Justin Wheeler
Age: 20
Major: Undeclared
Hometown: Lake Oswego, Ore.
Year: Sophomore
Emerald: Basically, just summarize your platform.
Wheeler: The reason I’m running is I feel I’d do a good job with taking students’ concerns and questions and bringing them to the senate. And I feel that, I’m not sure how it’s being worked in right now because I’ve never actually attended a senate meeting, but I feel like I’ll do a very good job at that and I’m going to try to make sure that the concerns are met accordingly.
Emerald: The second questions is: What qualifies you for the position?
Wheeler: I’ve taken several leadership courses through summits and such across the nation and they include like, you take basic problems and you analyze them and come up with a conclusion and try to put them into effect. I’m also really good at listening to different people’s concerns, like I’m good at listening and trying to meet and deal with those problems. And I’m also really responsible. I’ve never been fired from a job.
Emerald: In light of the ASUO retreat to Sunriver, Ore., what is the best way to ensure proper accountability from student leaders next year?
Wheeler: Well, first of all you have to, the leaders should realize that they’re in the public eye and that they need to set an example for other people and uh, I don’t, you have to understand as a leader that people are going to base their decisions off you a lot of the time. Basically, lead by example.
Emerald: Do you have any ideas for concrete steps that can be taken to ensure accountability?
Wheeler: I think that the rules need to be followed almost to a ‘T’ and there can’t be really too many exceptions because usually the exception makes the rule in a lot of cases.
Emerald: Should the senate be dealing with any other issues that it is not currently attending to?
Wheeler: I honest, again I’ve never really attended a meeting so I’m not quite sure what issues are being attended to, but if they were and I realized it I might make sure that they start getting attention brought to them.
Emerald: OK great. Well, we have a little bit of extra time. Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
Wheeler: Just that if elected that I can, will and try my best to meet the qualifications of the job.
Emerald: Why do you want this job?
Wheeler: I feel I have the leadership potential and willingness to do what it takes to be a good senator for seat 11. And I feel that I can make a change and help out the ASUO.