ASPAC advises Frohnmayer, student groups
Six seek the two positions
on the Associated Students
Presidential Advisory Council,
which looks at student issues
Ayisha Yahya
Freelance Editor
The Associated Students Presi
dential Advisory Council positions
are highly contested this year, with
six candidates vying for two seats.
ASPAC is a 16-member committee
that advises University President
Dave Frohnmayer on issues con
cerning students. Candidates are
elected for a two-year term and work
in collaboration with Frohnmayer,
other ASUO representatives and
members from various campus
groups and publications.
Apart from general questions,
candidates were asked two specific
questions: What does their com
mittee do and why is it important,
and what are the most important
issues affecting the students they
hope to represent?
Richie Carpenter is a sophomore
majoring in biochemistry. He is the
coordinator of the Running Club and
a member of the Student Govern
ment Chemistry Club. He said he
has been interested in leadership
since high school and that student
leadership is important to the func
tioning of the University because
they make students feel they can
make a contribution.
Q; What does ASPAC do and why
is it important?
Carpenter: You meet with the
president, and you talk about con
temporary student issues. I know
when I go to class, the president
doesn’t sit down next to me and un
derstand the circumstances that I’m
going through, and so on this scale,
he can have committee members
explain what the students want and
what he can do to accommodate
those things.
Q: What are the most important
issues affecting students you hope to
represent?
Carpenter: I think it’s increasing
ly important to expand diversity at
the University. I think that should be
something that should always be
emphasized. That should be the goal
of a university, to represent the
world in a smaller setting. Not to
make, like, a big deal about having
diversity, but I think it’s something
that people need to understand and
I r
feel within them in order to be pro
ductive members of society.
Alexander Gonzalez is a sopho
more majoring in sociology and eth
nic studies. Gonzalez said he is in
volved with the campus activist
group Students for Peace and has
also worked with the Multicultural
Center and community groups. He
said he is running for the position
because he is an informed student
with knowledge of different view
points.
Q: What does ASPAC do and why
is it important?
Gonzalez: It provides a student
voice to the administration. The ad
ministration is somewhat separate
from the University as a whole, and
ASPAC is sort of a check to the ad
ministration
and also they
are a bridge
from students
and the admin
istration.
Q: What are
the most im
portant issues
affecting stu
dents you hope
to represent?
Gonzalez:
Tuition, diversi
ty building, stu
dents’ rights
and accounta
bility. I mean, I
think education
is by far the
most impor
tant. It can
move you up
economically to
the next level,
and if tuition
goes up there
will be a certain majority that won’t
be able to afford college. The Univer
sity doesn’t provide night classes, so
it’s not like they can work during the
day and then go to class at night.
And that group is the one who really
wants to be in school because they
are working for it, too — working
one job or two jobs to make it.
Freshman Nick Hudson, a political
science major, is on ASUO’s legisla
tive team and the Student Conduct
Code committee. He is also the Resi
dent Hall Association marketing and
outreach chair and Barnhart/Riley
complex president. He said he wants
to be able to advise the president on
issues such as affordability of educa
Carpenter
Gonzalez
tion, recruitment and retention of
minority students, and building
community ties.
Q: What does ASPAG do and why
is it important?
Hudson: It’s an 11-member com
mittee that advises the president. It’s
not just one idea — it gives him
everything, and it does talk about re
cruitment and things that just face
students on a daily basis.
Q: What are the most important
issues affecting students you hope to
represent?
Hudson: One is definitely afford
ability. I am an out-of-state student,
and I pay 830,000 a year to go here.
Not everyone comes from a wealthy,
upper-class family, and so that needs
to be at the forefront — getting the
administration
to realize that
affordability is a
big issue and
they need to
address it. (An
other issue is)
recruitment
and retention of
minority stu
dents. I think
we have 13 per
cent minority
students. Of
that 13 percent,
7.5 percent of them are international
students. That gives us 5.5 percent
minority students. That’s really bad
for a school this size.
Sarah Koski is also a sophomore
and is majoring in political science
and international studies. She is in
the Robert D. Clark Honors College
and is a presidential scholar. She is
also the vice president of the Presi
dential Scholars Student Association
and a member of the College Democ
rats. Koski said she is running be
cause she has an “eclectic view
point” of the University and
represents the interests of many stu
dent groups.
Q: What does ASPAC do and why
is it important?
Koski: It’s a committee to talk di
rectly to the president — and that is
going straight to the source. So if stu
dents have any concerns or any
needs, working with Frohnmayer is
the one way to get those needs
solved and resolved.
Q: What do you think are the
most important issues affecting stu
dents that you’re going to represent?
Koski: I think safety on campus. I
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think quality of life in the residence
halls, and I think just basically inter
actions between student groups. I
think student groups are in their
own course, and I think there needs
to be more communication between
everybody.
Tucker Staley is a sophomore ma
joring in political science. He said he
is currently not involved with any
other activities or groups on campus.
Staley said he is running for ASPAC
because it would put him in a posi
tion where he can get involved and
bring about changes.
Q: What does ASPAC do and why
is it important?
Staley: Basically, we just meet
with the president twice a term and
discuss things that might be affecting
the student
community. I
think it’s impor
tant because
with a large
university like
this, you kind
of lose sight of
what the stu
dents are feel
ing. I thinks it’s
important that
the faculty and
the administra
tors understand
what we’re feel
ing, for the
most part. This
is a good way to
get one-on-one
action, so the
administration
isn’t a far-off
body, looming
over everybody.
Q: What
would you say
are some of the most important is
sues affecting students you hope
to represent?
Staley: Well, right now, this whole
war thing that’s going on is definitely
up there. Also, the increase in tu
ition. The loans are not enough any
Staley
more; the price of education is ris
ing. I’d also say the housing situation
in nearby campus and all that stuff.
A bunch of the communities around
campus, you know the main college
communities, aren’t really the great
est kept-up places.
David Willey is a sophomore and
an undeclared major. He is also a
member of the University crew
team. Willey said he is running for
the position in order to be Frohn
mayer’s “eyes and ears” on issues af
fecting students, and he thinks he
can make a difference by making the
president aware about what is going
on in the student population.
Q: What does ASPAG do and why
is it important?
Willey: Basically, we just get to
gether with the
president twice
a term and just
advise him on
anything that
he’d have ques
tions about or
anything that
we think that is
important we
can bring up.
He’s a busy
man, and he
can’t always go
out and see what’s going on with the
students.
Q: What are the most important
issues affecting the students you
hope to represent?
Willey: Well there is obviously the
issue of, you know, the University’s
stance on the war on Iraq, alcohol
and drug policies, as well as theft on
campus, just bicycle crimes, or theft
involving bicycles and so on. I just
think that they’re important, and
everyone has an opinion on these,
and I think that it’s important that
the president realizes that student
opinions are important and should
n’t be overlooked.
Contact the freelance editor
at ayishayahya@dailyemerald.com.
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