ASUO
Continued from Page 3
events coordinator. The fact that
the group has reached consensus
on all decisions so far is an indica
tion more of their dedication and
willingness to work than that they
all have the same political view
points, according to Snyder.
"It's not so much that we all
think alike, because we don't. We
have a real variety of political ap
proaches in the office," he says.
Hotchkiss says everyone in the
office is "highly motivated" and
mature enough to accept the new
decision-making process.
"It's a matter of trying to judge
what's the most pragmatic. You
keep personal feelings out of it
and work on pragmatism and
things get accomplished," she
says.
One of those things the Hot
chkiss administration would like
to accomplish is to "kill student
apathy."
On the day of the new govern
ment's inauguration last spring
term, many of them participated
in a march down 13th avenue
from the University bookstore to
the EMU. Garbed in cloaks and
&
hoods, they carried a banner urg
ing "death to student apathy" and
chanted the same.
Ironically, that march created lit
tle interest but the new govern
ment is undaunted by that lack of
response and is still making plans
to crush apathy.
"Student apathy is a response
by the students to the conditions
they face," says ASUO Vice-Pres.
Kevin Kouns.
He says getting students involv
will help put an end to apathy,
tudents can become a political
force and Kouns says that can be
accomplished by using a concept
of "student empowerment."
ASUO can inform students and
community members about
issues, act as a facilitator by bring
ing people together, be activists
themselves and lead by example
by organizing petitions, rallies and
civil disobedience, Kouns says.
These acts will help kill apathy ac
cording to him.
Hotchkiss says if people feel
their efforts are paying dividends
they are more likely to get
involved.
"You have to show people they
are going to accomplish
something. I think lethargy comes
rom feeling like 'everything is so
ig I can't do anything about it',"
>he says. "You have to cut things
into small enough pieces so that
people feel like they can get their
teeth into it and do something
about it.
"That's certainly the way my
mind works anyway. And I think
we're offering that this year to the
students."
And there are many students
who will get involved if they're at
tracted, says Hotchkiss.
"I think there are plenty of peo
ple sitting in dorms night after
night twiddling their thumbs not
knowing what to do with
themselves and if you just
generate a little excitement
around an issue people are going
to be attracted to it," she says.
Opening that communication
between the dorms and ASUO is a
priority of McCarthy and her co
worker Gary Okazaki, the ASUO
director of University affairs.
They want to relate the ASUO to
living organizations by holding
meetings at dorms and getting
responses and reactions from
dorm members.
"This will help solve the apathy
problem of the past," says
McCarthy.
Hotchkiss has other plans for
killing apathy, too.
She wants to increase the name
and face familiarity between
students and ASUO government
members. If they each stand up in
each class and invite students to
meetings and ASUO sponsored
symposia, students will become
more involved, Hotchkiss says.
But a big part of student involve
ment is simply getting them to
vote and a concern of all members
of the new government is getting
students registered so they can
vote.
Snyder, Stuart and Kouns, all of
whom attended workshops at the
United States Student’s Associa
tion this summer, are particularly
working on student voter registra
tion at the University and through
the Oregon Student Lobby.
Already underway to help im
prove political education, discus
sion and activism is ASUO spon
sorship of a symposium on Cen
tral America and of course the
voter registration drive.
There are other specifics of the
SPA platform the government in
tends to carry out and other
specifics ASUO members are
working on.
Kouns plans to recruit colleges
for membership in the USSA,
organize opposition to the
Solomon Amendment and coor
dinate computerizing the ASUO
offices.
And executive assistant Sherri
Schultz wants to keep student tur
nout at ASUO elections at the
level it reached last year and in
• volve more students with the elec
tion process.
Schultz says the mere process of
running for an ASUO office is
complicated and deters students
from becoming involved so she in
tends to see that more students
learn that process.
Other people are working on
other projects and the administra
tion encourages members of the
student body to drop in, meet
them and ask questions or make
complaints.
In fact, the ASUO people pride
themselves on responding to stu
dent's problems.
"I'd say we've been real good
about addressing people's
specific problems and I'd like to
see that continue," says Hotch
kiss, adding that people can
walk in any time and talk to her
without worrying about having an
appointment.
While the various members of
the new government make it clear
that their's is a different, and
perhaps happier, form of decision
making in the ASUO executive
suite this year; they also make it
clear they have specific direc
tions.
"I've realized that student
associations really aren't govern
ments. It's more like a small stu
dent corporation, students are the
investors, they invest X number of
dollars per year. We simply
manage that money and try to get
the best benefit for the students
in education, cultural and other
benefits," says Snyder.
This year, with this administra
tion, it appears those benefits will
be focused on increasing student
awareness and keeping an ear
open to student’s wishes.
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