Recently, ASUO representatives said members of the student government drank alcohol and smoked marijuana on their retreat in Sunriver.
The ASUO has repeatedly dismissed requests for the names of the student officials and representatives who broke the law. Currently, the ASUO is sticking to a group punishment policy, claiming the organization is accepting responsibility as a whole and no names will be released.
It is nice to see the groups that make up the ASUO acting as a cohesive whole and working as a group — we’ve been asking for such action — but we were hoping to see this cooperation under different circumstances.
The self-imposed group secrecy is a poorly veiled attempt to spin some illegal events and protect the ASUO officials who shirked their responsibilities. When elections roll around this spring and ASUO members decide to run for re-election, how will the public make an informed decision?
The students of the University have every right to know who broke the law.
As elected officials, these individuals should be held accountable for their actions. The public needs to be aware of which officials violated the Student Conduct Code and should be actively involved in the process of deciding the fate of these students.
We commend the ASUO for taking steps toward making students sign sobriety agreements on future retreats, but in this case it’s too little, too late. While ASUO President Adam Petkun has been forthcoming, he has essentially allowed a string of illegally private “debriefing meetings” about the retreat to take place under his nose.
This isn’t all about the $3,200 of incidental funds used on the retreat. Although, it is difficult to understand why the ASUO would need to stay in “cultivated, executive-quality homes and condominiums,” but that’s another topic. The more serious issue is how disrespectful the ASUO has been. The disdain shown in the note (published in Friday’s ODE) left in Sunriver by a retreat participant is inexcusable, and the lack of concern for the incidental funds used is horrifically clear-cut: Students, your money is ours to do with as we please, and there is nothing you can do about it.
The next piece this mystery author should write is a letter of resignation.
And honestly, we want to take the self-described “cocky, smooth” ASUO members seriously — once they start giving students a reason to trust them with money.

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