In the early hours of Sept. 12, two University students started arguing in Taylor’s Bar and Grill. The conflict escalated, an employee kicked both students out of the bar and the quibble allegedly turned into a scuffle. During the incident, one student’s cell phone was destroyed and — whether she fell or was pushed and dragged — she landed on the ground and sustained injuries. At that time, none of this was the business of anyone except a few students and potentially the authorities.

Later that morning, the injured student, senior Erica Hass, reported the incident to the Eugene Police Department. On Oct. 8, ASUO Vice President Eduardo Morales was cited for assault and criminal mischief.
At this point an official, whose role involves advocating for and representing University students, had been charged with a serious crime. Accordingly, this story became very much the business of the student body.
On Oct. 22, Morales pleaded innocent to both charges, and he now faces a maximum total penalty of $3,000 and 200 days in jail. Later that day, ASUO spokeswoman Taraneh Foster prepared a press statement. But, local media — the Emerald included — weren’t given copies of the release. The Emerald did not receive the statement until Oct. 28 when Morales agreed to an interview; however, a reporter was given the release instead.
Regrettably, many students did not learn about the incident until the Emerald published an article (“ASUO VP pleads innocent to assault charge”) breaking the story Oct. 30, more than three weeks after the charges were filed.
Whether Morales is innocent or guilty, this delay reflects unfortunate violations of both the spirit of open student government and its inherently assumed responsibility to the student body.
Foster defended ASUO’s actions, noting that “(ASUO) is not required to (notify media). Media are not our constituents.”
While that’s true, local media — again, the Emerald included — would have made an ideal pipeline to disseminate such important information. Moreover, ASUO made no efforts to notify students — its real constituents.
What’s more discouraging is that, were the Emerald not to have pursued the story, the student body would not have been notified of the charges at all.
“We were never planning on issuing (the statement),” Foster told a reporter during an interview about ASUO’s decision process.
Making ASUO’s conduct all the more regrettable is its unrelated protest of CIA Director George Tenet’s campus visit. Some student leaders said the University fell short of the requisite openness about Tenet’s presence. If an important government official — presumably one whose presence could likely draw unproductive, disruptive protests itself — is visiting campus, they argued, he is visiting a student domain, and students should be notified accordingly.
“(Tenet’s unannounced presence) strikes at the ideals this campus was founded on,” ASUO Shared Governance Director Tim Johnson told a reporter during the rally. “Anything on this campus that seeks to neglect the input of students, faculty or staff is anti-democratic and weakens the notion that this campus is committed to collaborative government.”
ASUO, it seems, believes administrators should notify the student body of the mere presence of a U.S. government official at a private meeting that happens to be at the University. Conversely, not divulging criminal charges against an ASUO official — whose very job description makes him responsible to students — is perfectly acceptable.
Ironically, as Foster told a reporter during an interview, “(ASUO representatives) are the faces, they are the people you are able to point to, you’ve elected them.”
But ASUO feels no obligation to inform you, the student body, of criminal charges against its members.
Perhaps the organization should hold a protest outside its own office.