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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1973)
Am Independent Student Newspaper J Vol. 74, NO. 128 Thursday, March 1. 1973 Bogen declares election valid Gerald Bogen, Vice President for Student Services, decided Wednesday that last week’s ASUO general election was valid. “Regretfully, it has become necessary for an officer of the University to rule on the validity of the recently conducted student elections,” Bogen said in a statement released to University President Robert Clark late Wednesday. Bogen noted that student officers, “through no direct fault of their own,” could not reach a resolution and that he had agreed, with the consent of both points of view, that a ruling was necessary. Bogen met with ASUO President Bill Wyatt and ex-senate president Cliff Zukin Tuesday afternoon in an informal hearing. Zukin, representing former senate members, asked for a new election of the grounds that the general election last week was filled with election violations. Wyatt contended that the election was valid and the senate had been duly abolished. Bogen’s statement Wednesday concurred with Wyatt’s view, and instructed EMU Director Dick Reynolds to recognize the new con stitution. “The University was forced to act because of the ultimate legal authority entrusted it and because payroll and other administrative decisions depend upon final administration resolution and dispute,” the statement read. Tin ruling the election valid, Bogen said he found it to represent the •na jority viewpoint of those who voted.” He reiterated that he did not wish to express any views on the merits of the new constitution, any proposed alternate constitutions or student-faculty government. “It is also apparent that there exists ample opportunity for redress through recall or initiative petition or other democratic means under the new constitution should the majority of student voters deem those courses wise or appropriate,” Bogen said. The statement came after a week of controversy over the election, a week that saw the senate and its committees continuing to meet despite executive claims that the senate no longer existed. City Counsil President Wickes Beal (left) was among the prominent Eugene citizens “arrested for neutralist activities” by the Saigon International Police Force Wednesday. Beal is being arrested by John Thomas, who helped ten other persons arrest the mayor, some clergymen and a University in structor to point out the type of detention they said Photo by Clark Carson has left more than 200,000 political prisoners in South Vietnam. An effort to arrest University President Robert Clark was thwarted when Clark failed to show up for his summons. The warrant was left with the President’s secretary. (See story page three.) On 4American Circus1 • Senate may be dead, but governance issues linger It had backbiting. It had conflict. It had political pronouncements. It had name calling It had predictions. And, oh y», it had issues. In fact, it seemed to have all of the ingredients of student politics at the University, l»73-style. Plus a lot of beer. It was the American Circus, the live KZEL-FM radio show, broadcast for more than an hour Wednesday night from the Bavarian Restaurant. By CLAY EALS Of the Emerald It even had most all of the players who currently have been prominent: Bill Wyatt, Tim Travis, Cliff Zukin, Fred Loveys, Roger Wyatt, Mike Bonner — and one who has not, Ron Saylor. They talked about student government, and University government, and possible student-faculty government, and even possibilities for state government. All the talk was in the wake of a decision an nounced just hours earlier by Gerald Bogen, vice president for student services at the University, that last week’s ASUO general election which abolished the ASUO Senate is valid. Why did Bogen enter into the dispute over the election? “I guess I’m guilty,” Cliff Zukin, ex-ASUO senate president, said, admitting he was the one who ap pealed the election dispute to the ad ministration, “but it was not because I wanted to do so. It was my job as senate president... The senate voted 22-0 to get a new election, and the way it goes is to pursue all courses open.” Zukin said he considered that appealing to the administration “ ... the only course left.” So, now that the senate is abolished and the ASUO machinery is directed toward creating student-faculty governance at the University, is it realistic to expect student faculty governance? “No,” Zukin said. “You're not going to achieve it.” He said the ex-senate had presented several student-faculty governance motions to the general faculty “ .. . and on every one of those this year we’ve gotten screwed.” The pessimism wasn’t shared. Tim Travis, who was fired by ASUO President Bill Wyatt earlier this term as chief administrative assistant, said student government is now at the point “where we can sit down with (University President Robot) Clark and the faculty and we can all decide it together.” Loveys agreed with Travis. “We have every right to sit down with the faculty and administrators and find resolutions to the issues,” he said. But Loveys and Travis disagreed as to tactics. “What the ASUO needs is not presidents and vice presidents but organizers,” Travis said. He added that he felt there isn’t enough leadership in student government now. “When there was leadership three and four years ago, students followed student power .. . and there were student power freaks and not future legislators.” Students must actually demand power, he said, “to the point of telling Clark that we’re going to sit on your damn rug if we have to.” He said demanding power is the only way to achieve it: ‘To gain the ear of a jackass, you often have to slap it across the back with a board.” Travis said it’s time for students “to say to the grown-ups: put up or shut up." He cited administrative reports, various unspecific statements from University officials, State Board of Higher Education members, and the legislature which ad vocated student-faculty governance. “We need to say to them: you’ve had three years to listen to these new liberal ideas. Deliver.” He said the fate of student-faculty governance is not dependent on the fate of votes by the general faculty. “We have some other very potentially powerful political allies,” he said. Loveys asked Travis, though, “What will happen if you’re pushing the poker. Then you’ll see: ‘Students got clobbered because you’re using the poker.’ . . . You’re talking about ideas that, four years ago, didn’t work.” Loveys said there are “other ways” besides “pushing the poker” to obtain student-faculty governance. ASUO President Wyatt said he felt the real power to decide whether or not student-faculty governance will occur is in Salem at the legislature. “State govern ment is the place to be,” he said. “There is an excellent opportunity to actually do things there.” He mentioned four bills “dealing with the whole process of University gover nance” that have been introduced in the legislature, but have yet to be completely drafted. “The power is with the state legislature,” he said simply. Ron Saylor, Graduate Student Council president, said he doubted the ability of students to “have educated, intelligent opinions” in a student-faculty governance setup. “Most students are so far removed from what is going on . . . and don’t have opinions.” He added, however, that he didn’t mean to imply that students are not “capable” of participating in such governance. Zukin said he felt the ex-ASUO Senate did complete some legitimate projects, despite unfavorable publicity. But, he addmitted that conflict among ex-senators did exist. Mike Bonner and Roger Wyatt, both ex senators, chimed in both quoting John F. Kennedy, “When there is no conflict in government, something’s wrong.” Saylor added that, “In the ASUO, we have a fairly accurate example of all the problems of bureaucracy.” At times, the discussion on the radio program drifted off toward political ambition and prediction. ASUO President Wyatt announced that he “has given some consideration” to running for the state legislature. But, currently, “I don’t think I would.” Travis announced his future ambitions also. “I’m running for ASUO President next year ... and I hope to concentrate on providing leadership, not hobnobbing with legislators.” But Travis predicted even farther into the future. “In 30 years, this state is going to need a governor and I don’t see why it couldn’t be me.” And ASUO President Travis predicted students won’t have to deal with President Clark with regard to student power in the next few years. “Clark will retire in one year and won’t be here,” he said. And finally, Loveys, asked by the moderator to voice his opinion on an issue, instead took the time to urge students to vote in Friday’s ASUO in cidental fee committee election. “It really is critical for people to get out aad vote.”
