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!
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Our delicious German
Bratwurst, sauerkraut.
German rye bread, and
bowl of our famous
beer cheese soup or
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at the South end of the Ferry St. bridge
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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
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