Sen. Kaitlyn Lange@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Kaitlyn+Lange@@ called for the removal of ASUO Vice President Katie Taylor at last night’s Senate meeting, after Taylor’s previously unpublicized two-year marriage to former OSPIRG chair Charles Denson came to light Monday.
“This is worth disclosure, this is relevant. When you’re a public official, your life is relevant,” Lange said.
Lange sent an email prior to the meeting documenting her request to remove Taylor and her plans to move forward with it in the coming days. According to the Green Tape Notebook, Lange will need 10 percent of the student body to sign a petition to call a recall vote.
Many people in the room expressed their disapproval of the request.
“I don’t think this is relevant at all,” ASUO President Ben Eckstein said. “Katie Taylor’s work performance is the only thing that should be discussed in these meetings. The student government has other things to spend their time on.”
The discussion quickly came to an end when he demanded that unless a motion be made, the conversation should not be taking place.
Prior to Lange’s announcement — which came near the end of the meeting — the Senate appointed an election board to coordinate the 2012 spring term election. One candidate in particular brought about discussions of the election process. Eckstein presented Chelsea Fung,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Chelsea+Fung@@ a University senior, for the public relations position.
Some senators were concerned the candidate wasn’t informed of the difficulty of the position before she applied and wouldn’t be able to perform well under the pressure.
“Every year, this position fails, and I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again this year,” Lange said.
Her biggest concerns dealt with the qualifications of the candidate and how she would fair in such a taxing position.
Others recognized the necessity of confirming candidates as soon as possible so they can begin working on the campaign.
“I don’t mean to be an alarmist, but we need to confirm people now so they can begin working,” Sen. Jeremy Hedlund said.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Jeremy+Hedlund@@

Ben Eckstein explained that the appointments should have been made by Nov. 1, and they still haven’t been made.
After a lengthy debate, Fung was confirmed.
The two other candidates, Brittany Quale,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Quale@@ a University senior, and Lauren Reifer,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Lauren+Reifer@@ a University freshman, were also confirmed as election board members.
Furthermore, University freshman Lindsay Damiano@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Lindsay+Damiano@@ was elected to Senate Seat 20. Damiano is an undeclared major and stated that she can speak to freshmen and others who are undeclared.
“In my short time on this campus, I appreciate all the work senators do,” Damiano said. “I feel like Senate is an important position. It is necessary to lead for others, not yourself.”
At the end of the confirmations, a bit of whimsy @@?@@was added to the meeting when a Japanese taiko club requested money to build two new drums.
Hedlund and freshman Rep. Andrew Lubash got the chance to play the group’s drums.