Oregon Daily Emerald: What kind of activities do you do at the University? What’s your major?
Odil: Well, so far I’m a history major, and I think I’m going to add either political science or economics to that, I’m not sure which one right now. That’s about it right now, and I want to get involved with the ASUO.
Emerald: Your not involved in any groups or activities?
Odil: No
Emerald: And what year are you?
Odil: I’m a freshman
Emerald: As a student senator, how will you figure out how to spend the surplus?
Odil: Well we have a huge amount of money right now, the budget is huge. Next year they’re going to add the amount of students that are coming here, and so there’s no real reason why we should add more to the budget. I mean, each student does not need to pay more in incidental fees, and this year it went up like 12 percent or something like that. I mean, with more students and more money — I mean, the economy is strapped, people don’t have the money to pay on more incidental fees. Next year, I heard tuition is probably going to go up. I mean, people don’t have the money to spend on more incidental fees.
Emerald: OK, so sort of a side issue is you don’t think the incidental fee should go up?
Odil: No
Emerald: Once there is a surplus, how will you as a senator make the decision on what criteria to spend?
Odil: Well, when there is a surplus, it will go to the groups that spend their money well, and account for their money and have a need for more money. I mean, you can’t just come in and say ‘oh there’s surplus we want more money,’ there has to be a legitimate need for the money, they have to show they have a pattern of spending it well.
Emerald: Can you give me an example of what would constitute spending it well?
Odil: Well, like you keep track of what you’re spending it on, you have a history of accounting for it, doing things of that nature. So you can’t just come and say ‘oh you want money to do this random thing.’ I mean, it has to go in line with what you’re doing, what the purpose of the group is.
Emerald: How will you interact with student groups?
Odil: Well in a professional manner, obviously. I mean, one of the jobs of the PFC committee is to meet with — we all get assigned a certain amount of groups and we meet with those groups, like I think it’s a minimum of three times, and you go over those things. I mean, our job is to help them finish the budget, fill it out, make sure everything’s there and then take it to the committee to pass it. I mean, our job is to help them.
Emerald: What are the most important issues facing the students you represent?
Odil: The most important issues the students are facing right now are the incidental fee budget and the rising cost of tuition. With the increasing cost of tuition, there is no need for the incidental fee to increase at all.
Emerald: What is the most important thing you should know in order to deal with the budget process? The long, strenuous budget process.
Odil: Well you have to — I mean, there’s a lot of rules, there’s a whole packet of how you (inaudible) the budget. You have to go over and look at previous budgets — pay increases, things of that nature — to make sure that the budget falls in line with the rules and the needs of the group. I mean, because costs go up, and that’s the thing that everyone knows. Sometimes you have to spend more on the same thing that you got last time.
Emerald: The most important thing would just be knowing the rules?
Odil: Oh yeah, you have to know the rules. You kind of have to know why the group is there and what they’re doing, you have to know a little bit about — I mean, you don’t have to know everything about what the group does, but you have to know what the purpose of the group is what they’re generally trying to do.
Emerald: Have you had any experience with budgets in the past?
Odil: A little bit
Emerald: Doing…
Odil: Well, when I was in high school, I was in a couple of groups and we had budgets and we had to deal with spending money and stuff.
Emerald: Do you know how many standing committees the senate is obligated to have?
Odil: I think you have to sit on two committees, I think.
Emerald: Can you name them?
Odil: No.
Emerald: What’s the most important part of section 5 of the student senate rules and why?
Odil: Well it’s not — it can’t be argued under the senate rules, it has to go to the — it’s not arguable under the senate rules, it can be argued under the constitution.
Emerald: What’s that? Sorry…
Odil: Rule 5 is the one that says if a senator doesn’t do their job they have to do —
Emerald: No, I’m talking about section 5 of the student senate rules, the general section.
Odil: What do you — I’m confused.
Emerald: It’s the section that lays out your duties as a senator. I was wondering what the most important part of that is as it pertains to you?
Odil: The base one is that you have to do your job and do it well, I mean it just breaks down doing your job into little pieces of this and this and that and the other thing. You have to do your job according to the rules, and those rules are there to make sure people do their job properly.
Emerald: Can you think of a specific part of the section that’s most important to you?
Odil: Not offhand. I mean they’re all really important. They’re all there to make sure you do your job right.