ASUO President Nilda Brooklyn and Vice President Joy Nair’s year in office is nearing its end, but the two have made strides in their energy conservation campaign and hope to continue serving student’s interests spring term.
After meeting with Brooklyn and Nair, Provost John Moseley announced the energy fee will be reduced again, to $15 per student this term. The fee was originally set at $30 fall term, then reduced to $20 during winter term because of student efforts, high enrollment and lower natural gas bills.
In addition to lowering the energy fee, the Provost has said his office will pay for five new student ASUO positions who will act as an energy conservation team, Nair said. In fall 2000, the Oregon University System voted to allow state universities to charge an additional energy fee on top of the energy fee students already pay. The University opted to charge students because the Oregon Legislature refused to cover energy costs.
“We decided to implement this fee rather than cut classes,” Moseley said. “We wanted to maintain the quality of our education programs and deal with this issue responsibly.”
In response, the ASUO began an energy conservation campaign opposing the energy fee.
At the beginning of winter term, the ASUO made a goal to conserve 5 percent of energy in University classrooms, hallways and professor’s offices. The ASUO surpassed this goal — University energy use fell by 11 percent this term.
“We have not yet documented the effects from the ASUO’s efforts, but we know they are trying very hard to get information out to students about conserving energy on campus, and we appreciate that,” Moseley said.
In another campaign endeavor, the ASUO is beginning talks with LTD to develop the best possible bus routes for students. LTD has decided to cut some bus routes to the University next year, and Nair said the ASUO has plans to start negotiations in two weeks, after the Oregon University System approves the University’s student incidental fee budget.
The ASUO hopes to persuade LTD to establish a mandatory institutional survey to allow students to voice their opinion about the bus routes they use most.
“We are one of their biggest clients, and we would like to make sure our students can get the best use of this service,” Nair said.
The ASUO will also discuss money issues with LTD. This year, the LTD asked for an $80,000 increase in student fee money; a significantly higher request than in past years. Although the University could not afford to give LTD an increase of that size, Nair said, the ASUO wants to negotiate a contract that accommodates both parties.
Currently, $432,000 of the $625,000 cost of running bus routes to campus is paid for with student fees.
“We have a really good deal with them,” Nair said. “Basically, the negotiations are about how we can get to a good level of pay with them so we are both satisfied.” Along with the annual events, such as the spring Street Faire and the “Get out the Vote” campaign, the ASUO also has plans to hand out a renter’s guide booklet to help students make educated decisions about leasing and owner’s rights.
In addition, the ASUO and the International Student Association will be working with the American Civil Liberties Union, conducting educational forums geared to international students about the United States’ anti-terrorism legislation.
This spring, Brooklyn and Nair also have plans to focus on multiculturalism at the University. They will re-evaluate the six multicultural requirements students must meet to graduate from the University with a panel of representatives from the Undergraduate Council, University Senate and Faculty Advisory Council.
“The requirements are 10 years old, and we basically want to improve the criteria that the classes have to meet,” Brooklyn said.
Plus, they will be holding a multicultural festival May 16 to give students the opportunity to participate in cultural performances and promote the student unions on campus.