Leadership, activism not mutually exclusive
(From left to right) Randy Newnham of the Survival Center, former ASUO Vice President
Mitra Anoushiravani, and ASUO President Jay Breslow lock arms and show their soli
darity in support of WRC membership last spring.
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■ Mudent leaders adamantly encourage participation and
hope for a large voter turnout at upcoming November election
By Jeremy Lang
Oregon Daily Emerald
ASUO President Jay Breslow
doesn’t see a difference between
his roles as a student leader and as
a student activist.
“Student leaders are student ac
tivists, and those who don’t be
lieve it shouldn’t be student lead
ers,” he said.
Despite Breslow’s personal con
victions, this year’s Executive staff
is being forced to decide where the
distinction must be made, with
both its ideology and monetary
funds. Only days after classes have
begun, staff members are defining
exactly what the ASUO is and
how it will fit on campus this year.
A handful of this year’s student
leaders spent last year fighting for
causes through the Survival Cen
ter, an umbrella group based out of
the EMU that includes the Human
Rights Alliance and the OSPIRG
offices.
Others, including Breslow and
ASUO Vice President Holly Magn
er, were involved in last spring’s
student protest for University
membership in the Worker Rights
Consortium.
Now elected, some activists say
they won’t need to draw a line be
tween the two. Others plan, in the
meantime, to quell how much
their opinions enter the office du
ties. But all agree their new posi
tions this year will not dampen
their spirit of activism as a whole.
University Affairs Coordinator
Chad Sullivan was heavily in
volved with the WRC issue last
year. He said he was constantly
frustrated by the number of people
who didn’t have all the informa
tion about the organizations work
ing to improve labor conditions.
He believes that, for now, the
best thing he can do with his
ASUO position is to be an educa
tor on the issue.
“When people become aware of
the issue, the choice is obvious,”
he said.
The Executive has already en
countered one major distinction
during its voter registration cam
paign. Despite directly affecting
higher education and funding, it
can’t take a specific stance on any
political issues, including the Ore
gon ballot measures.
But Breslow said it isn’t hard to
figure out what he and his staff
think about, the issues, even when
they speak simply to encourage
{ C Student leaders are
student activists, and
those who don’t believe it
shouldn’t be student
leaders.
Jay Breslow
ASUO President
students to vote.
“People elected us to these posi
tions because we have opinions,”
he said.
As the Executive continues to
stress how the ballot measures can
affect students, the underlying
message, including staff members’
opinions on the negative affects of
the measures, is hard to avoid.
“We’ll do it within the rules of
the administration and the
ASUO,” Breslow said of the voter
education and registration cam
paign. “But we won’t shy away
from confrontation.”
As she stood on the corner urg
ing passing students to register for
the November election, Legislative
Coordinator Melissa Unger said
she, like Breslow, sees a direct
connection between student gov
ernment and student activism.
Unger, who worked for OSPIRG
last year, said she thinks her
ASUO position is the perfect vehi
cle for student activism because of
the clout that comes with her title,
especially with the administration.
“We have to be listened to,” she
said. “We can get a lot done.”
Breslow said he thinks the pri
mary job of the ASUO is to edu
cate students and to advocate for
them. But, eventually, advocating
has to involve taking a position on
what will benefit students the
most and deciding the best way to
take action.
“While I deal with politics, I
don’t consider myself a politician.
It’s a really sticky situation,” he
said.
Unger agreed and said she even
considers the ASUO an activist
group advocating for students
based on their voice in the ASUO
elections. She acknowledged that
turnout for ballot measures con
cerning the WRC, Designated Dri
ver Shuttle and other groups is
low, but thinks the Executive is
doing what the campus popula
tion wants it to do.
“The elections are all we have to
gauge the student voice,” Unger
said.
Breslow agreed that those who
remained silent last year need to
vote in their campus, local and na
tional elections if they want their
voice to be heard.
Or better yet, Breslow suggested,
run for office.
