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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 12, 1982)
Power positions Student leadership rewarding despite long hours, low pay ASUO Pres Rich Wilkins estimates he earns about $1 an hour for about 50 hours of work a week Bob Needham. EMU Board chairer, calls his $75 a month salary “beer money," while Alan Contreras. ASUO vice president for program admin istration, says he works at least 30 hours a week while he is paid for only 20 Many student government participants say their salaries do not mirror the time and ef fort they put into their jobs And most say they aren't in it for the money “The main reason we all do this is because it’s fun If I didn't enjoy this job, I wouldn’t be doing it," Contreras says " Part of the reward is mak ing real decisions " he adds ‘‘I know I’m not just spinning my wheels.” Contreras says he has ' real control" over more than half a million dollars. “If I screw up, it really counts," he says Authority makes the job ex citing to Needham, who con siders himself a volunteer “You work with big numbers and big ideas," he says Influence is important to Karsten Rasmussen, chairer of the Incidental Fee Commit tee. Members of the IFC are some of the most influential participants in student gov ernment, he says adding that most politicians enjoy wielding influence and gaining attention More important to Rasmus sen, however, is the op portunity to work with peo ple, solve problems and or ganize the work efficiently, he says. That’s what makes his position worthwhile personally and professionally, he says “It’s a mixture of a desire to serve and a desire to do it yourself (that makes people run for office),” Rasmussen says “I thought I could serve the students,” Wilkins says He says it's rewarding to channel resources to people dedicated to a cause “Some people think it’s like a bunch of kids playing politics,'' Wilkins says But students can be a major force in promoting change "The student movement was a key factor for social change in the sixties,” Wilkins says "If student government did not have an influence, there would be radical changes in the way the University of Oregon runs,” he says While promoting change is a rewarding aspect of Wilkins’ post, he says the experience he has gained is invaluable “The experience that I’m getting is unmatched to almost anything Now I can apply some of the information that I’ve learned in class," Wilkins says “The experience far outweighs everything.” Need ham agrees "This job keeps my analy tical skills sharper than if I were looking at abstract text books all the time,” Contreras says But Contreras, like the others, says he’s made some academic sacrifices because of the time he must devote to his student government posi tion He says he thinks his ASUO position helped him gain ad mittance to the University law school with relatively low grades “Anybody who serves as vice president or higher is not going to have very good grades,” Contreras says Wilkins also says his grades have suffered "I’ve been on and off academic probation and academic warning.” he says ” Wilkins says communication problems also present a prob lem for him He's lost friends because of student govern ment actions he had no part in, he says “You can't make everybody happy," Wilkins says “I admit we've raised a few eyebrows, but nobody could convince me that I'm doing things that are irresponsible.” ' Similarly, Rasmussen says he doesn't mind arguments, but he hates when he is cri ticized for things he didn't do “It makes the job less plea sant,” he says "At times you wonder why you’re doing it.” Interacting with people is the most frustrating and the most gratifying part of his job. Needham says Working on the EMU Board has helped him learn new skills, such as budgeting and how to work with people, he says "The title is nothing: the title is not going to impress anybody,” Needham says “What you do is important. That's what your going to want to put down on a resume and be able to talk about " By Mike Anderson Photo by Mai* Pynoa Rich Wilkins “Some people think It’s like... kids playing politics. ” Photo by klmrk Pynos Alan Contreras “Pari of the reward Is making realdeclslons." Photo by Brian Brb Karsten Rasmussen a desire to serve and a desire to do it yourself. ” ASUO holds hearing today A public hearing on ASUO elections rules will be held in the EMU Forum Room today — the first day of filing for ASUO elections, April 14-15 The 4:30 p.m. meeting will cover ASUO election rules and related matters for potential candidates and others, ac cording to Gus Palmitessa, ASUO executive vice pres ident and chairer of elections Thirty-five elected positions are open this year, including a new student-at-large position on the Emerald Board of Di rectors Other positions include the ASUO Executive (president and vice president), 16 out of 18 Student University Affairs Board posts, all seven In cidental Fee Committee posi tions, four of five student-at large positions on the EMU Board, and six board posts of the University's Oregon Student Public Interest Re search Group All interested students are urged to run — with filing clos ing April 2, Palmitessa says The ASUO vice president says ethics will be emphasized at today's meeting "The thing that has both ered me the most has been the amount of election sabo tage that occurs," he says Students who report election sabotage will be entitled to 50 percent of the financial sanc tion imposed on the offender, Palmitessa adds Candidates are encouraged to spend time with campaign workers to emphasize ethical conduct, he says,
