The ASUO Executive has succeeded in its endeavors to reclaim policy advice in the Office of Student Advocacy.
ASUO President Ben Eckstein said policy advice allows OSA to provide the ASUO with information surrounding policies being formed within the student government and by the administration. It was taken away in the summer of 2009, and student leaders have worked for three years to recover the contract.
“This is an issue of the autonomous functioning of student government and our right to write our own contracts,” Eckstein said. “The fact that we have secured independent policy advice for the ASUO sets a great precedent for student autonomy at the UO and statewide.”
One example of how policy advice is effective was when the Department of Public Safety was considering the purchase of Tasers. OSA was able to provide the ASUO with information and data on cases and policies from across the nation. This helped the ASUO successfully prevent DPS officers from carrying Tasers.@@and for guns?@@
OSA also provides a number of services to students, including representation in disputes with the University in a variety of areas. These services will not be changed, and students will have continued access to them.
Eckstein, who has worked toward this goal since the change in 2009, said he thinks it will help the ASUO develop policies and improve governance to better serve University students. He said it’s an example of how hard it is to reclaim a right when it is idly stripped.
ASUO Communications Director Andrew Rogers@@http://asuo.uoregon.edu/executive.php?a=12@@ shared Eckstein’s enthusiasm for the regaining of policy advice and outlined how it’s a good step forward.
“I think this is going to be a great resource for the student government to add to its ability to function autonomously and professionally,” Rogers said. “I think it’s a really important precedent that we’re able to get policy advice and contract the services we desire through our own process.”