Executive making efforts to please
ince we began our tenure in
office, we have been work
ing on the issues promised
to you last year, during our
campaign, as well as issues that
you've brought forth as students.
We have incorporated our two
campaign themes, outreach and
accountability, into everything
we've done.
We feel that, as the ASUO Exec
utive, it is our responsibility to be
accountable to students, not only
with what we spend the inciden
tal fee on, but also how the fee is
maintained and used throughout
the year. For outreach, we have re
cently created an outreach plan, in
which you will see our entire staff
tabling at different places around
campus for the rest of the term,
giving class raps or showing up to
various program's meetings to dis
tribute information. If you see us
around, please feel free to talk to
us about your issues, as we'll have
a few to share with you, too.
One of our top priorities this
year continues to be the issue of
diversity. We must not let the mo
mentum from last spring's student
protest that addressed the press
ing concerns of diversity dimin
ish. Our Executive office has
worked closely with students,
other ASUO programs, faculty,
staff and administrators to imple
ment many of the recommenda
tions of the Summer Diversity In
tern positions, which were formed
as a result of the spring protest.
For instance, we worked closely
with the Multicultural Center on
their successful proposal for a di
rector. We have supported the
push for a Diversity Institute to
help train facilitators to open up
dialogues; we led the search for
the new Diversity Coordinator po
sition, planned the fifth annual
Weaving New Beginnings Recep
tion and worked with the Office of
Student Academic Affairs on a
calling project to outreach to high
school students of color. We antic
Commentary
Wylie Chen
Mitra Anoushiravani
pate furthering our efforts and
support for the remainder of our
time in office.
Aside from the ongoing efforts
of the diversity initiatives, we also
have two major campaigns
planned for this term. The first
campaign is a renters' rights cam
paign working in coalition with
other student groups, like OS
PIRG. We're working to create a
housing code, which currently
does not exist, for Eugene to pro
tect students and community
members from harmful and poten
tially dangerous living environ
ments.
Our second campaign is Access
2000. In conjunction with USSA
we are seeking to increase federal
financial aid by increasing the Pell
Grant allotment by $400, and in
creasing aid to student parents
and grad students.
We are also working on anti
hate crime legislation. The USSA
Legislative Conference is ap
proaching, and we are currently
accepting applications for anyone
who would like to attend.
With elections upon us, our
elections board is ready to go, en
thusiastically waiting for candi
dates to file. There are a myriad of
seats available, and we encourage
anybody and everybody to inquire
in our office about running for po
sitions for the 2000-2001 year. The
deadline for filing is this Friday,
January 28th.
The ASUO Executive is com
mitted to our main campaigns, but
also to other campaigns being
planned and researched: getting
American Sign Language as a sec
ond language, creating a better
and more efficient student profes
sor evaluation system, increasing
student voter registration, protect
ing students through education
about credit issues, building a per
manent student/EPD relations
committee, working to empower
RHA within the housing commu
nity, working with other student
groups to create increase volun
teerism and create a social action
center, increaseing campus light
ing and helping to maintain inter
national students' tech-fee.
Aside from the current cam
paigns and projects, we have also
had victories for students during
this past summer and fall terms.
Through OSA, we helped keep
students on the Oregon Health
plan, when the legislature threat
ened to cut them this summer. In
student leadership development,
we have had several opportunities
to outreach to students. We first
recruited students to attend the
Northwest Student Leadership
Conference, at which students
from all over the Northwest gath
ered to network about student ac
tivism. We also brought a USSA
sponsored Grassroots Organizing
Workshop (GROW) about affirma
tive action to our campus. We
worked extensively around Hal
loween, building coalitions, plan
ning events, and creating a "Know
Your Rights" campaign that can
vassed university-area tenants.
We have supported the creation of
the Student Parent's Association,
and brought child-care subsidy
into our office.
With a little over four months
left in our tenure, we look forward
to advocating for students with
the remainder of our time in the
ASUO. As your representatives,
our office is truly your office, and
we encourage you to use it as
such. As always, we will listen to
anything you bring to our desks,
as we appreciate all of the feed
back and ideas we receive.
Wylie Chen is the ASUO president. Mitra
Anoushiravani is the ASUO vice presi
dent. Their views don’t necessarily rep
resent those of the paper.
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