Jonathan House Emerald
ASUO Executive outsider candidates Seen Ritchie end Jason Babkes say although they have never held positions within the University’s
student government, they are qualified because of outside leadership positions they’ve each held in the past.
Ritchie
continued from page 1
ASUO president. “And I feel that
would carry on to any leadership
position we take on, especially as
vice president and president of the
student body.”
This year’s ASUO “outsiders,”
juniors Ritchie and Babkes have
never worked in University student
government, but have held other
leadership positions. Ritchie was
the student body president for
South Eugene High School and
Babkes was the managing editor of
the school newspaper.
Babkes is currently coaching three
youth soccer teams, and Ritchie
coached a junior varsity high school
basketball team last year.
What they lack in ASUO experi
ence, they make up for in leader
ship, Babkes said.
“Our opponents have a ton of ex
perience in the ASUO, I’m not go
ing to deny that,” he said. “But ...
being an executive takes leader
ship. Not necessarily knowing
where every period goes and every
semi-colon goes, (but) being able to
lead a government and being able
to work with people, and having
the personality for that.”
Senior Ben Matson said he plans
to vote Ritchie and Babkes for
ASUO Executive because he be
lieves in their motives and their
ideas for improving the University.
“They’re running for the right
reasons,” he said. “They’re not just
running to win.”
Ritchie and Babkes’ campaign
platform includes new solutions to
recurring campus issues such as
ticket allocation, housing codes
and safety.
They want athletic event tickets
available to students at times that
don’t conflict with classes so stu
dents don’t have to skip.
They also want to work on both
off-campus and on-campus hous
ing codes. One goal they have is to
change University housing con
tracts so that students living in resi
dence halls have more leasing op
tions available.
“We recognize that the adminis
tration is in a bind, and at the begin
ning of spring term no one wants to
live there anymore, but we want it
to be fair,” Babkes said.
They also plan to improve cam
pus safety by designating safe
routes through campus patrolled by
Department of Public Safety offi
cers or starting a bicycle escort serv
ice where students could call for an
escort who would ride to where
they are and walk with them to
where they needed to go.
“Safety’s a big one for me,”
Babkes said. “If people don’t feel
safe here, that’s terrible. People
should feel safer on campus than
anywhere else.”
When they’re not campaigning,
school and friends are top priorities
to Ritchie and Babkes. Ritchie, a
business and sociology major, is in
the business school honors pro
gram. Babkes, a philosophy and
business major, is a member of the
University philosophy club.
They relax by spending time
with the close-knit group of friends
they have known since high school.
“When we do something, we
have so much fun,” Babkes said.
“Like when we go out to dinner as a
group, it’s so fun, you come away
hurting, you’re laughing so hard.”
As executives, Ritchie and
Babkes said they would use their
fun-loving natures to make ASUO a
more open and welcoming place
where students would feel comfort
able coming to them with any con
cerns they might have.
“A lot of times in leadership po
sitions different groups of people or
different individuals are compro
mised (because) they’re not taken
as seriously, or their group isn’t tak
en as seriously,” Ritchie said.
“That’s not us at all.”
Babkes said the University needs
a new perspective in student gov
ernment. “We’re going to bring per
sonality to (the ASUO),” he said.
E-mail student activities editor Kara Cogswell
atkaracogswell@dailyemerald.com.
Student unions targeted in recent thefts
■DPS plans to increase
patrol around the EMU
By Danielle Gillespie
Oregon Daily Emerald
For eight weeks, student unions
in the EMU have been experiencing
thefts. On Friday, someone broke
into the MEChA office and tipped
over a shelf, and two members of the
Oregon Students of Color Coalition
had their cars egged.
“I really hope that it is not target
ed against students of color, and we
don’t want to think that it is a color
issue, but you can’t help thinking
that,” Oregon Students of Color
Coalition board member Oscar
Arana said.
In a meeting among student
union groups held in the Multicul
tural Center on Tuesday, associate
director of the Department of Pub
lic Safety Tom Hicks said no con
nection can be made between the
vandalism and the thefts at this
point and DPS has not gathered
enough information to determine
any suspects.
Since January, DPS has received
five reported incidents of theft from
student unions. Three backpacks
and two purses have been stolen
from the Multicultural Center, Jew
ish Student Union, Native Ameri
can Student Union and the MEChA
office. Each of the incidents have
occurred Monday through Friday
ranging from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Typically, contents from stolen
purses and bags have been found
near 14th Avenue between Kincaid
and Ferry streets, Hicks said.
MEChA member Candice Coots
had a pair of New Balance tennis
shoes and Nike shorts stolen from
her bag two weeks ago, but did not
report the incident to DPS.
DPS has plans to increase patrol
in the EMU student unions and
work with the Eugene Police De
partment for additional information
and leads to prevent future theft,
Hicks said.
“I would encourage student
unions to start locking their doors,”
Hicks said. “Basically, if people are
more aware of a problem, it makes it
less attractive of an area for theft; I
also suggest students report stolen
items or suspicious people, which
will make it more likely stolen prop
erty will be returned. ”
For some student union mem
bers, locking the doors is not a vi
able option.
“Locking the door defeats the
purpose of having unions,” Black
Student Union member Haben
Woldu said. “It should be an open
door policy so students feel like
they can stop in and chat. ”
Hicks also suggested students use
day lockers in the EMU to protect
bags and cables and padlocks to se
cure electronic equipment.
E-mail reporter Danielle Gillespie
atdaniellegillespie@dailyemerald.com.
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