Although this is a campus full of bright leaders, here’s a quick guide to some of the movers and shakers of ASUO government.
ASUO President Amelie Rousseau
After being last year’s ASUO events coordinator on 2009-2010 ASUO President Emma Kallaway’s staff, Amelie Rousseau took the helm as president on May 24. Rousseau and Kallaway were roommates, and it was because of this relationship that she encouraged Rousseau to take the position.
Before that, she worked on the voter registration drive in 2006 and on former president Emily McClain’s staff .
This fall, as a part of the voter registration events, Rousseau will be pushing for a series of non-partisan voter education classes.
“This year, students are facing a lot of issues that make a difference for a long time,” Rousseau said. “We want them to have an active role in that.”
During the summer, Rousseau pushed for the funding of a Sustainability Center with a sustainability coordinator position.
ASUO Vice President Maneesh Arora
Rousseau met her vice president, Maneesh Arora, while working on an Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) campaign for open-source textbooks. Arora had been the campaign manager for OSPIRG at that point, but Rousseau said they were both involved.
“He inspires me every day,” she said. “He’s silly, but he takes his job very seriously.”
The place he had in OSPIRG was his first involvement position and was the reason Rousseau asked him to run with her.
As vice president, Arora will not only replace the president if she is unable to perform, but will also assist with her job duties. He has already taken the lead on a number of executive projects, including taking steps towards implementing the Civic Engagement minor and hiring a Sustainablity Coordinator.
Former ASUO Political Director Robert D’Andrea
After Rousseau created this executive post in May, she announced this month that Robert D’Andrea would be stepping down from his position. D’Andrea said his involvement detracted from the ASUO’s focus on campus issues because of the controversy surrounding his appointment. D’Andrea’s appointment drew some criticism from the ASUO Senate for appointing her boyfriend because of how it might affect the running of the ASUO. Rousseau insisted that D’Andrea’s appointment to the post was based on the years of experience he had at the Emerald as an ASUO reporter, news editor and opinion editor. D’Andrea worked as a campaign manager for Rousseau and Arora in the 2010 ASUO election. As political director, he would have assumed some of the strategic functions similar to the chief of staff, while also directing other members of staff in media communication . Nevertheless, he will still be involved with campus groups.
Summer Senate Chair Kaitlyn Lange
Kaitlyn Lange will continue her post in Senate Seat 5 and as a member of the EMU Board of Directors after being Senate Chair during the summer . Before joining Alex McCafferty and Alden Williams’ Reality Check slate, Lange worked with the EMU Board on the House Committee and Student Affairs Facility Advisory Committee. These committees communicated with the building consultants for the EMU and the Student Recreation Center in their recent attempt to update the buildings for students. She says that she didn’t get into the ASUO for the politics, but so she could have a hand in where the money from her student fees go.
“I didn’t want to be one of those people who got pissed when I found out how my money was spent,” Lange said.
ASUO Legislative Affairs Coordinator Sara Marcotte-Levy
As one of two ASUO Legislative Affairs Coordinators, Sara Marcotte-Levy will begin her sophomore year working with Ben Eckstein to get more students registered to vote. Last year, she worked as an intern with the State Affairs coordinator and met Rousseau through the voter registration drive. Marcotte-Levy was her high school’s vice president of student affairs for more than 3,000 students and said she feels her position there had similar goals of hearing student voice and getting students involved.
“This is a university of getting involved,” Marcotte-Levy said. “I went to Salem and saw how what happens here works on a larger scale.”
Editor’s Note: Because of a reporter’s error, an article in last Monday’s Emerald (“Who’s Who in the ASUO”) misstated the prior relationship between current ASUO President Amelie Rousseau and former ASUO presidents Emma Kallaway and Emily McClain. Rousseau and Kallaway lived in the same dorm. Rousseau volunteered for McClain’s registration drive in Fall 2006. The Emerald regrets these errors.