Presidential candidate Bret Jacobson is a junior business major. His running mate, Matt Cook, is a junior biology major.
Q: What is your platform?
A: [Bret] Our general platform — our overarching theme — is to bring a bit more professionalism and competency to the ASUO Executive, and we will do that by making student groups a lot more visible on campus. We will keep the move toward diversity going with a few specific plans. We’re going to remove this University responsibly from the [Worker Rights Consortium] from as much of a position as we have in the ASUO Executive. And we’re going to improve relations from the student perspective with the community, which is the City Council and the police.
[Matt] We’d also like to improve higher education debate and proactivity on campus, and increase awareness that higher education will be a progressive movement.
Q: How does your decision to run fit into your ultimate career goals?
A: [Bret] Well, personally my career goals are just to find good efforts or causes and provide the best leadership and insight that I’ve gained toward that goal. So, this year I saw that student government needed to be improved, and that’s why I want to be involved.
[Matt] As far as why I’m running, leadership goes a long way in this world, and having leadership experience will go a long way. And I’d also like to be involved, drop my life into community politics and statewide politics, and so this seems like a good place to open the door for me. And I really do care about the community, and want to leave the campus community, and want to leave somewhat of a legacy behind, hopefully.
Q: What specific campus-oriented initiatives will you champion?
A: [Bret] One of our main themes was getting student voices out more, especially student groups. One of the best ways of doing that is to, within the ASUO Executive office, form a little PR hub where two or three students can volunteer their time to put some PR muscle behind all the great things that student groups are doing, that most students don’t get to hear about on a daily basis. So that’s one specific thing.
[Matt] We’d also like to increase the Executive contact with the City Council and the Eugene Police Department — the leadership in there — because I think there has been a lack of representation. I don’t want to criticize the City Council or the Eugene Police Department, but I think there’s been a lack of representation. The only time the ASUO really came out was when they were proposing an initiative for the thousand-dollar party patrol — it’s that response fee, I think is what it’s called — and we’d really just like to facilitate an ongoing communication with our City Council people and the EPD.
Q: What will you advocate for on the state level for students, and how would you carry out your plan?
A: Traditionally the way that the University has been represented in the state was from the [Oregon Student Association]. While we would probably continue that, if you look at the OSA budget, we send almost $100,000 a year there, and we would want to re-evaluate how well that’s doing for us and see if there are any more positive ways, or more cost-effective ways, of being represented in the state. There are certainly times where Matt and I could personally lobby up at the state, and if we feel that there is an issue like a tuition increase or scholarship needs, then that’s one way we could get involved personally.
Q: What is your definition of student activism?
A: [Bret] Student activism comes in as many shapes and sizes as imaginable on this campus. And the U of O has built a reputation for student activism. My own definition is students just doing whatever they can to get their voices heard. Even while I personally disagree with many of the methods they’ve chosen, I at least respect that they care enough about a subject to go out and make noise.
[Matt] Student activism is really just students who have a particular passion or interest in a general topic [who] go out and really make an effort to educate others about their stance on things.
Q: How do you define diversity? And how do you plan on bringing together the diverse voices on campus?
A: Diversity is a very sensitive subject on this campus. I think our main thing with diversity is we have a lot of great student groups around the campus that will, through our PR idea, be heard more, and I think they will feel like they are receiving better coverage and fairer coverage. As far as a definition of diversity, it’s more an acceptance of everyone, a communal acceptance and will to learn from everyone’s different cultures.
Q: If two student groups were at odds with each other, how would you resolve the conflict?
A: Well, if there’s a rules issue, then certainly we look in the Clark Document or the Green Tape Notebook and see what happens there. But if it’s just an ideological dispute, then we try to get out both sides for the campus to hear about and pretty much let the campus decide who’s right and who’s wrong. That’s the epitome of diversity.
Q: If there were one thing you could change about the University instantly, what would it be?
A: [Bret] Probably higher faculty wages, because we’re pretty low-ranked in that. I mean, that makes us one of the best values, but it also makes it very difficult to attract highly talented professors here.
[Matt] One thing I would change immediately is the reputation of the University of Oregon as being a more professional institution around the state of Oregon. I think the news coverage has created a sort of negative vibe around the U of O, and if I could change that right off the bat, I definitely would. Change the vibe around campus, the reputation of the University of Oregon, kind of how the general public feels about it.
Q: Recent history shows a tense relationship between the ASUO Executive and University President Dave Frohnmayer. Do you plan on improving that relationship and, if so, how?
A: Definitely plan on improving that relationship, and one of the best ways to do so is to utilize other members of the administration, such as the head of the alumni association, the University Foundation, Dusty Miller of the EMU; all have said on different occasions they are willing to take student issues to President Frohnmayer if they consider them valid issues, and at least discuss that with the president. On a more personal level, we can certainly just try to be as professional and reasonable as possible when we deal with them.
Q: How will you carry out things differently than current President Jay Breslow and Vice President Holly Magner?
A: [Bret] We think that they’ve hired an excellent staff, and their staff has performed their functions very well. But we will be more of a campus presence by pushing our own agenda while we’re taking care of the basics. And so, higher visibility and maybe a little more passion for specific issues.
[Matt] Just by setting up a real base of media on campus, beefing up that, I think the word can get out about what student government does, and therefore our name will be out there a little bit more than Jay and Holly’s name has been out there.
