The ASUO, through its contract with the Oregon Student Association, pays for the full salary of OSA University campus organizer Kelli Horvath who works with the campus and students from the ASUO office to plan issue campaigns. Horvath also teaches an intern class for freshmen who wish to be involved in the ASUO.
Horvath was the student body president at Southern Oregon University in the 2008-09 academic year. She was hired by former ASUO president Emma Kallaway in July 2009 to work with students and student leaders on campus.
Every campus that sends some of its fees to OSA — including the University, Southern Oregon, Portland State and others — sends its student body president to serve as a board member.
“The ASUO is part of OSA as is every student actually on this campus, every student is a fee-paying member of the Oregon Student Association,” Horvath said. “I work to support the student board members of the Oregon Student Association who attend the U of O to run the state-wide campaigns that they decide on and to advocate for the issues they decide to advocate for.”
ASUO Sen. Brianna Woodside-Gomez was in the freshman intern class last year and worked as the Senate intern for former Senate chair Nick Gower and vice chair Nick Schultz. Woodside-Gomez was put in charge of an online vote tracking system.
She said she appreciated the work of the campus organizer and especially Horvath in that role.
“I think Kelli is really crucial. She’s one of the first people anyone new to the ASUO gets put in touch with,” Woodside-Gomez said. “(She’s a) great resource, she has so much institutional knowledge about the OUS system.”
ASUO Chief of Staff Ben Eckstein has worked with Horvath extensively in the past four months. He started out as the ASUO legislative affairs coordinator, one of the members of executive staff who works the most with the OSA before replacing the original chief of staff, Conrad Hulen.
“I’ve probably worked with the campus organizer more than any other student,” Eckstein said.
He said that while the ASUO pays entirely for Horvath’s work, she is overseen by OSA; he compared it to how official ASUO professional staff members are paid by the ASUO and overseen by the division of student affairs.
Sen. Chris Bocchicchio, along with the other 18 ASUO senators, holds office hours and does work in the ASUO office. He said that with his workload of being on Senate and attending budget hearings it’s difficult for him to remain aware of student concerns.
From that perspective, he fears the board representatives may be unable to fully represent the average student while the organizer, with its role in the freshman internship class, could influence the ASUO.
Still, he said he also appreciates the work Horvath does for the office and campus.
“I have had the pleasure of getting to know Kelli … Kelli is possibly one of the sweetest and smartest women that I’ve met within the ASUO office. Kelli understands that her position is there to be a resource for students,” Bocchicchio said. “Now, we are very, very fortunate to have Kelli, because of those qualities. Had we hired someone else with deeper or hidden motives, the OSA easily could help push the ASUO in a direction that students don’t want. So, I think it’s a very interesting balance, but I think Kelli does a very good job with it.”
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ASUO, OSA maintain intertwined relationship
Daily Emerald
January 27, 2011
Nate Makuch
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