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
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