Bill Hatch
Age: 18
Major: Linguistics
Hometown: Eugene, Oregon
Year: Sophomore
Emerald: What is your platform summary?
Hatch: Well I just feel that if I run for student office and win I’m going to make the EMU and, you know, services provided by the school more accessible to students. And hopefully my end goal is to increase the availability of the EMU to other students and services that we provide.
Emerald: What is your background and why do you feel you are qualified?
Hatch: I don’t know if I am exactly qualified. I’m going to be honest I have never done anything in college, but when I was in high school I was the student body president and student body secretary and I just feel that if you think you can do something you can achieve it and I know that if I am elected I will be able to make some kind of a difference within the school. I think that anything that needs to be done at the school I would be willing to step in and put myself in a position to help make change.
Emerald: Why do you want the job?
Hatch: Why do I want the job? I think that we as college students have the opportunity now to get our foot in the door and if I don’t start now and if we as college students don’t start getting involved then its going to be too late at the end and I think that if I get involved now then I’ll probably be able to make a bigger difference in the school and hopefully someday maybe I’ll run for politics but I just want to make as much change as I can while I’m in college to make the experience we have as college students what it can be.
Emerald: In light of the ASUO retreat to Sunriver, what is the best way to ensure proper accountability from next year’s student leaders?
Hatch: You know, to answer that I would say that we as student leaders, the people who are in charge, who are elected appointed by the government of our school, they need to look at themselves and be like your actions need to be held accountable. Unfortunately they weren’t. You guys did a couple of stories last month about, I forget I don’t remember the name of the kid who filed a petition with the student supreme court but things like that need to be held accountable. The supreme court needs to make decisions that are actually changing the University, not passing things or saying, rejecting something because of non-legitimate reasons so I think that we as students need to hold our leaders accountable. If they do something bad we need to put them in the hot seat and we aren’t doing that now. So I think the students are the final check for their leaders
Emerald: Since you are running for the EMU Board, how feasible do you feel that the EMU five-year Master Plan is, and how would you facilitate it?
Hatch: To be honest, I have no idea. I’m getting into this position so that I can see where our school is headed and lead and help make a difference in it. And I guess I’ll find out if I get the position but regardless if I get the position or not I’m going to do everything I can do help make the school a better place.