The two ASUO Executive tickets – Sam Dotters-Katz and Johnny Delashaw, and Kari Herinckx and Jesse Hough – each, in their own ways, represent the best and brightest of the UO student body. The candidates are smart, interested in the University’s welfare and are active in and committed to providing the highest quality of life for students during their time here.
Because of their broader range of experience in the ASUO, however, and their long track record of getting involved with students on an individual and group level, we endorse Kari Herinckx and Jesse Hough for President and Vice President. Their knowledge and experience – and it is important to note the difference between the two – regarding University issues and the political process, make them the ideal representatives for students.
A point of emphasis for Dotters-Katz and Delashaw throughout this election has been the pitfalls of over-association with the ASUO. In an interview with the Emerald, Dotters-Katz spoke of people succumbing to special interests after working in the ASUO – the implication being that Herinckx and Hough are over-qualified for the job. Herinckx’s experience includes work for the Black Student Union and Multicultural Center, while Hough has worked with the Survival Center and the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group – the latter of which has been a source of controversy.
The candidates’ positions on OSPIRG represent the largest policy difference of this campaign. Dotters-Katz and Delashaw have made reducing funding for OPSIRG by way of changing campus finance policies “so that any group that uses student fees to fund outside organizations must change their policy or receive substantial reductions in funds.” Herinckx and Hough have stressed sustainability in their platform and, given Hough’s prior work for OSPIRG and the aforementioned commitment to environmental causes, it is unlikely they will make any drastic financial reductions to OSPIRG.
Furthermore, Dotters-Katz and Delashaw have made several pledges to University students that show a misunderstanding of how the ASUO’s financing process works. While Herinckx and Hough have advocated more student oversight of the Student Recreation Center, Dotters-Katz and Delashaw have not provided any concrete insight other than that there appears to be a problem with how student groups get funds.
But the reason for the Emerald’s endorsement extends beyond platforms and policy positions. Herinckx and Hough have presented themselves as more in touch with students and their needs. This was evident during Tuesday’s ASUO Executive debate. Herinckx and Hough presented concrete policy plans, while Dotters-Katz and Delashaw generally seemed more interested in expounding on talking points. While Dotters-Katz and Delashaw have spoken to students for several months and presented themselves as “ASUO outsiders,” Herinckx and Hough have spent most of their time at the University working for students, as ASUO insiders.
By decrying student government experience, Dotters-Katz and Delashaw are relying on their character and eagerness to help others as the basis for their candidacy. Yet this trait is plentiful from both tickets. They are both running because they want to help students. But Herinckx and Hough are the candidates with the track record that shows they have the skills and knowledge they will need to accomplish their goals.
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