In discussions surrounding our student government, “progressives” and “conservatives” are the two main words used to describe people’s political beliefs. ASUO Sen. Ben Rudin was completely off the mark in his letter to the editor, “Progressive, conservative labels on ASUO politics unnecessary” (ODE 3/18/2012).@@http://dailyemerald.com/2012/03/18/letter-asuos-supposed-conservatives-focus-on-everyday-life-of-students/@@
Rudin had a string of arguments differentiating progressives from conservatives. Among them, he mentioned that conservatives have “tried finding a new way forward” while progressives have “fought to preserve the same system that has gotten us higher tuition and lower aid.”@@quotes checked@@ If by “a new way forward,” Senator Rudin means giving up entirely, then he is accurate.
Sen. Laura Hinman@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Laura+Hinman@@, the conservative candidate for the current ASUO elections, recently said about her slate; “‘We are Oregon’ is not running on any empty promises like lowering tuition or something that students can’t actually tangibly give you.” Meanwhile ASUO Sen. and progressive presidential candidate Ben Bowman has prioritized working with legislators to lower tuition on his and his slate’s platform. This can be accomplished by registering thousands of students to vote and maintaining an active presence in the legislature.
Sen. Rudin, the conservative senator, goes on to target Bowman repeatedly (as he has all year) because of Bowman’s standing as a progressive leader. Discrediting Bowman’s work is an absurd thing to do as he has tirelessly fought and lobbied for lower tuition when the top conservative in the ASUO thinks that the goal of more affordable education is unattainable.
The difference between the conservatives and the progressives in the ASUO is the fact that progressives will never underestimate the power of the students. By voting for a progressive like Ben Bowman, students of this University will get more than just on-campus entertainment — they’ll have a voice representing them to decision makers. Students should support Ben Bowman and Lamar Wise.
Kevin Sullivan@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Kevin+Sullivan@@
University student