Thomas Wortman is a 20-year-old sophomore majoring in philosophy major.
Oregon Daily Emerald: Why are you running?
Wortman: I don’t really know yet — that’s what I’m trying to figure out.
Emerald: How would you figure out how to spend the senate surplus?
Wortman: I don’t know, I’ve just got to use my best judgment I guess. You know, whatever. Use my best judgment and figure it out as I go along I guess basically is what I’m doing.
Emerald: Well, figuring it out — so you’re in a senate meeting, they meet on Wednesday nights, and you’re trying to figure out how to spend surplus for that term — what sort of criteria would you use in determining how to do that?
Wortman: Well you know, I’d like to — I think that I’d try and support those that felt a need to be less represented. I don’t know, that’s good. In need of sort of assistance like uh …
Emerald: Do you know what the senate surplus is?
Wortman: Nah.
Emerald: How would you interact with student groups?
Wortman: Yeah, I’m down with student groups, I think. Yeah, I’m down with student groups, so …
Emerald: What’s the most important issue facing the student groups you’d represent?
Wortman: I really couldn’t tell you.
Emerald: What do you think is the most important thing you should know in order to deal with the budget process?
Wortman: Just a realistic idea of how much funds there are and where they’re going and who and where they’re going to, and also I think you know I look at the programs themselves and see, you know if there are some programs that are heads and tails above the rest as far as productivity, and what they’re trying to accomplish, and I think they should get rewarded for that.
Emerald: Who’s responsible for maintaining the senate Web site?
Wortman: Hell, I don’t know.
Emerald: The last one — what’s the most important part of section five of the student senate rules and why? Student senate rules is your rights and responsibilities.
Wortman: Yeah I haven’t checked those out yet, like I said…
Emerald: So you’re thinking about running — what would sway you into running?
Wortman: I don’t know, I’m just going to talk it over with my sister and my mom. I think because, see, like the thing is, I got a lot of other things that are starting to pick up right now as far as extracurricular.
Emerald: Sure, like what?
Wortman: Um, music — I’m playing or starting to play in a band, and photography has become a very important part of my life, sort of a move to the arts, for me, anyway, and so I don’t know how the ASUO is going to fit in that and also, I don’t know if it’s the time ready for me to get involved back in campus politics, because, like, I was I interned with the ASUO last year and got to work with OSPIRG, and it’s just like getting drowned out by the bureaucracy that they sort of create for themselves, you know. It’s like, I don’t really know if I want to be a part of that — it seems to be more effort to just try to put some things in order.
Emerald: So that’s the biggest part of your decision right now? Deciding whether or not you want to commit the time to the ASUO?
Wortman: Yeah, yeah, the time difference is right for me and hopefully it will come to me in a dream or something. It’s weird because something is kind of telling me I should, and so that’s why I’ve even stayed aboard this long, you know, so we’ll see. I don’t know, I think it would be interesting and those kids down there seem like good kids. I think I’d like to work with them, but I don’t know if I’m ready for all the hoopla that goes along with it.