Wednesday night was Sen. Catherine Bruske’s first ASUO Senate meeting as a member of the body.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Bruske@@
And what a meeting it was.
In a marathon meeting that ran almost 10 hours and left attendees exhausted and at times exasperated, the Senate and Executive — along with members of the EMU Board and other concerned students — drafted a revised memorandum of understanding regarding the EMU renovation. That memorandum will be submitted to Vice President for Student Affairs Robin Holmes this morning.
The new memorandum was not what many anticipated to be the outcome of the meeting. Indeed, events seemed to be proceeding in quite a different direction for most of the evening.
After the conclusion of Bruske’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Kaitlyn Lange@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Kaitlyn+Lange@@ rose with EMU Board Co-Chair Dylan Scandalios@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Dylan+Scandalios@@ in what initially appeared an address of what was listed on the agenda as “Referendum Delay Resolution.” However, Lange instead asked the Senate to override President Ben Eckstein’s decision to postpone the referendum.
Beforehand, there was some question as to whether such an action could legally be taken this close to the election; there was also repetition of previous points about student space and other issues surrounding it. Mention was made of Lange and ASUO President Ben Eckstein’s negotiations from Tuesday evening and the common ground that had been achieved with regard to the need for a guarantee on student space in a new building and student participation in the design process.
Shortly thereafter Lange’s question to the Senate, Sen. Laura Hinman asked a question that changed the tone of the conversation dramatically.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Laura+Hinman@@ Speaking to Eckstein, she asked, “If those things took place, would you consider putting (the EMU Referendum) back on?”
Eckstein referenced the difficulty he had with Holmes, who had declined further negotiations on the subject Wednesday morning. “It would require a longer conversation,” he said.
“I think that we deserve one more chance,” Hinman said. “If Robin Holmes says no, then look at what Student Affairs did.”
The tension was palpable. Feeling she was not being listened to, Sen. Lindy Mabuya stormed from the meeting.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Lindy+Mabuya@@
“I’m causing a scene, yes, I know, because I’m upset,” she said. “No one on this body ever listens to me, ever!”@@🙁@@
The tension even affected the usually mellow Senate President Lamar Wise.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Lamar+Wise@@ “I’m a little on edge right now, and I don’t get on edge,” he said.
Eventually, it was agreed that a referendum could be held earlier than spring term if Student Affairs agreed to the terms that Eckstein had discussed. Hinman proposed that the sections of the memo that Holmes had not agreed to previously be reworked, one by one, to form a new agreement.
Lange recalled the turning point in the meeting. “I remember looking up from my page of notes and seeing everyone looking at me,” she said. “They looked like they were really yearning to reach out and compromise. That’s when I knew something positive was going to happen.”
The conversation was expanded to include almost everyone in the room, including EMU Board members and representatives of student groups in the EMU who were concerned about their space. The Senate even suspended its usual procedural rules to foster a collaborative environment.
These changes included a revised model for student input in the design process. Under the new memo, separate committees consisting solely of students selected by the major stakeholders in the project would work alongside the existing user group. The demand for guaranteed square footage for student centers and unions was reaffirmed, and the list of groups to be covered by that guarantee was expanded.
The discussion went on for more than four hours. Alongside the main discussion, Senators and others spoke in side conversations to achieve consensus on specific points. Usual meeting decorum was abandoned, with members and others sitting wherever was comfortable. Sen. Harlan Mechling left during recess only to@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Harlan+Mechling@@ return with a bag of hamburgers to fuel the discussion.
After 4 a.m., the Executive and a unanimous Senate approved a new memorandum and a letter explaining the process to programs and groups who had been concerned about the process. The meeting was thus adjourned.
After some sleep and conversations with concerned groups they had worked with previously, the principle architects of the compromise deal were upbeat Thursday.
“I’m the most hopeful I’ve been in a year,” Lange said Thursday afternoon. “I was very impressed with how the night played out. I didn’t anticipate that at all.”
“I think that it’s a major victory for students that their Executive and their Senate came together,” Eckstein said Thursday morning. “If the ball wasn’t in (Holmes’) court, it is now.”
Both said that they had received positive feedback on the new memo from groups they had contacted.
Lange, Eckstein and ASUO Vice President Katie Taylor@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Katie+Taylor@@ will present the updated memo to Holmes in a meeting scheduled for this morning.
Senate, Executive, others craft new EMU memorandum
Daily Emerald
November 9, 2011
More to Discover