Two weeks after the ASUO Senate rejected the appointment of former Senate President Athan Papailiou, the longtime leader of fiscal conservatives in student government, ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz has appointed another high-profile conservative: the editor of the Oregon Commentator.
Senior CJ Ciaramella was appointed Friday to represent journalism students on the Senate. In a post on the Commentator’s blog Jan. 10, reprinting a letter he said he included with his application, Ciaramella announced his intention to apply for the seat vacated in December by senior Suzie Giacomelli. In the letter, which ASUO Sen. Tyler Scandalios described as “flippant,” Ciaramella said he wished to govern in the style of “Teddy Roosevelt, Genghis Khan and Conan (the barbarian).”
“I’m a firm believer in strong, autocratic government,” Ciaramella wrote.
Ciaramella’s paperwork has not yet been made available to senators, but many said that if Ciaramella actually submitted the letter with his application, they would not support his candidacy. Ciaramella said the letter was authentic.
“Everyone’s entitled to their position as long as they have a serious constituency and take being on Senate seriously,” Scandalios said.
In the letter, Ciaramella said he was applying because he wanted to sit in the EMU Board Room chairs, get free snacks and “trod (sic) the lowly plebs beneath my gilded feet.” He addressed the issue of his qualifications by questioning the intelligence of ASUO senators.
“I am a journalism major and nominally more intelligent than a trained circus bear, which, from what I’ve seen, qualifies me for the position,” Ciaramella wrote.
Though they decried the attitude of his letter, senators praised Ciaramella’s work ethic and intelligence. As editor of the Commentator, an ASUO-funded student publication whose motto is “Free Minds, Free Markets, Free Booze,” Ciaramella is responsible for maintaining a blog and publishing the print version of the magazine. Many senators said that, if they concluded Ciaramella was serious, they would support his appointment.
“He is a good guy,” said Sen. Lidiana Soto, who knows Ciaramella through the University rugby clubs.
Ciaramella has attended every ASUO Senate meeting this term as a reporter for the libertarian publication. He spoke on Papailiou’s behalf during Papailiou’s confirmation hearing. In that speech, he described the Senate as a “gravy train” for programs that exploit the budget process.
Ciaramella said that he would vote “on a case-by-case basis” if he was appointed, rather than denying funding to all programs. He said he didn’t know yet whether he intended to take the hearing seriously.
“I’ll take it as seriously as I take anything else,” Ciaramella said. “But let’s just say I won’t be shedding any tears if I’m not appointed.”
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