Jacob Daniels and Adi Cargni – President and Vice President
Age: Daniels, 19; Cargni, 19
Majors: Daniels, Political science; Cargni, undeclared
Hometowns: Daniels, Creswell; Cargni, Tualatin, Ore.
Years: Daniels, junior; Cargni, sophomore
Emerald: So platform summary is the first question and can you just give me a summary of your question?
Daniels: OK, I’ve got it written down right here. Basically, as with all of the other candidates we want to fix the budget, we want to represent every student and we’re going to have a zero-tolerance policy for corruption or abuses of power. Basically, the way we’re going to go about fixing the budget idea, Adam Walsh kind of had the same idea, but giving groups

incentives to fundraise, maybe through benchmarks, maybe though competition with similar groups at OSU, that type of thing. Working with the Programs Administrator to work with local Eugene businesses that want to get involved in any way possible.
Carngi: We want to have somebody that can actually give them an outlet and a way to find fundraising opportunities, instead of them going out on their own and not having any resources. That’ll really help to … serve as liaison to figure those things out for them.
Daniels: And as well as representing every student we want to give more money to the legal advocacy services. The purpose of government is to protect the students, and that’s exactly what we want the ASUO to do for students. Also, campaign subsidy. Campaigns are expensive. This campaign has been about $2,000 I think so far and we want to give money next year, the next budget to the elections committee to kind of subsidize the candidates who make it through the primary elections, to kind of open up the franchise to represent everybody and not just make it the rich, or well-connected students that have the opportunity to run. And then the third thing, you know, is what everyone’s talking about, is the Sunriver controversy, with the abuses of power, that type of thing, and basically, as a lot of other candidates are saying … We’re going to have a zero-tolerance policy. There’s not going to be self-imposed penalties. If somebody violates the rules, even if it’s myself, I expect to be impeached and I will remove any senator or any other officer that breaches the sacred trust imposed in them by the students at this University.
Carngi: We just really want to bring accountability back to it. It seems like it’s sort of corrupt and we just want to make sure that things are going the way they should be going, you know, if there was a release that went out for every single thing we did, the students would approve of it. Right now, I don’t really know if it’s like that. I don’t really think it’s like that. We want to be able to have everybody see that we’re accountable and we want to be held accountable for it. … We sort of just want to bring an outside view into it, just refresh it a little bit. Like the ASUO right now is sort of recycling the same old …
Daniels: It’s an exclusive organization and we think that leaders from the outside should be involved and you know, kind of bring in those new ideas, because we feel the climate on campus. We know it, and if you’re an ASUO insider, you don’t have that perspective from the inner workings of the ASUO. And so that’s what we want to do, is just open up the exclusive franchise in any way possible.
Carngi: And also give more voice to the students and give them more opportunity to see what’s going on. I felt like last year I had no idea. I didn’t care to vote last year even. So, we just want to open it up, much more, wide open, instead of it just being ASUO, it’s just really all of the same people doing the same things over and over again.
Daniels: Recycled basically.
Emerald: The next question is: What qualifies you for this position?
Daniels: Do you want me to go first?
Carngi: Yeah, go first.
Daniels: Okay, my leadership roles. In my fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon I’ve been the vice president, the eminent preceptor, the social chair, the recruitment chair, pledge class president, and I’m a charter member of the Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society, where I’ve served this year as secretary. I’m a political science peer advisor, I was appointed last fall as an undergraduate co-coordinator, a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, a member of the Freemasons, last fall I was also appointed the interfraternity vice president of social issues, representing the entire greek community. I have a 4.07 GPA. Besides that, I’m just very involved with groups on campus. I just, I feel that I have the leadership credentials, even though it’s not from within the ASUO.
Carngi: And you’re involved in a lot of things in the ASUO.
Daniels: Oh yeah, definitely, lots of ASUO groups, like the Community Internship Program, that’s one example. I do that, I’m in the program right now.
Carngi: He’s one of those people who you look at his list of things and you’re like ‘wow ….’”
Daniels: But you got a 4.15.
Carngi: I did. I did. I guess what makes me qualified is I’ve had leadership experiences in the past. I was junior and senior class president in high school, which entails looking at the budget and allocating funds and setting up different, we did community service, we did all sorts of activities. Not only things like putting on dances, but things that the community can participate in, like blood drives. So, I have a lot of experience representing my school, basically, and I have a lot of passion for it. And I’ve always been involved with things like that. I have a lot of experience with being in a leadership role and knowing what’s expected of me and that sort of thing. Also, in college I’ve kept up with being involved. I joined a sorority and decided right off the bat that I wanted to be involved. I ran for a couple of things and only being a freshman I was appointed as the guard, which isn’t that big of a deal. Now I’m the assistant chaplain, working up to being chaplain, and I just have a lot of goals and I really like (audio unintelligible) I guess I have withheld a good GPA so I can balance things while holding things, I have a job. … So, I’m pretty good at juggling things and I’m pretty good at coming through with my task. And I know that, I just feel that when there’s a lot of responsibility put on me I can do it because I have this passion for helping other people out and maybe that’s why I applied for the FHS, that’s just the kind of person that I am. So, I just have a lot of compassion for it, and I have experience.
Emerald: OK, the third question is: Why do you want the job?
Daniels: I’ll go first. Basically, since high school I’ve always wanted to be ASUO president. I came in here, I was thinking about running for a senator position and then I just saw that the system wasn’t working this year. I mean, Adam did a great job as president, but there was only so much he was able to do because of the corruption that took place in the PFC, things that happened at Sunriver. And really, it’s kind of that same thing we’ve been talking about, the recycled, the same people over and over again. And the people that get elected don’t really represent the students. I feel if you’re not happy with the way your government’s working, and you have the power to change that, then it’s your obligation to go out there and change that. That’s why I’m running for president, because I think that I can get the students involved that wouldn’t normally care. And that’s why I haven’t been campaigning too much toward groups because I’m really just going out the regular students, because I want to get them involved in the leadership also.
Cargni: I mean,
I didn’t know too much about student government. I didn’t come into college knowing everything about student government. This year I’ve noticed a lot of things and I really want us to
get more involved. I had my freshman year to set up my grades and get set in, and now I just really want to stab right in and do the best I can and to have this position would just really help out and I think that it needs a lot of help. And I think that he and I are the people that can do it. I just, I want to have this position so I can make a difference. I know that it’s a lot of work and there’s a lot of responsibilities with it.
Daniels: I’m sure you’ll do a great job.
Cargni: Well thank you.
Emerald: Well, we have about 15 seconds, I’ll go ahead and ask the last one: In light of the ASUO retreat to Sunriver, Oregon, what is the best way to ensure accountability from student leaders next year?
Daniels: Zero-tolerance policy. Accountability. Accountability. I mean, if you mess up, you’re expelled from the chamber. That’s how it should work and that’s how we’re going to do it next year.
Cargni: And, elect people who are accountable in the first place.