Correction appended
Eighteen percent of students voted in the ASUO elections last year (down from 20 the previous year), yet 100 percent of them paid the incidental fee. Caring about bus passes, extended library hours, access to the Student Recreation Center, the number of student football tickets, student groups or campus events means taking the time to vote in the ASUO elections. Each vote counts in deciding which members of student body will allocate roughly $12 million dollars of student incidental fee money.
The ASUO comprises, among other things, the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee, the Department Finance Committee, the ASUO Senate, the EMU Board, and other student committees. Like most student government positions, students elect their peers to serve on the ACFC and DFC, while the ASUO additionally appoints one member to each. The ACFC and the DFC play a large role in determining how the incidental fee is spent by putting matters to a vote in meetings after hearing from students, groups and organizations.
Students pay the incidental fee through their tuition, and the money funds a myriad of student programs and services. The current incidental fee costs students $195 per term — a total of $585 per year and $2,340 at that rate over the course of a four-year undergraduate program. The interest of all University students is vested through this fee, and the election process gives students the opportunity to have a say in dictating who spends the fee by voting for candidates or slates with campaign promises that align with their values.
Last year, elected officials created funding for extended Knight Library hours, defunded OSPIRG and minimized the spring term incidental fee payments. This year’s elected officials changed the way the sports ticketing distribution process works at a fundamental level and renegotiated a contract with Lane Transit District that saves incidental fee dollars.
Voter turnout in ASUO elections is historically low, yet the elections give students the power to elect their peers to make important decisions on issues and services that affect them daily. When few students turn out to vote, representation in student government is less accurate in reflecting student interests. Letting a minority determine the outcome of the elections is a disservice to the entire campus. Larger numbers of voters ensure more complete representation of the population and the election of candidates who more directly mirror the needs of that population. It’s likely that the roughly 16,000 students who didn’t vote last year do care how their incidental fee money is spent. Regardless of whether students choose to vote, they’re still paying the incidental fee.
Researching candidates and being an informed voter is as important as voting itself. Information on candidates and slates is available at www.dailyemerald.com and www.uoregon.edu/~asuoelec.
The money from the incidental fee will be collected. The money will be spent. Voters decide who represents them in the Senate and who spends their money through the ACFC and DFC. They also voice whether they want major programs such as OSPIRG to be funded by their student dollars. Vote in the ASUO election and voice how the money should be spent.
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Because of an editor’s error, the original article misstated which academic year OSPIRG was defunded in. OSPIRG was defunded during the 2008-09 school year. The Emerald regrets the error.