I am appalled at the uproar the ASUO has suffered over the drinking infractions at Sunriver. This minor infraction of rules would have resulted in a simple resolution in any legal court. Because the ASUO is responsible for self-regulation in these cases, the mandate for radical punishment of offenders comes from all angles. This fails to serve the student body of the University.
Every hour our student representatives spend trying to mollify the bloodlust of the Emerald is taking away from the execution of their offices. The Emerald itself claims that “… members’ relentlessly immature actions prove they don’t deserve to be treated as serious politicians — or as adults for that matter.” Yet nothing published thus far has shown that these activities, in any way, negatively affected the senators’ ability to do their jobs.
When the ASUO maturely brought this issue to a press conference to avoid a repeat of last year’s controversy, it made no difference in the calls for extreme action. If the ODE is interested in benefiting the student body of this University, then bring issues of interest to light in the proportion to which they will affect the average student. If the ODE is interested only in propagating controversy and ridiculing those hired to protect those interests, then refund the incidental fees that support the ODE, move off campus and take your place amongst the tabloids where you will be in like company.
David Watson
Environmental Science