On April 3, the Daily Emerald moderated the Associated Students of the University of Oregon’s vice-presidential debate, introducing two candidates for the 2025 spring election. 

Jordan Ackemann, a junior, is running under the UO Student Power slate, while Madisen Kunkler, a sophomore, is running under the Unite UO slate. 

Both candidates were given the opportunity to answer questions produced by the Daily Emerald and the student body. 

Ackemann began his introduction by claiming that ASUO “is the place where progress goes to die.”

“It wraps itself in red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy that does not serve the student body,” Ackemann said. 

Ackemann said ASUO “could become an organization that goes to students instead of forcing the students to go to it” under the leadership of UO Student Power.

In Kunkler’s introduction statement, she emphasized how she is “all too familiar with imposter syndrome” and knows “all too well what it’s like to be lonely.”

Kunkler also said her vision for Unite UO is “to build that sense of understanding and belonging for other students on campus.” 

After the introductory statements, the debate continued with the questions produced. Questions ranged in topics from how the candidates would make ASUO more approachable and accessible to students to how the candidates would avoid patterns of toxicity within ASUO and foster a healthy and proactive work environment. 

Ackemann said that a key difference between UO Student Power and Unite UO lies in their efforts to reach students and organizations. 

Ackemann mentioned that Unite UO’s mission of “keeping the doors open” for students does not account for the scope of struggles that student organizations face when seeking ASUO resources. 

“It’s always about how to represent them once they’re (organizations) in the Senate. Well, what about before Senate?” Ackemann said. 

Kunkler responded to this by saying that collaboration “goes both ways” and going to them first is the “first step.” 

“We want to meet students where they’re at. I think the way we can build a relationship between ASUO and the student body is by starting from the ground up. With those people who are just new on campus,” Kunkler said.

Kunkler mentioned that Unite UO is “excited” to “connect (students) to textbook subsidies, housing subsidies, and other resources.” 

Throughout the debate, Ackemann emphasized that UO Student Power largely operates off the basis of engaging with students, so he said he plans to go to “where students actually, physically, are.” 

“(ASUO has) to take care of the red tape because there’s so many odd and weird rules and we (ASUO) need to cut down on them,” Ackemann said. 

Kunkler said that in her experience in ASUO, she has witnessed student organizations being “attacked” on the senate floor or being asked “gotcha questions” by senators.

Kunkler also said, “There’s nothing wrong with going to ASUO, and it’s on us (ASUO) to make it easier for you (students) to access all of those funds.” 

Both candidates highlighted their plans to continue funding and supporting resources for students as well as plans to increase student engagement. 

Ackemann highlighted a reality that “there is no guarantee that those resources (funding) will be there from a federal level” and used the proposed budget cuts to the Co-Op that arose in the fall term of 2024 as an example of this.

Ackmann said the Contracts Finance Committee, which he was chairman of during the 2024-25 year, played an instrumental role in securing funding for the Co-Op family center.

When asked about how to avoid another situation like the Co-Op funding situation, Kunkler responded by saying, “The whole situation was tough because you want to serve everyone as equitably as possible, and the only challenge with that is when you have more funds for one thing, that leaves less for others.”

Ackeman said, “Ultimately, that a bunch of 20-year-olds decided that people shouldn’t have childcare. So that is what happened.” 

Both candidates promised to continue to fund the Co-Op if elected. 

The candidates also spoke on supporting the unions at the university, including UO Student Workers union and United Academics of UO.

Ackemann highlighted the “unique ability” that UO Student Power has to engage with the UO Student Workers Union as some of the candidates on their slate are organizers within the union. 

The candidates were asked about the Protect the Powwow resolution that was authored and passed in 2024.

Kunkler explained that this resolution “leads to the creation of the Equity Organization Liaison Committee.” 

Ackmann responded to this by saying, “I don’t really have faith in another committee that ASUO has,” to which an audience member and candidate under the Unite UO slate, Tiera Garrety, interrupted Ackmann. 

“That (resolution) was requested by Native American Student Union,” Garrety said. 

Ackemann said, “That’s the problem with this institution, is that there (are) too many community committees and things that should not have been needed.” 

Throughout the debate, Ackemann implied that Kunkler and Unite UO’s stance “sounds kind of familiar to what I (and UO Student Power) has said about going to students.” 

Kunkler responded to this claim and said that people can have similar ideas and different ways to go about them. 

“The idea of… talking to people face to face isn’t new to me….and while all the credit to organizers for having that strategy, I think other people have had similar ideas as well,” Kunkler said. 

The final topic that candidates were given the opportunity to respond to during this debate regarded the “murmurs of toxicity within ASUO.”

Kunkler responded and said, “I think a more welcoming environment starts with having just general respect for each other as officers and the people we serve.” 

Ackemann said that “the fact that an audience member yelled at me just now is a good example of that toxic work environment.”

“I think it’s interesting coming from your (Unite UO) slate talking about respect, when one of your representatives just yelled at me during a debate,”Ackemann said in reference to Garretty’s comment during the debate.

Both candidates then ended the debate by giving closing statements, where Ackemann reiterated that

“We (UO Student Power) know what it takes to get change done.” He highlighted that the UO Student Power “has spoken to over 1000 students in the past week, and that is because of organizing.”

In Kunkler’s closing statement, she said, “All that I ask is that you take a good long look at Unite UO and know that every single one of them is ready to represent the student body.”

Voting opened on April 7 and closes at noon on April 11.