Emma Kallaway campaigned for ASUO president in April 2009 on a platform centered around one main goal: to respond to student concerns. Kallaway’s presidency, which ended Monday, centered largely on reacting to unforeseen issues that placed her in the spotlight throughout her term in office. Although she did not develop many new initiatives, she fulfilled her role as ASUO president by acting as an effective spokesperson for students as a whole.
Her presidency was not as dynamic as that of her predecessor, Sam Dotters-Katz, who proposed new initiatives such as the 24-hour Knight Library, late-night bus service and stripped funding from the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group.
Kallaway recognized the 24-hour library and late-night buses were important services to University students. She secured permanent funding for both services, despite inheriting debt from the previous administration estimated at around $16,000, thereby fulfilling her campaign promise to improve and protect student resources.
Kallaway also pledged to protect students’ wallets. Many students strongly opposed OSPIRG’s return to campus, saying OSPIRG does most of its work off campus and therefore does not merit ASUO funding. Although 51 percent of voters voted in favor of restoring ASUO funding to OSPIRG, Kallaway approved a budget that did not allot funding to OSPIRG.
Kallaway’s platform sought to “focus on the concrete things the ASUO can do to save students a buck or two,” and, well, she saved us three. She changed the structure of next year’s incidental fee and lowered it from $195 per term for a full-time student to a flat fee of $192 for all students. For a resident undergraduate taking 16 credits and paying approximately $2,600 in tuition and fees, $3 doesn’t seem like much of a savings. The ASUO might as well have just saved that money for programs and services students can use on a regular basis, but Kallaway fulfilled her promise nonetheless.
Kallaway didn’t anticipate the Pacifica Forum becoming one of the biggest issues of her presidency. Student protesters demanded that the Forum, which met in the EMU and invites Holocaust deniers, racists, and anti-Semites to speak at its meetings, be removed from campus. Kallaway immediately responded to student concerns by addressing the Forum at its meetings, supporting the protesters and speaking on behalf of student safety.
When a swastika was found spray-painted on the carpet in the LGBTQA office in February, she called on President Richard Lariviere to increase the number of multicultural courses students must take to graduate. While multicultural courses are probably not the only answer to eliminating racism on campus, Kallaway acted quickly to protect student safety. She also sought to get security cameras placed in the Erb Memorial Union to help prevent such attacks in the future.
Students opposing development on the Riverfront Research Park were pleased when Kallaway passed a resolution opposing the development through the ASUO Senate. The resolution didn’t have much effect on the University, though, as administrators plan to continue with their agenda for development. Regardless, she stood up for student interests.
Few leaders stick to their campaign promises, it seems these days, but Kallaway did just that. Kallaway had a responsive, student concern-centered presidency where she took on all the unexpected obstacles that blocked her path effectively, publicly, and with grace. Let’s hope future ASUO leaders take a hint from Kallaway and bring more of the same.
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