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,