students to put the people in office who they think will best accomplish these goals.
With the University facing major budget shortages, it is more important than ever for students to voice what is most important to them, and voting is the best way to do so. The recent defunding of OSPIRG and the uncertain state of athletics tickets funding, for example, are tangible instances of how student government affects the programs students care about. The record-breaking youth involvement in the recent national elections proved students have a voice – that they care about policies that affect them and are willing to fight for them. We ask that you continue this involvement on the ASUO level and vote.
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