Joining my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega@@http://www.oregonalphachi.com/home@@, freshman year was by far the best decision I have made during my time at the University. Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University is an amazing organization, and it is one that produces some of the best leaders ever seen on this campus.
Although Fraternity and Sorority Life makes up about 12 percent of our campus, there is still more than 87 percent of campus that needs a voice. In the ASUO every single type of student should be well-represented. Laura Hinman, ASUO presidential candidate@@http://asuo.uoregon.edu/senate.php?a=30@@, formed a slate called “We Are Oregon”@@http://weareoregon.wordpress.com/@@ that is comprised almost entirely of Greeks. If elected, her administration and the ASUO Senate would only be representing that 12 percent of campus, which is by no means all of Oregon.
As a member of Fraternity and Sorority Life, I think it is great that fraternities and sororities are well-represented on her slate. But as a student at the University, I am disappointed by the lack of acknowledgement of the overwhelming diversity that our campus offers. The ASUO should represent every type of student on our campus, and the student body should demand that potential ASUO presidents recognize them.
Ben and Lamar @@https://duckweb.uoregon.edu/pls/prod/hwskuelc.P_ViewBallot@@and their slate include students from every corner of campus. With more than ten slate candidates in a Greek house, Ben and Lamar understand that fraternities and sororities produce incredible leaders. But Ben and Lamar also pulled students of color, freshmen, members of the LGBTQ community and students from various programs to have a spot on their slate and a voice in the ASUO. By voting for Ben and Lamar you would be voting to guarantee diversity in the ASUO.
I absolutely adore Fraternity and Sorority Life and I am so grateful for everything that it has done for me. But I urge my peers take a step back and recognize that not only are we members of Greek chapters, we are students at this university, and as students we need to make sure that our classmates from all parts of our campus are represented in the ASUO.
Christina Hardesty@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Christina+Hardesty@@
ACFC vice chair