ASUO Executive candidates Adam Walsh and Kyla Coy begin challenging Ashley Rees and Jael Anker-Lagos for student government’s top position today in the ASUO General Election, presenting contrasting plans for a tuition freeze, community relations and campus safety.
Rees and Anker-Lagos received the most votes in last week’s primary contest, garnering 907. Walsh and Coy took second with 445 votes, surpassing third-place challengers Jacob Daniels and Adi Cargni by just
22 votes.
A key issue in April 6’s executive debate, a tuition freeze, continues to distinguish the candidates.
Walsh told the Emerald he would support a freeze but not at the expense of the Oregon Opportunity Grant. He said his opponents’ plan would cut the program to fund the freeze, reducing a form of aid for students who already struggle to pay tuition.
Candidates for ASUO president and vice president
“It will be hard to get, but it’s something that students want and something we’d continue to advocate for as long as it doesn’t affect the Oregon Opportunity Grant,” Walsh said. “The reality of it is that any ASUO Executive candidate who tells you they’re going to get the tuition freeze for you is lying to you.”
Coy said the ability to obtain a freeze is ultimately outside the purview of the executive. If it happens, it’s because the Oregon Legislature found the money, he said.
But Rees said the freeze is her ticket’s “main issue,” saying it is feasible.
“A lot of the other candidates are claiming this isn’t something we can win, that this isn’t possible,” she said. “We want to make it clear that this is very possible to win as long as you have dedicated students working on it.”
Rees said students won a freeze from 1997 until 2001, adding that the House, Senate and governor have prioritized the freeze in their budget proposals. She said her executive would continue to lobby to preserve the funding.
Rees and Anker-Lagos also countered the Walsh-Coy ticket’s assertion that stronger campus-community relations are necessary. Anker-Lagos said campaigning for a housing standards code earlier this year was “one of our great victories.”
“There is this bridge that we’ve built with the community, especially working on housing standards,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that Adam doesn’t see this bridge because he’s never actually walked on it and participated in the housing standards. He was not at the hearings.”
Yet Walsh said although the executive currently has a community outreach position, he wants to “really step up the work that they’re doing and make sure they work side by side with city councilors.”
He added that the person filling the position needs to be aware of not just the city council but of what’s going on with neighborhood organizations.
“For them to say that it’s a non-issue just really emphasizes how narrow of a scope their platform has,” he said.
Walsh targeted his opponents’ position on increasing safety lighting at night. While he said the path to Autzen Stadium is windy and “there are dark spots,” which could possibly be improved, he said students can already obtain a map from the Department of Public Safety showing lighted walkways.
“When you look at it … there’s lines in yellow for every route on campus that is lit,” he said. “It’s basically a grid of yellow. So when they talk about not having enough lighting on campus, I really think they should do their research a little bit better.”
Coy said crime statistics show there is more arson than assault on campus.
Walsh said safe walk programs, like those currently in place at other schools, have not been utilized
by students.
| Campaign expenditures The seven executive tickets in last week’s ASUO Primary Election spent about $5,700 on the race, about $828 more than last year’s four main tickets spent during both the primary and the general elections, according to required financial paperwork filed by the participants. The campaign money, furnished largely by the candidates’ friends, relatives and the candidates themselves, paid mainly for T-shirts, copying and other advertising costs. Primary elections winners Ashley Rees and Jael Anker-Lagos spent about $1,200, while second-place challengers Adam Walsh and Kyla Coy spent about $693. Running-mates Jacob Daniels and Adi Cargni, who garnered just 22 votes fewer than Walsh and Coy, spent almost twice what the winners spent, listing $2,040 in expenditures. They spent $1,500 on T-shirts, according to the paperwork. They also spent $40 to advertise on Thefacebook.com, a social networking Web site frequented by many University students. Candidates Nick Hudson and Allison Sprouse spent about $1,070, while Evan Geier and David Goward spent about $688. The Anthony Caruso-Robbie McEachern and Peter Flier-Christopher Haak campaigns did not list contributions or expenditures. ASUO Student Senate Seat 1 candidate Miles Rost, who lost in the primary, spent the most of any Senate candidate, with about $241 in expenditures. No other candidate spent more than $25 to run for the Senate. – Parker Howell |
Rees said in addition to lighting the Autzen area and starting a walking service, her ticket wants to go “beyond physical safety” to address students’ ability to feel safe on campus. She said a more holistic approach is necessary to address the campus climate.
Walsh said he would change the DPS policy on citing underage students experiencing alcohol poisoning with a violation charge of minor
in possession.
“It seems ironic that the name would be ‘Public Safety’ if really we’re putting students in jeopardy because … it truly is a very dangerous thing to be taking the chance that any student might not call for help for a friend who is potentially going to die,” he said.
Coy said her ticket’s role as outsiders to the ASUO will be beneficial.
“I think a fresh outlook is priceless because you’re seeing things from a different angle than you would from the inside; you can approach problems from a different way,” she said.
Walsh said his ticket is “not bound by the same rhetoric” as those who have served in student government already.
“If you’re only going to elect people with prior ASUO experience, you’re only going to get people from the inside, people who’ve been influenced by the people before them, which is dangerous because that means that right now … you’re essentially approving of all the work the prior insiders have done,” he said.
“Anybody who goes into the office, into Suite 4, can see sometimes what goes on, and that’s solitaire and e-mail,” he said, adding that he’d like to have a more serious student government. Rees said her ticket represents more students than those in the ASUO.
“It’s important to first of all recognize that we’re not entering this election as people who are representing the ASUO,” she said. “We’re entering this … to represent students. Students from a variety of backgrounds, a variety of constituencies — that’s who we represent.”
Anker-Lagos said, “not only do we have the experience that the ASUO offers, but we have these
other perspectives.”
Last week, the ASUO Election Board ruled that the Rees-Anker-Lagos ticket was forbidden from campaigning in the residence halls until Tuesday, among other punishments, because it violated election rules.
Anker-Lagos said grievances “generally slow down the process,” taking time away from her campaign.
“It’s unfortunate that the other candidates had to turn to grievances, rather than other tactics, like hard work,” she said. “We look forward to a clean and fair electio
n.”
Rees said the grievances are “not going to keep us from talking to students about the issues that are important,” noting that several of the grievances were dismissed.
“We acknowled
ge the importance of these rules, and we will be really emphasizing that our entire campaign will be aware of them and will be
following them strictly for the rest of this campaign,” she said.
Walsh said it is “interesting that Ashley and Jael’s campaign was the only one that broke the rules.”
“We’re talking about insiders who are apparently experienced enough to know the bureaucracy of the ASUO and should already know the rules,” he said. “If they’re so experienced I wonder why they’re the only ones that broke the rules.
“We’ve made sure that in everything we do we haven’t broken any rules … from the littlest thing to the biggest thing. … First and foremost, we want to respect the students we want to vote for us.”
Voter turnout in the primary election was 16.7 percent, an increase from last year.
“Overall, we are pleased with the results of the primary, but we wish voter turnout could have been at or over 20 percent,” ASUO Election Board spokesman Ryan Coussens wrote in a prepared statement.
“Despite the fact we didn’t meet our goal, we did raise voter turnout, which is a victory not only to
the Election Board but to the
student body as well.”
