Oregon Daily Emerald: OK, could you tell me your name and what year you are in school and what your major is, that sort of thing?
Kjos: My name is Gabe Kjos. I’m a sophomore here at the University of Oregon and I’m a journalism and political science major.
Emerald: A double major?
Kjos: I’m a double major, yes.
Emerald: Wow.
Kjos: I feel that if, you know, you only take one major you’re kind of boring, not boring, but you can be bored, that’s what I meant to say.
Emerald: Why did you decide to run for ASUO office? It’s a pretty strenuous-type job.
Kjos: It is pretty strenuous, but I think that in my two years here at the University, I feel that there have been, from my point of view, I feel that there’s been a lot of resignations and a lot of stuff that hasn’t been getting done. And I think it’s time for a new crop of leadership to go into the ASUO that are enthusiastic leaders who have ideas for what they can change in student government, realistic ideas and not oversized with grandeur, like not ‘big candy ideas’ but ‘small candy ideas,’ and see and be effective leaders in that change.
Emerald: What are some examples of realistic ideas that you have?
Kjos: I think, well, as you know I’m running for the EMU Board Senate Seat 4, and when I was getting the list of people to support me, cause I like to have support when I go out and run for a position, one of the big things that current EMU Board members would like to see future EMU Board members do, is the tobacco in the Erb Essentials. As you know, the Emerald ran a really good guest commentary about it yesterday, and I think it’s something that I’m really passionate about and I think that something we should take a stand on is, like, tobacco in the Erb Essentials. Not to slap smokers in the face, but for the University and the EMU to take a stand against tobacco use and selling that product and promoting tobacco and not sharing what the essential harms of tobacco are. Like, we say that tobacco is good when we sell it on campus. Us being one of 29 schools in the Pacific Northwest who do sell it, I think is something that shows we are a little outdated and we need to get that out of our school.
Emerald: If you are elected to student senate, how will you determine or figure out how to spend the surplus money?
Kjos: I’m a really big fan of prioritization. I think what we first need to get a ground-hold on is where the money is going — the income of the money, where the money has been spent in previous years, and what groups need to be prioritized for money. And as you know, the incidental fee money goes into three separate things — the EMU, the Athletic Department, and the Programs Finance Committee. And I think as a student senator, seeing where that priority can go and looking at the state mandatory minimums for the EMU Board budget is really different in the fact that they have to deal with the state mandatory increases, whether it be in student minimum wage, or whether it be the staff that the EMU Board employs. And so I think one thing as a student senator is seeing where those priorities are for the campus and for our mission statement in the ASUO.
Emerald: How would you interact with student groups?
Kjos: If I’m elected, I believe in open communication. Right now I don’t feel that, you know, senators have two hour office hours a week and so they’re only in the ASUO office for two hours a week. And I don’t believe that’s really being an effective leader when you’re not accessible to student groups. And I think that, well, as you know, my number is published in the directory, and I think by holding more office hours and being a champion for student groups will really help me out in understanding their needs and their concerns and how I can better help them in whatever they need.
Emerald: How would you change things — would you just you, yourself, be available in the office for more than just two hours a week, or do you think that you will try and get the student senate to change their rules and require senators to be in and hold office hours for more than two hours a week?
Kjos: I think a little bit of both. I will definitely, it’ll be my personal challenge to be in the office more. Currently I’m an ASUO intern, so I can see the inner workings of the office now, and I hold 10 office hours a week, that on top of 18 credit hours and 10 hours work study that I do at the law school. And for me, I find it really easy to be in the office that many times and have people come up to me and ask me questions. And I think for senators who deal with such a big budget and for senators who deal with such big issues on the University student level, and are elected by the school as a whole, I believe that they need to be in the office more, and I believe that I can set that example by being in the office more. Whether it be from increasing those office hours from 2 to 4 hours and then asking senators to also take that challenge, as well, and I think that’s something very important. And then another thing I’d like to see as one of our big mission statements here at the University is increasing involvement, and increasing involvement in the fact that there may need to be a student advisory group started that would advise the senate about issues that are going on in student programs because I believe senators don’t see every issue that is needed, not needed but, I don’t believe that senators look at or can see every issue that is on the table. And I think if there is like a student advisory group that advises senate and says ‘This program is really needed’ or ‘I want you to really look at this before next senate meeting,’ I think that’s really vital and really important, and that you should be a senator 24/7 not just 2 hours a week plus the senate meetings.
Emerald: What do you think the most important issues facing students you represent, or would represent, would be?
