The Athletic Department Finance Committee consists of three senators and is responsible for maintaining and coordinating an agreement with the Athletic Department about student tickets at athletic events. The ADFC negotiates the number and price of tickets available to students, as well as the location of the seats. This year, three students are running for Senate Seat 8, one of the three ADFC finance seats.
The Emerald asked each candidate two general questions, and then two specific questions about student government: What topics are the senate allowed to pass resolutions about and what is the most important part of Senate Rules Section 5, which lists senators’ duties?
Jesse Harding is a junior majoring in journalism and international studies, and is involved with a number of campus activities. He is currently the ASUO Community Outreach Coordinator, former president and current rush chairman for his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, and the co-chairman of the Student Conduct Committee. Harding said the senate could pass resolutions about almost anything as long as it remained non-partisan, but did not touch on the allocation, expenditure or use of incidental fees directly. The most important part of the duties outlined in Section 5 is that the senate is responsible for submitting its own budget to the president, Harding said.
Q: What are the most important issues facing the students you’d represent?
Harding: Well, one issue students seem concerned about is the availability and distribution of tickets, and how smoothly that process goes. Students selling student tickets is always an issue. From the ADFC standpoint, those are the core issues. Obviously there is a big demand for tickets because we are good at a lot of sports, but also with the budget cuts in the state, students are going crazy about their tuition. Even though the senate doesn’t actually go up to the senate in Salem and advocate for tuition decreases and increases, there’s a lot the board can do, whether it be through resolution or whether it be just from getting involved and getting other students involved to make sure that we don’t have further increases.
Q: What is the most important thing you should know in order to deal with the budget process?
Harding: You need to know how the fee is allocated, the process itself, not only where the money is going but why it is appropriate, and realizing that the incidental fee is everybody’s money, and when you spend incidental fee money, you are spending everybody’s money. It better be going to a service that could benefit all students and make the experience here better for them.
Anthony Kuchulis is a sophomore political science major and is involved with the greek system. He is social director of his fraternity, Delta Sigma Phi and said he has the “arduous task of throwing dry parties,” as is also the vice-president of education and programs in the Interfraternity Council. Kuchulis did not know the sort of resolutions the senate could pass, but said the most important duties were attending all senate meetings and participating in the two required committees.
Q: What are the most important issues facing the students you represent?
Kuchulis: The biggest issue for ADFC is the contracting of the new basketball court and how seating is going to work for that: How many seats students are going to get and how it will be funded. Another issue for ADFC is that students are supposed to pay for 50 percent of the tickets through the incidental fee and currently we are paying for some minuscule amount below that, like 46.5 percent, and that’s as much as we can afford. So it’s just a battle to keep that balance and make sure that we don’t regress in our standing with the Athletic Department and that we improve our relations and current situation.
Q: What is the most important thing you should know in order to deal with the budget process?
Kuchulis: The nuances. I think it is important and look forward to attending as many meetings as possible and getting as many different facets of the senate that I can. Obviously the parts that I need to learn the most about are probably the things I don’t know.
Vincent Martorano is a freshman political science major with a minor in business and is not involved with any other groups or clubs at the University. He is running for senate because he is interested in government and sees being a senator as a good stepping stone. He said that his first priority, if elected, would be to get the Club Baseball program established as a varsity team because the University is the only Pacific10 Conference member without varsity baseball. Martorano was unsure of the specifics regarding senate resolutions, and also wasn’t able to comment on Section 5 of the senate rules.
Q: What are the most important issues facing the students you’d represent?
Martorano: Tuition hikes. Oh, representing for sports, let’s see … I have not had a chance to look at how large our budgets are. I do not know if groups are hurting for money. I do not know about Women’s Lacrosse, which was recently promoted to varsity. I’m not sure if they are yet or if they are needing more funds. I haven’t looked, so that could be one thing that would be looked at — if they need more money, if they have too much money.
Q: What is the most important thing you should know in order to deal with the budget process?
Martorano: Definitely working closely with my colleagues, knowing what they like to do, how they like to go about it, especially if there are going to be incumbents and returning people who have done this before, kind of feed off them, you know, go with their lead. You know, listen to the teams. I mean, that would be the job as the senator in the seat, work closely with the teams, if they need money, if they desperately need it, you work with them on it. Or, like I said, they might have too much money — which no one is ever going to admit that.
Click below to see the full transcript of the candidate’s interview:
Kuchulis Interview
Harding Interview
Martorano Interview
Kira Park is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.