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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1981)
Students will determine fate of constitutional amendments University students will decide whether to accept 21 amendments to the ASUO con stitution during the primary election today and Thursday. The amendments, written by ASUO presidential candidate Bruce Mills, represent the first effort to substantially revise the constitution since it was written in 1974. Mills says amendments were written to make the student government more ac countable, to eliminate vague ness and to eliminate obsolete articles. Regarding the accountability issue, Mills says an amendment that would set a time limit for the ASUO president to fill vacated positions on the constitution committee is typical. Currently, the constitution says the president must appoint “persons to vacant positions of the constitution committee,’’ but allows the president to take the action on any schedule he desires. Under Mills’ proposal, the president would be allowed only one week in which to make the appointments. Another amendment, which Mills says addresses the issue of constitutional vagueness, would specify that persons desiring the recall of ASUO of ficers must obtain signatures OSPIRG hopefuls plan more efficient research By STEPHEN KNIGHT Of the Emerald The six candidates for the six uncontested Oregon Student Public interest Research Group seats have put aside politics and instead have started making plans to turn OSPIRG into a more efficient campus organ ization. And for good reason. Last term the Incidental Fee Committee said OSPIRG wasn’t representing student interests and slashed 75 percent of the group’s 1981-82 budget. As a consequence, the candidates — Steve Schneider, Deborah Far rington, Michael Matteucci, David Berns, Paul Nevue and Richard Sontag — were forced to find ways to keep the organ ization afloat even before they took office. Sontag says one way to revi talize OSPIRG is to actively seek student support. Before the budget cut, OSPIRG had for gotten it was a student organ ization and had become “top heavy with staff,” Sontag says. “Now there is a new emphasis on student input and in volvement,” he adds. Nevue, a senior majoring in journalism, says another past problem was that the organization had gotten too “cliquish.” “We’re now trying to get a broad range of people from var ied interests,” he says. Nevue explains impartiality is a major goal of the organization. “We want to have OSPIRG open to all points of view,” he says. "If people want to come in and do anti-abortion research, they can.” Other changes proposed by the OSPIRG candidates include an emphasis on only local, student-related research projects instead of statewide efforts. Farrington, a junior majoring in social work, says in the past OSPIRG was involved in issues that didn't necessarily benefit students. "OSPIRG recently was doing research on environmental things that didn’t relate to the student,” she says. "Now we re doing projects that affect students directly.” OSPIRG candidates currently are working on a price listing of the various laundromats in the campus area and are studying the draft and low-income hous ing. However, Schneider, a senior majoring in history, disagrees with Farrington on what consti tutes ‘‘student-related'' re search. "Student issues should not be confined to the boundaries of the University,” he says. "Students are citizens of the state and are affected just as much as anyone else by the decisions made at the county and state level.” Furthermore, Schneider, un like the other candidates, was displeased with the drastic decrease in IFC funding. "Some cuts were justified, but not $30,000 worth,” he says. As a result, the group will find it difficult to coordinate state wide projects, Schneider says. Wednesday night is BTsT Bratwurst night! 9fr tJaydfi1"1 \ Our delicious German Bratwurst, sauerkraut. German rye bread, and bowl of our famous beer cheese soup or salad *2 95 345-9815 jr v 444 East 3rd at the South end of the Ferry St. bridge PI —-Joui ut for •— _■=»- tViicious GetmAn dmnexs "-r ■ —-- ' pr _ strvod.nig/tty from. —- 1._— =~r S from 10 percent of the ASUO’s members. Currently, the consti tution requires that recall peti tions be signed by "10 percent of the electing constituency.” Mills says this could be con strued to mean 10 percent of the students voting in a given elec tion, which usually is less than 5 percent of the student body. Other amendments would eliminate clauses in the consti tution that have outlived their usefulness. For instance, Article 18.5 says a new ASUO president "shall be elected in May, 1974, and shall serve until May, 1975.” Another amendment would rewrite a clause that says, “the Incidental Fee Committee shall act on matters only relating to the allocation and appropriation of incidental fees with the single exception of the duties required under Article 9.4." The IFC has no duties required under Article 9.4. This year, we'll help you give your Mom a little bit of heaven. The Book Department has a greaf deal for you and your Mom this Mother's Day Select $10 worth of general books from The Book Department, and we ll gift wrap and mail them to one destination within the continental U S FREE OF CHARGE Look for our displays of special gift books, perfect for Mom 4Mlr# » ' ■■ *• * FREE MAILING: April 13—May 9, 1981. BOOKSTORE 1 3th & Kincaid Mon-Fri 8:15-5:30 Sat 10:00-2:00 Upstairs in The Book Department Only at the UO Bookstore. Textbooks 686-3520 • General Books 686-3510 • Supplies 686-4331 Coupon Expires 4/30/81 ——— Student Special Shampoo, Cut and Style HALF PRICE Now $7.75 Manicures $4.00 with coupon Mohawk Blvd., Springfield In front of Bi-Mart 747-5226 odeod % e E OD&