Kjos: Serving as an EMU Board senator and serving on Student Senate as well, I think one of the biggest things that we’d see is that the EMU touches more students than any other organization on campus. Even though the EMU is not an organization, it’s a huge thing that does touch every student cause every student eats in the EMU, or they participate in Club Sports, or they’re involved with the ASUO, or they’re involved in some aspect of everything that the EMU has to involve, and so the EMU essentially involves every student here at the University of Oregon. And making sure that while I serve on the EMU Board and on the Student Senate, making sure that things run smoothly on both and making sure that the ASUO understands the very difficult EMU Board budget and make sure that everybody here in the EMU is satisfied with the experience they’re getting from the EMU Board. I think that’s one big issue that’s facing groups, that groups aren’t satisfied with the way that the EMU Board is doing things right now.
Emerald: What is the most important thing you should know in order to deal with the budget process?
Kjos: The single most important thing you should know is how it works. When dealing with a budget, there are so many different things to look at, whether it be the full time equivalent of a person that a job may be cut, or whether it be where the income’s coming from, or where you’re spending the money. I think a lot of people who run for positions don’t know the effect and the large effect of how a budget works, and I think that that has been prevalent in past elections and whether or not they resigned within the first two months of their term in the next year. I think with me I have the experience. I’m currently the vice president of the Residence Hall Association and so I deal right now with a $45,000 budget a year, and allocating that budget and itemizing that budget and seeing where our priorities are. I think that’s the one most single and important thing when looking at a budget and how to do a budget.
Emerald: How many senators’ votes are needed to submit art
icles of impeachment against the ASUO president? This is taken directly out of the student senate rule book.
Kjos: I apologize that I have not read the student handbook, but I do know that in the other organizations that I have served in it usually takes 2/3 of a vote of anyone in the organization. So I would believe there would be a petition process to recall that person, and then a maybe a 2/3 vote of the senate.
Emerald: Actually it’s (?) of the filled seats. So you haven’t read through the student senate rule book?
Kjos: I have not, no. And it’s something that, I’m not elected yet, and it’s something that I’m getting to. I did file a couple days ago and I haven’t had the opportunity to read all the manuals and the book, the student senate rule book is very big. At the same time, I can see how someone in your position or someone who is about to vote for me can find that inexcusable, but at the same time I think you need to understand that it’s a learning process. The fact that I won’t be holding this position until September, and the fact that I’ll have from now until September to be fully-aware of my job description and my job duties and how something like that can come up.
Emerald: What do you think the most important part of section five of the student senate rule book is and why?
Kjos: I don’t know section five.
Emerald: Well, it lists the duties of the student senators.
Kjos: Well, having not read it, I don’t know the list of duties of the student senators. Besides, I mean, I’ve had friends who are student senators and the fact that they attend committee meetings outside of student senate on Wednesday nights and the fact that they have the office hours. I think one of the most important duties, even without reading it, is they’re being accessible to people, to their constituents and the people that elect them, and making sure that their ideas are heard and making sure their ideas are No. 1 when dealing with things.
Emerald: What other organizations and activities do you do outside of student government?
Kjos: I’m thoroughly involved in the Residence Hall Association with University Housing, and last year I served as the national communications coordinator, which is a position that communicates with schools on a nationwide basis on what we’re doing in our residence halls and our programming and how to make our residents halls more effective. And this year I serve as the vice president of that organization, and I also serve as a member of Campus Crusade for Christ. I also serve as the national residence hall honorary president involved with University Housing. Outside of school, I’m involved in the American Legion Beaver Boys State Commission, which is a commission that deals with trying to get senior high school boys into a government camp here at the University of Oregon, so they can learn more about government and how government works through a mock government simulation. And I’m also involved in the Hugh O’Brien Board of Directors, which is also another leadership seminar that takes place during spring break for all high school sophomores across the nation.
Emerald: And you mentioned you’re an ASUO intern.
Kjos: That’s right. I’m currently — this is my first term as an ASUO legislative intern, and I worked off and on with the ASUO for my past two years here at the University. I work on legislative issues within the ASUO and the student issues that we’re dealing with, whether it be tuition and trying to cap tuition at a certain percentage, or the Oregon Opportunity Grant — Oregon’s only need-based grant — and trying to fight for that in any way we can, and also other issues that we’re dealing with, including the Child Care Subsidy Block Grant, and trying to provide students who have children with child care so they can attend school.
Emerald: What are your long term goals and plans?
Kjos: My long term goal is to go to law school after my tenure here at the University of Oregon, and then from that I’d like to practice criminal prosecution.