SURC clarifies positions and role
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By Dane Claussen
Of m* CmhW
The ASUO Executive and
Student University Relations
Council are working to defuse a
potentially explosive situation
after clashing over the activities
and policies of SURC
A series of agreements and
role “clarifications" during the
past two weeks are "ironing
out" the differences between
the two, says ASUO Pres Rich
Wilkins
The differences surfaced last
month when SURC — guided by
Curt Simic, University vice pre
sident for public services — ini
tiated SHE (Save Higher
Education), a program aimed at
the Oregon Legislature The
SHE campaign urged students
and parents of students to send
post cards and letters to legis
lators. in an effort to prevent
state budget cuts
Wilkins raised questions
about how clearly SURC iden
tified itself with the University
administration and about its role
in lobbying
“I don't think they (SURC)
should be dealing with the
Legislature, the lobbying, or any
I
of those activities — period —
unless as volunteers helping the
administration carry out its
legislative program, not a
student legislative program,”
Wilkins said in January
”1 don’t necessarily know if
during the legislative campaign
they did define their role as
working for the administration
That's a question in my mind,"
Wilkins added
Wilkins and ASUO legislative
assistant Dave Berns met with
Simic, SURC adviser Mary Hud
zikiewicz, Student University
Affairs Board vice chairer Mike
Prothe, and two SURC
members Jan 12 to clarify
SURC's relation to the Universi
ty administration A week after
the meeting. Simic and Denise
Michel, the SURC member in
charge of the SHE campaign,
sent Wilkins a letter outlining
what they believed to be the
agreements made during the
meeting
Among the points apparently
agreed upon are that SURC
operates under the auspices of
the University Office of Public
Services, does not represent
the student body, and will not
actively lobby on its own SURC
also agreed to include "Office
of Public Services' on all its
literature and to send meeting
minutes to the ASUO Executive
“Things have been ironing
out lately," Wilkins says The
letter from Simic and Michel
“makes me feel much better "
But he says he still objects to
SURC's lobbying efforts
Simic says SURC's efforts to
"save higher education”
shouldn't cause a problem with
the ASUO SURC members
only represent themselves and
help me represent the University
from an administrative point of
view,” he says
"Rich made the point that the
SURC should not represent the
student body per se because
they aren't elected by the
student body He's right ' Simic
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says
The SHE campaign was not a
lobbying effort, but simply a way
of making it easy for students to
write legislators, and a way of
making students aware of the
current situation, says Liz
Mann. SURC secretary-trea
surer. SURC shouldn't get in
volved in lobbying, she says
SUAB vice chairer Mike
Prothe agrees that progress has
been made "I think we can
work a lot smoother than we
have in the past," he says "We
know where each group stands
and we know where we both
want to go so we can help each
other carry those responsibili
ties out"
Current SURC programs —
Duck Week, Parents’ Week
ends. Homecoming, Library
Project 82, the Pigskin Pass,'
the Civil War Cannon Trophy,
and others — are fine, Prothe
says, adding that he can t com
ment on any future activities
What activities SURC should
or should not involve itself in,
however, apparently continues
to be a point of contention
SURC can "fill the gaps that
open up in the ASUO" says
SUAB chairer Gale Graham If
the ASUO doesn't do the job,
then they'll (SURC) be there to
fill those gaps "
Sirnic agrees "I would like to
keep SURC focused on the ex
ternal constituencies, and not
the internal constituencies By
that, I mean campus politics,"
he says
One "gap" is the publication
of the Organa yearbook, Sirnic
says
SURC has no designs to
supersede student government,
Simic, Mann, and SURC Pres
Molly Poole all say
ASUO officials should be
pleased that SURC does the
activities it does so the ASUO
Executive can have plenty of
time for its administrative and
lobbying tasks, Mann says The
different goals of the student
government and SURC don't
have to be conflicting, she says
Wilkins doesn't like the gap
filling philosophy, however,
saying all organizations will al
ways have shortcomings
Why should there be another
student group that moves in to
do the things we can't do7 You
should work with the already
existing group and try to im
prove it ” Wilkins says
"I don't want to inhibit any
group as long as it is in the
spirit of what the group should
be "
Projects promote
University’s “image”
The Student University Relations Council has the dis
tinction of being a student group that determines its own
projects but works out of a University administration office.
Founded four years ago by Curt Simic, vice president for
public services, the organization has grown to a 31-member
body sponsoring Duck Week, Parent's Weekends.
Homecoming, hosting visitors, the University'OSU Pigskin
Pass" and Civil War Cannon Trophy, and performing other
activities designed to promote and help the University It has a
$2500 budget for the year from Simic's office
“Library: Project *82,” a program encouraging the
senior-class members of 1982 to give $12 50 gifts to the
University library, is one of the group's current projects
Molly Poole got involved because the organization helps
the University and works with interesting people, says the
SURC Pres , a senior in public relations
"We promote what is good about the University We
aren't reformers." Poole says
"I was interested in promoting the University.” says Liz
Mann, SURC secretary-treasurer and a public relations
junior
The group is great for getting experience in public
relations, and public affairs in particular and working with
alumni and the community, she says.
Her involvement in the group has aided her to get
practical experience with what she learns in the classroom.
Mann says
Students are selected for the group once a year based on
their involvement in other organizations at the University and
their enthusiasm, Poole says. Students are not asked their
opinions on political questions, but rather how they would tell
a parent about dormitory life and other such questions, she
says
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