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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1987)
to the candidate who could pronounce his slogan correctly." He indicated he hoped the translations would inject in terest and controversy into the election and increase voter turnout. Loveys and then ASUO President William Wyatt subsequently were im peached in the spring term elections after a group of students, headed by some former Student Senate members, gathered more than 800 signatures to petition for the vote I he petition urged. "RECALL WYATT LOVEYS Throw these reac tionaries out of office End dictatorial tyrrany on campus Save money HOW-’ Sign petition Vote for recall You will be glad you did." I he Student Senate later reformed as the Student University Affairs Board within two years hut it had less authori ty. having its ability to allocate student fees deferred to the If C "Part of the independence of student government included more control over their money, and once student government had control over their money, then the people began to take it more seriously it really contributed to the growth." Williams says I he 1976-77 elections brought Jan Oliver, then a 27 year old black mother of three, to the ASUO presidency. Oliver is noted for her work on the 1977 women's symposium, restructuring of the University minority programs and legislative lobbying in conjunction with the Oregon Student Lobby. After the Oregon Attorney General in 1978 issued that the State Board of Higher Education had no authority over investments of higher education endowments and could not vote to divest its investments in firms doing any substantial business in South Africa, the ASUO and 19 plaintiffs brought suit against the Oregon Investment Coun cil. the Attorney General, higher education investment managers, and the State Board to allow divestment to occur The following year a district court rul ed that the ASUO and 12 plaintiffs had standing to require the State Board and Oregon Investment Council to defend themselves in court, yet the case was lost on the basis of merit. Nelson says The ASUO then made an appeal to the Oregon Court of Appeals in 1986 but the court ruled the case had no standing Since then, the ASUO ap pealed the decision to the Oregon Supreme Court and is waiting to hear if the case will be considered. Nelson says. The Greek law school coalition was the dominant, well organized group on campus in the mid 70s until tfie formation of the student political group Students for a Progressive Agenda in 1982, says ASUO Legal Services Director Karsten Rasmussen Rasmussen became in volved in student government in 1980, Photo by Shn Shmg Chen 19X6-87 ASl'O President Steve Nelson believes the role of student government is to provide assistance for both student and campus-based issues as well as educate the campus on national and international issues. ‘I’m sure the University administration could step in and run a lot of student programs better, but it seems to me we have a responsibility to provide students the kind of independence they deserve.’ — Dan Williams and held positions on the I MU Board, chaired the Incidental l ee Committee and chaired the predecessor to the Constitution Court, the Constitution Committee. I he law students had an oryani/a tional advantage in terms of starting earlier than the general student body, and with the election of four law school students to the IFC in the 1981 elec tion, the committee was veto proof, he says In addition, the Greeks had dominated student government for seven years and caused many minority student groups to feel disenfranchised, says Mary Hotchkiss, who during the J 1983 84 school year was the first SPA endorsed ASUO president Because of this and other reasons, a diverse coalition of Amazon Communi ty Tenants and representatives from the Survial Center, STARCH and the Women’s Referral and Resource Ser vice grouped together to form SPA, in part because the ITC in the 1981 82 year voted not to approve the tenants’ goal statement for the year, which bar red the group from receiving IRC funding. " I he strength < ame out of the f.u t it wasn't just one group with one interest It was a large number of groups whose interests have not been heard." (lot chkiss says l he process is more responsive now because <>f the challenges of hnv mg two parties, and by and large I think that is healthy." Rasmussei] snvs The diversity of the present stu dent government has made it subject to criticism by those who believe it wields too much [lower and should have greater administrative oversight “Some people would say that is just a typical pendulum swing back maybe this is just one more in dication of a return to a traditional stu dent life on campus." Williams says Pn/o too sees the power of student government as cyclical, but notes the pendulum of power quickly can swing 1 the other direction if an issue that af fects students directly, such as cuts in financial aid or increased student in cidental fees, take place “Things go in cycles, and I think maybe we are coming to an end of the I SPA eye U’ for right now I think politic s ore* a little* lut more* diffused lots of people* have gotten wh.it tlu*v want so they are* a little* bit more* complacent about handing it over to someone else to do And SPA has he’come.* more* mainstream,” Hotc hkiss says “Certain segments of the student population are turning to the ad ministration rather than trying to cor red the problems within their own stu dent government,” Williams says He sees the direct administration appeal as an unhealthy trend that started a few years ago "Students in general seem to want the administration back to the days when we used to do things for students rather than the students doing things for themselves, Williams says, noting as an example the call for University in tervention in the student health in surance business In addition, the feb 22. 1087, Kmerald editorial requesting the student Health Insurance Commit tee to return control of student health insurance to the University is another example Continued on Pajzc 10 University SUNNY SERVICE Foreign & Domestic Cars Specializing in Volvo and Volkswagen • Major & Minor Repairs • ASE Certified Technicians 1905 Agate St. • 344 0869 Just a few blocks from campus on the corner of Agate and 19th CONTACT LENSES. “You won’t just look better, you’ll see better.” SPRING SPECIAL A FREE contact lens consultation and $20 OFF a new fitting. 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