Hargobind Khalsa, 19, is a junior majoring in international studies.
Oregon Daily Emerald: How would you figure out how to spend the senate surplus if you were elected?
Khalsa: Senate surplus — you mean the over 17,000 they project for what groups spend which one?
Emerald: The 17,000 they project for…
Khalsa: You mean the more than 17,000 students, that surplus? Because, like they allocate their budget …
Emerald: Right, no the surplus that they have every term to allocate to student groups that need it.
Khalsa: Which surplus though? Because there are two surpluses.
Emerald: Right the one they use during a senate meeting — a group comes before them and asks if they can use some of surplus or not. Individual groups …
Khalsa: Oh yeah right, like if they’ve got extra and all of a sudden they want to put on a cultural night and they don’t have money for it? I would allocate it based on need, based on past like how much they spent before. I mean, the standard that most people go by is a seven percent increase if you show them that you spent everything the year before, and initially I would do it like that, but also I’m not totally inflexible if a group can prove to me that they’re going to use this money for something that is going to benefit the culture or, like, the community of the University of Oregon — then I wouldn’t be inflexible.
Emerald: Okay, are you part of any student groups besides debate?
Khalsa: No
Emerald: And do you have a position on the debate team?
Khalsa: Well essentially, you just get a partner and you work together — there’s no real hierarchy of it. There’s just our coaches and then people who debate.
Emerald: How would you interact with student groups?
Khalsa: Essentially that’s what I think the real position is — anyone can allocate money. Like, that’s not super hard, but like what I think someone who’d be good at the senate is someone who’s got a personal relationship with all the groups.
Emerald: Do you plan to do that?
Khalsa: Yeah, without a doubt — I already do. I know people — I mean, just about all the events I attend to some extent I just make a point to get to know who’s involved with them.
Emerald: How many groups do you think you have contacts with right now?
Khalsa: Ten maybe? Democrats, Republicans, lesbian/gay/transgender, which always makes an interesting debate, Students for Peace, which makes an interesting debate, Jewish Students Association, just people who are a part of all of those and, I think — like, their work is essentially what makes the University a community. Like, without the University, like without these groups, we would just be going to classes ’cause this is where people come to get involved and they also, like, those are what like actually create the community, and I think that for anyone who’s going to have this seat, it’s essential that they further build these bonds.
Emerald: Do those groups that you’re in contact with — do they support your bid to run for senate?
Khalsa: Not all of them.
Emerald: Not all of them?
Khalsa: Definitely not all of them.
Emerald: What is the most important issues facing the student groups you represent?
Khalsa: Such a variety of issues because of such diverse groups…
Emerald: Do you have a specific platform of things you’d like to see done with any specific group?
Khalsa: What I’d like to see done — I’d like to see more involvement in all of the groups. Like, regardless, like if you’ve got an idea or you’ve got a position, I want to see you get out there and get involved in it, and I think that that’s essentially what money allocation is for is to, like, help these groups grow. I think all of them in some way have something to provide to the community and I think they should use this money to get out and express themselves.
Emerald: What’s the most important thing you should know in order to deal with the budget process?
Khalsa: What’s the most important thing I should know? Probably the rules … the rules have definitely been somewhat of a problem, at least over the past year. I think that they shouldn’t be overbearing but, like, just to make sure things actually work on time and everybody understands what they need to do to ensure that they get what they need and I think that that’s the senators job if the groups don’t know it’s the senators’ fault, like, we’re serving these groups like it’s not their, well, partially their responsibility to come line up, but it’s also our responsibility to educate them.
Emerald: Who’s responsible for minting the senate Web site?
Khalsa: ASUO — someone in the ASUO. The senate Web site?
Emerald: Yeah
Khalsa: Like ASUO comp, that thing?
Emerald: The senate’s actual Web site that you go to.
Khalsa: I’ve been to it, I didn’t notice it.
Emerald: It’s the vice president — nobody else has gotten it yet either.
Khalsa: Oh, just checking.
Emerald: Yeah, see if anyone knows it. You mentioned rules — what’s the most important part of section five of the student senate rules and why?
Khalsa: Of section five? I — you want to give me the header for senate for section five?
Emerald: Yeah — rights and responsibilities.
Khalsa: Like of the actual…
Emerald: Of student senate, yeah…
Khalsa: Um, for my position, what we do is we have to allocate $8 million — that’s the most important to make sure it’s allocated in a responsible way, in a way that we can actually make sure no groups are abusing it. That’s bottom line, the biggest responsibility.
Emerald: Have you had any experience with allocating money before?
Hargobind: I guess you could say — I mean, I ran a small business when I was in high school.
Emerald: What was the business?
Khalsa: It was a cafeteria at my boarding school
Emerald: Boarding school? Where was that?
Khalsa: Northern India.
Emerald: How many years did you do that for?
Khalsa: I did it for three years, I was in school for five. I started out with a senior when I was fourteen he was seventeen, and when he graduated I took it over for him.
Emerald: How many countries have you lived in, then?
Khalsa: I’ve only lived in two countries, I’ve been to five or six or seven, maybe.
Emerald: Great.
Hargobind Khalsa’s Interview
Daily Emerald
March 30, 2003
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