Sowards mixes family, politics into full life
By Jacquie Long
Of tbe Emerald
Susan Sowards has her hands
full pretty much around the
clock.
Whether she’s seeing out the
responsibilities of a legislative
aide and board member in the
day hours or handling the
obligations of a mother and wife
during the rest of the time,
Sowards is rarely bored.
As ASUO executive coor
dinator, Sowards has been
described as “dynamite” by a
fellow ASUO staff member —
and it’s not difficult to see why.
“She is one of the rare per
sons who can take on endless
responsibilities and manage
them all calmly and well, ” says
ASUO Pres. Julie Davis.
Sowards has been a part of
student government at the
University for almost one year.
Her position is described as
“non-academic research
associate,” but the job entails
much more than the title
suggests.
“It’s a pretty multi-purpose
position in actuality, sometimes
involving a lot more than I
think,” So wards says.
Sowards works mainly in an
advisory capacity with ASUO,
functioning as a researcher, a
policy analyst and a general
resource person. She also serves
as an instructor for the office,
working to familiarize the staff
with the recently added com
puter system.
Her position is a fairly new
one, begun last year during the
Hotchkiss administration,
Sowards says. It is an outgrowth
of the student advocate posi
tion, and Sowards says the two
jobs still overlap to an extent.
“But we mainly work as sup
plements to each other, and I
think the positions enhance one
another,” Sowards says.
Sowards, 34, brings a
multitude of talents and ex
perience to her job.
She first became involved in
grassroots politics several years
ago, which was “the first time
I’d done something more than
being unhappy about political
situations,” Sowards says.
Not long after that she saw
some literature concerning state
Sen. Margie Hendriksen, who
was a state representative at the
time. Pleased to find a politi
cian who shared her views,
Sowards became an aide to Hen
driksen. She worked with her
first in the House and later in
the Senate.
‘‘And if she goes to
Washington, I’d like to work for
her still,” Sowards adds.
Sowards says she thrives on
being politically active. As a
professional staff person for the
ASUO, Sowards holds a three
quarter-time paid position, but
she finds more than enough to
keep her busy when not work
ing there.
She currently chairs the Lane
County Democratic Committee
and the budget committee for
the City of Eugene, serves on
the steering committee of the
Lane County Women’s Political
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Caucus, works on the Lane Joint
Social Services Commission
and is on the board of directors
of the Rape Crisis Network.
“I think that’s all I’m doing,”
Sowards says with a laugh.
Her commitment to some of
these organizations will end
soon, however. She says she’ll
be happy to have the extra time
to spend with her husband and
son, “who are a very important
part of my life,” she adds.
Her husband, Chuck, is a
mechanic and a homemaker,
the latter having been a difficult
role for both of them to adjust to
at first, Sowards says. But this
arrangement works well now
and allows their son Robin, 8, to
enjoy both parents, Sowards
says.
“We like to go to Em’s games
together, go running or just put
ter around the garden
together,” she says.
Sowards and her husband
came to Eugene from Ports
mouth, Ohio, where they both
grew up. Tired of living there,
they decided to move west in
1975, she says.
They started out picking ap
ples in Washington. Then, as
the couple traveled south
toward Arizona, their car broke
down. The trip ended in
Eugene, where they heard
nothing but good about Oregon
living, she says.
“And we’ve been here ever
since.”
The Sowards were particular
ly attracted to the political
tolerance in Oregon and to the
state’s initiative and referen
dum process, she says. Overall,
she’s found it much easier to
Susan Sowards
become politically active in
Oregon, Sowards adds.
"This state is much more
populist than Ohio, and we
both just find it a more exciting
place.”
Thus far, Sowards’ family has
been very supportive of her ac
tivities, she says. Without this
stability at home, Sowards
believes that most wives or
mothers could not be so active.
The situation is fortunate for
her, too, as giving up her ac
tivities may be out of the ques
tion for some time.
“1 really enjoy all the political
work 1 do and the work with the
University,” Sowards says.
"It’s great to be working with
politically minded students,
with people who enjoy taking
control and who can enhance
their world."
Demo party ‘strong’
By Paul Ertelt
Of the Emerald
The Democratic Party came
out of its San Francisco conven
tion united and strong enough
to face the Republican opposi
tion in the fall, predict local
members of the Oregon
Democratic delegation.
After recently returning home
from the convention, several
members of the delegation
spoke about their experience
and their party’s political pro
spects at a Lane County
Democratic meeting in Alton
Baker Park Thursday night.
“The papers and the colum
nists said we were going in as a
divided party, but they had to
admit we came out a strong par
ty,” said state Rep. Larry Hill,
D-Springfield.
“I think if you watched the
convention on television, you
could get just as good an in
sight, but the spirit on the floor
was something unique,” said
Jim Klonoski, a University
political science professor.
The delegates agreed that a
high point of the convention
was the nomination of Rep.
Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., as
Walter Mondale’s running
mate. They also said they were
impressed by the speakers at the
convention, especially New
York Gov. Mario Cuomo and the
Rev. Jesse Jackson.
“The Ferraro nomination and
the level of oratory lifted us 10
to 15 points in the polls and
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lifted Democrats 100 points in
euphoria,” Klonoski said.
Hill said he was impressed by
the number of women and
minority delegates at the con
vention. Democratic rules re
quire that half of the delegates
must be women.
“The Mississippi delegation
was better than half black,” he
said. “In 1960, I don’t think
there was one black delegate at
the convention."
The issues of the party were
as important as its
demographics, said Cheryl
Hunter of Springfield.
“A lot of people are not better
off under (Pres. Ronald)
Reagan,” she said. “How their
pocketbooks are affected, how
their civil rights are affected —
that’s what’s going to win peo
ple over to the Democrats.”
But the convention was not
all hard work and politics. The
delegates had a chance to share
in San Francisco’s hospitality
and rub elbows with celebrities.
While driving from the
Moscone Center one night, Ann
Aiken of Eugene recognized a
familiar face in the crowd. “Hey
Andy, you want a ride?” she
called out.
It was columnist Andy
Rooney himself who accepted
the invitation. Rooney and the
passengers in the car became in
volved in a heated discussion
about Jesse Jackson before she
dropped him off in front of his
hotel, she said.