Jesse Harding, an undeclared junior, is running for ASUO president. Todd Brink, a junior psychology and English major, is running for vice president.
Q: There are at last count, 10 tickets running for ASUO Executive this year, which is more than in past years. What do you think will set yourselves apart from the other candidates?
A: We haven’t necessarily grown up in the ASUO and started and been in every position, but at the same time, we do have leadership experience. As a freshman, I worked with a lot of senators. And it’s the same thing for Todd; he was the student body president in high school.
Right now, I’m the president of Pi Kappa Alpha. We have the experience, but we aren’t the same old Joe.
Q: Briefly describe your platform.
A: I think the biggest issue that we’re trying to promote in our campaign would be the issue of the budget cuts hitting the school.
What we want (is) to (get) students, first of all, educated, and knowing about the budget cuts. And then talking with (University President Dave) Frohnmayer, talking with (Gov. John) Kitzhaber, getting together with officials and community people who want to support the University and are against these cuts, to get some sort of action in place.
Q: What will you advocate for on the state level for students, and how will you carry out your plans?
A: I think the first step is just coordinating so that the students and the faculty are both saying we want the same thing, and then once we get it on a local level, then taking it to the state level — working up in a ladder approach. Getting that backing from everyone else lends a lot more credibility to the entire situation.
Q: What specific campus-oriented initiatives will you champion?
A: First of all, the energy fee we have right now was created in a time when we were having an energy crisis. Now I don’t see there being as much of a need for it.
I also want to approach the issue of viewership over Ethernet that the University has.
One idea we have is to (create) a professor’s day, kind of like when they used to have those teacher in-service days in high school. There’s no reason why we can’t have something like that at the University to show professors they are appreciated. We want to keep the good professors that we have here.
Q: How do you define diversity? And how do you plan on bringing together the diverse voices on campus?
A: I think the greatest diversity that exists within our campus, since it is primarily straight and white, is that you have to look at the people and what they’re into, like what sort of music do people listen to. Are they really into sports at the University of Oregon, are they really into, say, the Survival Center? I think that’s where the real diversity lies.
I would like to have some sort of event where all of these groups can come together. Things like that, I think they go a long way to kind of wake students up and say, “Wow, it’s not just me that’s on campus.”
Q: If two student groups were at odds with each other, how would you resolve the conflict?
A: I think the first thing you have to look at is, what is for the betterment of the majority of students on campus. You just have to weigh sides, and then you have to talk to the senate; you have to talk to your executive; you have to talk to students on campus.
Q: If you could change one thing about the University instantly, what would it be?
A: I guess I would change the association people have with it as an educational institution. I don’t think that on the whole there is a good enough association with the school and the education that it provides.
Q: How would you do things differently than the current ASUO Executive?
A: I like people to be kind of loose, relaxed. I don’t like people to be tense. What I focus on is motivating people — getting people excited about what we’re doing and showing them that there are payoffs to what they’re doing, aside from just benefits to themselves. They can improve the University by just getting a little excited about things and carrying that over.
So I guess, the one thing that I would change or do differently is just be more excited about things, be more active, be more verbal. I’m not really one to jump up in front of everybody, but I also want people to know that the ASUO Exec. is willing to be there for anything anyone needs, anytime.