Oregon Daily Emerald: All right, well we’ll start out with the easy stuff. Could you just tell me your name and what year you are in school and your major, that sort of thing?
Andries: Colin Andries, I’m a first-year law student, I graduated from here with a degree in finance last year, and I’m back for more.
Emerald: OK, and could you tell me your home phone number in case what I called before wasn’t what you wanted to use?
Andries: Same as that one.
Emerald: OK, and why exactly are you running for ASUO office? What’s the appeal?
Andries: I’ve been around the campus a while, and I just really want to get more involved in the broader scheme of the University. I’ve done things before, like smaller groups I’ve been in. I’m greek but, I mean, not anymore, I’m still with my house but not really — in grad school you don’t really affiliate as much with other organizations when I was an undergrad. Now I’m in law school and I’m with the Student Bar Association, which is an ASUO-funded program over there. So I’ve always done smaller-like lots of activities within the University, but I’ve never stepped out, and I think I have enough qualities that I could help the University and I want to take part in the general University as a whole.
Emerald: And how long have you been at the University?
Andries: This would be my fifth year. I graduated in four years, so this is my fifth.
Emerald: All right, well, how will you figure out how to spend the surplus if you are elected to student senate?
Andries: Well, I think you have to take that on a case-by-case basis. If and when there is a surplus, you look at what people need and what the school needs, and what applications come out and what people come to you for. I mean, you can’t just make your assumptions right now and say ‘well this is what I want to do.’ I mean, if you do that, you’re not looking at the University as a whole, and I don’t know all the books off-hand by now, because I haven’t been in the PFC and I haven’t gone through all the hearings. I think going through (inaudible) and reasonably look at all the ways we could do it, I think that’s when I’d make my decision.
Emerald: OK, do you think there’s like a line or something where you can immediately tell if a student group comes to you that it wouldn’t be appropriate to give them money from the surplus?
Andries: I can’t say there’s a line right now. I mean, obviously you have to look at it on a case-by-case basis, and there are going to be times when you’re going to see something and you’re going to be like: ‘okay, well, likely this isn’t going to work, it’s just ridiculous and not a wise way to spend our money.’ But at this moment I can’t tell you exactly what that would be.
Emerald: Do you think you have a more conservative financial philosophy or a more liberal philosophy?
Andries: Probably I’m a little bit more conservative fiscally. I don’t believe in spending liberally on everything, if there’s projects that don’t need to be funded, I believe in holding back on that. But if there is something that honestly wants to use the money and going to use the money reasonably, then by all means we should supply those students and the University with the opportunity to pursue those activities. But liberally spending without any regard for what’s happening, I don’t find that reasonable or respectful to the University or even wise, you just have to take it on a case-by-case basis.
Emerald: And how will you interact with student groups?
Andries: Interacting with student groups — I know various people in different student groups. I’m pretty involved, I’d like to get out and talk to the groups and go to meetings if that’s what needs to be and explain what’s happening with the PFC. I know with the SBA, we had a PFC hearing and we had to go ask for more money and it was really hard because we didn’t really know what was going on. One person had a brief idea what was happening, but it wasn’t really explained to us very clearly. And I think if you can make it, talk to the groups, and make it simpler for everybody, and say ‘well this is what’s going to happen,’ you’re going to come in here, you’re going to talk to us, you need to fill out these forms, and this is why we’re doing it.’ And I think if you’re pro-active with it you can do a lot better and people are going to be more respectful of the process.
Emerald: What do you think are the most important issues facing the students you represent, or would represent?
Andries: Probably cost. The cost of going to the University today is expensive and it’s not getting any cheaper and I think because of costs, and I mean, it’s not just tuition is raising, the surcharge, the surcharge is a big deal, I mean, being charged $125-$225 a term right in the middle of the semester wasn’t nice. I mean, it was a shock to a lot of people and I think just the rising costs of tuition and going to school is a big deal for people. I think part of being on PFC is you can reasonably try to make a difference with the incidental fees. Granted, for each person you’re not going to see a large drop-off in their fees, but you can go to groups that aren’t using their money wisely or aren’t using at all and put it to uses where people can use it wisely — groups that obviously do need it.
Emerald: What do you think the most important thing you should know in order to deal with the budget process is?
Andries: I think it’s an ability to, I don’t know if it’s something you need to know, but I think an ability to logically, reasonably look at all sides of an issue. And I think that’s something that I really do. I mean, especially being in law school, I’ve got the financial background, I have a degree in finance, which will really, I mean — so I understand how to deal with money. But you have to logically look at all sides of an issue, and I don’t believe everybody knows how to do that. There are times when the group comes to you that you don’t necessarily think is a good idea, but my one-sided view isn’t always the right view, and to step back and look at it from all angles then you can realize ‘oh this is a good idea, this is a bad idea.’ Maybe a group comes to me and up front I think ‘hey this is a great idea, we should…’ but then you step back and you look at it and you go, ‘well from this angle, what are they doing with this, let’s poke holes and look at the whole application and see what’s going on.’ Once you do that, then you can make a better, wiser decision, and I think that’s a real key to this job — being able to look at the whole side of every issue, look at all groups’ applications and requests from a wide variety of bases. If you just go at it one-sided, you’re going to be (inaudible) and people aren’t going to think you did the job thoroughly.
Emerald: All right, what two ways can the student senate call a special meeting?
Andries: Actually, I don’t know that.
Emerald: Have you looked at the student senate rules very much?
Andries: Not thoroughly, no, I haven’t looked at them that much. And I think though I do realize that is one of the problems I have, that I don’t know the whole rules front and back, I believe that, if elected, I will definitely know all that stuff. And I think as it is a problem right now I don’t foresee that knowing the particular rules of everything as a major problem when I get into office. I know a lot of people that I can talk to, the Executive, Rachel and Ben, I’ve worked with them, I know them, I have no problem asking questions. And when I do need to know things and when I do get into the position where I’m going to need to know all these rules, you better believe I’m going to learn all these rules, but at this moment I don’t know all the rules specifically.
Emerald: Have you held a student government office before?
Andries: Here on campus? No, not in the general University, as I was saying, I’ve been in a wide variety of smaller roles, I’m a representative for the Student Bar As
sociation, which is like the ASUO of the law school. I’ve held positions in greek houses, in my fraternity house, I’ve held positions in other groups on campus, and now that’s why I want to step out. I want to be able to help the University as a whole, as opposed to just these smaller, little groups.
Emerald: All right, my final question is, what do you think the most important part of section 5 of the student senate rules is, and why?
Andries: Like I said, I couldn’t tell you off-hand what section 5 of the student senate rules is. Can you explain to me what it is?
Emerald: It’s the list of duties of the student senators.
Andries: I’m not prepared to answer that off-hand. I believe as a duty as a student senator to responsibly answer to the call of all the students, and you have to listen to what they need and be able to be reasonable and look at all sides of the issue and be willing to take criticism from everybody, as well as talk to people. And I think, I don’t know, have a list of all the duties in front of me, I don’t know them off-hand, and I don’t know all the rules, but you can bet I’m going to know these rules when I need to. And, I’ll do a really good job. You can expect me to work hard, and I’m a smart kid. I know how to work with money, I know how to work and look at everything. When elected, if elected, I will know how to help the student body and I’m not just going to look at one side of the issue.