Name: Ian Baldwin
Position: ASUO Vice President
Age: 21
Hometown: Eugene, Ore.
Class standing: Junior
Major: Political Science
Arrests: None
Briefly explain your platform.
We running on a platform of actually listening to students and finally giving them a powerful voice within the ASUO. All the campaigns seem to agree that bringing students’ opinions into the political discourse is a fundamental lack in the ASUO but nobody has a plan to bring students into the dialogue about how to change the ASUO or do things differently. That’s why Ryan and I decided to run. We feel we have a really great plan to involve students called iGovernment. ASUO senators should be lobbying students to convince us how they think money should be best sense. Legitimate rule derives from the people, not from the executives who are executing the law.
What qualities and experience qualify you to be ASUO vice president?
We are not embedded in a broken system. We have a new vision, new judgement and unique leadership abilities that make us best-qualified to serve students.
What are your thoughts on the purpose and size of the student incidental fee?
It’s much too large, especially considering that we take no notice of how much students think they should be spending on the I-fee.
What do you see as the vice president’s role in the ASUO?
My role is not to direct my choices based on my own political predispositions. My job is to be conductive of the will of the people, primarily, and second, my job is to support my running mate Ryan McCarrel and his executive responsibilities.
How would you fund the LTD bus service?
This is a really important issue and something we will make a priority. The fact that it has not been fully funded is a clear indication that ASUO senators are not listening to what students actually need. Money goes to groups that don’t show why they should get more funding, while APS is over-burdened with shuttling because there’s no bus funding to perform that service.
Should OSPIRG return to campus, and if so, what form should it take?
This is a clear issue of the ASUO acting arbitrarily to claim they represent the will of the people without even asking the people. There was no student input gained for this decision. I think we need to reopen the discussion on OSPIRG and figure out what students actually want.