The ‘Best of Campus’ winners were determined by a student vote. The winners do not reflect the opinion of the Emerald.
We Are Oregon got its start during winter break of 2011 when ASUO Senator Laura Hinman and RHA President Nick McCain met to discuss the possibility of running in the ASUO presidential election in spring term.@@http://rha.uoregon.edu/committees/executive-board/nick-mccain/@@
McCain summed up the thinking of the campaign: “In our opinion, you could tell that past campaigns were too much about the people who were running. For Laura and I, the campaign wasn’t about us.”
Their ideas about student government became the bedrock of the We Are Oregon campaign. Their slate went on to win the ASUO presidency and the majority of Senate seats after a hotly contested election season beset by a shocking scandal from a rival campaign.
“I feel the ASUO has been a very polarizing and political environment that people don’t want to be involved in,” McCain said. “The nature of it has turned a lot of people away. I hope next year that we can make the ASUO a helpful and collaborative experience for everyone who wants to be involved. ”
We Are Oregon stressed serving the regular student population and on-campus students. Key campaign promises included increased access to student football tickets and revision of the ticket-distribution system, working with University administrators to curb tuition costs and creating sustainable solutions to the University’s new funding model, and sponsoring an annual concert with a big-name artist.