“I didn’t get elected because I’m
middle of the road,” Breslow said.
Joe Sperm swims through Eugene
■ Planned Parenthood began a daring new campaign at the
Eugene Celebration parade in an attempt to raise eyebrows
and awareness about its free testing program
By Lindsay Buchele
For the Emerald
Joe Sperm made his public de
but alongside a giant egg and con
doms during the Eugene Celebra
tion parade held on Saturday,
Sept. 16. His purpose is not only to
make Eugene residents laugh, but
also to launch the new “Joe
Sperm” campaign, said Diane
Duke, Planned Parenthood’s asso
ciate executive director.
Planned Parenthood hopes to
use Joe Sperm in order to increase
awareness about its Family Plan
ning Expansion Project (FPEP),
which will enable Eugene resi
dents to receive free contraceptives
and Sexually Transmitted Infec
tion (STI) testing as long as they
meet certain criteria.
“Joe is there for two things,”
Duke said. “The first is to get atten
tion for Planned Parenthood and
the second is because of a five-year
grant we received because of a
Medicaid waiver.”
The waiver has enabled Planned
Parenthood to start FPEP, which
provides free contraceptives and
STI testing for those who make
less then $1,288 a month, Duke
said.
The Eugene branch derived the
idea to use Joe from another
Planned Parenthood in Spokane,
Washington. Spokane was using
the sunglasses-clad mascot on bill
board^, and found it successfully
drew community members to the
organization.
“They [Spokane Planned Parent
hood] won an award for the ad
campaign using Joe and were will
ing to share it with us,” Duke said.
“The parade was just the begin
ning.”
Renee DeLaurentis decided Joe
Sperm needed to be the focus of
the Planned Parenthood float in
this year’s Celebration parade.
Duke’s son, Jason Thelen, played
the giant sperm and was accompa
nied by a giant egg, condoms, pills,
diaphragms and little sperm
“swimming” behind the float.
“I felt Joe was ‘uniquely Eugene,’
and a good idea for the float. [Ja
son] was a perfect candidate to
play Joe. He was enthusiastic, dra
matic, even theatrical,” DeLauren
tis said.
As for fear of the crowd’s re
sponse to such a sexually-oriented
float, DeLaurentis wasn’t worried.
In fact, the float received a great re
sponse.
“We received applause and a
standing ovation,” DeLaurentis
said. In fact, the overall response to
the Joe Sperm campaign has been
positive, Duke said. Since the pa
rade, Joe has appeared in adver
tisements featured in the Oregon
Daily Emerald, The Register-Guard
and on the sides of Lane Transit
District buses.
The few who object to the cam
paign argue that Joe is inappropri
ate for children to see, but Duke
disagrees.
“We believe Joe opens up the
line of communication between
children and parents about sex,”
she said. Although this is not the
point of the campaign, Duke sees it
as an added bonus. Planned Par
enthood also provides books and
newsletters geared toward helping
parents talk to their children about
sex.
Response to FPEP, thanks to Joe,
has also been encouraging. Ac
cording to Dr. Daralyn DeHaven
Murdoch, a doctor at the Student
Health Center, as of July 3 there
have been over 575 applications
filed by students wanting to use
FPEP. In order for a student to be
eligible for FPEP, he or she must
meet criteria that includes being a
legal Oregon resident, being able to
use the health center and having a
gross monthly income of less than
$1,288. Those who do qualify can
receive a free pelvic exam, STI
testing and contraceptives but can
not receive treatment or medica
tions related to STIs found.
Joe has gotten the word out to
Eugene residents that reproductive
health care is available, Duke said.
“This campaign is geared to
ward anyone who is sexually ac
tive, including students,”. Duke
said. “We just want to help with
the reduction of unwanted preg
nancy and STIs.” For more infor
mation, contact Duke at 342-6042
or visit Planned Parenthood at
1670 High St. “Joe Sperm” T-shirts
are also available.