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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2004)
EDITOR'S NOTE The Emerald's 2004 ASUO elec tions coverage will run on the back page of today's, Wednesday's and Thursday's papers. Because the ASUO Elections Board did not release its candidate list until March 31 at 6 p.m., the Emerald had no choice but to trun cate its coverage in order to inform readers before the primary election, which takes place April 12 through April 14. Therefore, only interviews from candidates for ASUO Executive and the ASUO Programs Fi nance Committee will be published prior to the primary election. Adrian T. Gilmore wants to give students a greater voice in ASUO Adrian T. Gilmore, a 2nd year law student, is running for ASUO president. Emerald: Quickly summarize your priorities. Gilmore: My number one priori ty is to ensure all students are repre sented, because I don't believe right now that that's being done. Emerald: Mow will you succeed in keeping your campaign promises where other administrations have failed? Gilmore: One, I won't promise anything that I can't deliver, and two, attention to detail. I would say the current (ASUO Executive), and maybe execs in the past, have not done their homework, haven't paid attention to everything they need to do and the/re not thinking ahead. And I think, as an executive, you have to understand the past, the present and the future. Adrian T.Gilmore Emerald: How will you maintain an open government that keeps stu dents informed about the ASUO and allows adequate media access? Gilmore: The first thing is that I want to make the office an open space because 1 feel like if people have an issue with one group or some thing like that, and the exec happens to be the representative for that group, they feel like their concerns won't be voiced. Or people let petty things close the office... where there are disagreements going on over this and that, and I feel that that has no place in student government. 1 want to let everyone know that I'm open to everybody and that regardless of what your views are, you're welcome to come into the office and talk to any of the staff members or anyone else to get what you feel student govern ment should be doing across, be cause that's what it's for. Emerald: What's your fiscal phi losophy in regard to the student in cidental fee? Gilmore: 1 think it's something that students should be allowed to use for the program they're doing. And if you can give groups more, then sure, but if you can't, then you don't Given the troubles that the uni versity system is in right now and tu ition probably going up, people are going to be looking to cut things, and in the next couple years I honestly feel that the student incidental fee is go ing to be a target, so we're going to have to protect it and follow all the rules and procedures for giving it out so that no one can question that there's any misappropriation. 1 think my policy is ... a fairness policy to treat all groups the same. Emerald: What's your favorite re ality television show, and how does it relate to your campaign? Gilmore: I would say "The Ap prentice," because it's just being qualified, hardworking and seeing the big picture, because when they all go into the boardroom and the/re sitting there, they have some one successful that's judging them. Donald Trump doesn't care whether they're white, black, female, male — it's about who's producing and who's getting the job done, and then excuses don't fly. — Jennifer Marie Bear Khanh Le says he brings experience to the PFC budget process Khanh Le, a sophomore political science and ethnic studies major, is running for Programs Fi nance Senator, Seat 2. Emerald: Quickly summarize your priorities. Le: I just kind of feel like it's important to rep - resent different programs in (the ASUO Pro grams Finance Committee). By having experi ence in programs (and residence halls) will allow me to see where the program is coming from and how they feel and when issues arise. Compared to other people who've never been involved with a program, even people on PFC don't even go to an event and don't understand what you are do ing, it kind of makes it difficult. My campaign is coming from a program's perspective. Just having two points of view and seeing this is where they're coming from. Emerald: What's your fiscal philosophy in re gard to the incidental fee? Le: For me, not just incidental fees, but mon ey-wise, nowadays tuition is increasing. Under stand that when the tuition increases it costs the students a lot of money in general. I want to at least enhance the programming and retain all of the programs and services that the University has ... but at the same time make sure that we don't make students pay so much that it'll cost so much that it'll make it harder for students to go to school. Because right now (I think incidental fees per term are) about $500 and tuition is in creasing 12 percent next year. Kharth Le Emerald: Where do you stand on spending money for off-campus purposes, such as the United States Student Association, the Oregon Student Association and OSPIRG? Le: For me, * personally, according to the (Southworth case) it's legal as long as their mission is similar to the University's mission. For me, as a PFC member, 1 have to be objective and say, 'Well, it's similar to the University and bene fits students,' so I have to be objective in terms of determining whether they get money or not. Emerald: How will you work to ensure a view point-neutral PFC process? Le: I think the biggest thing is looking at the budget. If they didn't spend something, the PFC which can determine that we can't give them ex tra money, we can at least reduce some money, but at the same time help students to spend money. But pretty much focus on the number and the accurate account, how much did they spend money or not. Emerald: What's your favorite reality television show, and how does it relate to your campaign? Le: 1 would say, I think "Survivor" is one of those, not just "Survivor," one of those like ... drama shows, because in the student govern ment, you're trying to survive — the commit ment — but at the same time the academics, but there's so much drama at the same time. That's why I help the students, to make sure that stu dent government runs more smoothly compared to nowadays. — Jared Paben NEWS BRIEF Three candidates for ASUO drop out before primary Three candidates for ASUO offices have dropped out of the race with just six days left until the primary election: Kristen Clardy, who was running for ASUO Programs Fi nance Senate Seat 1 with a one-year term; Guru Simrat Khalsa, who was running for ASUO Student Senate Seat 10; and Eric T. Spooner, who was running for a two-year term on the Associated Students Presidential Advisory Council. Now those races each have one unopposed candi date. Students can leam more about the ASUO elections and the people run ning for office at the candidate fair on Monday from 11 a m. to 3 p.m. on the lawn between Condon Hall and Chapman Hall. There will also be a debate for ASUO Executive can didates on April 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the EMU Fir Room. The primary election will take place April 12 through April 14, and the general election will run from April 16 through April 19. — Jennifer Marie Bear Koushi Sunder stresses equality for student groups in the PFC process Koushi Sunder, a sophomore finance and eco nomics major, is running for Programs Finance Sena tor, Seat 2. Emerald: Quickly summarize your priorities. Sunder My ultimate priority is fair ness for all that bring a budget in front of us. I feel that the UO is a second home for all students here and that it is important to find programs that will... help the majority of students, like the Lane Transit District, the Emerald — but then there are also students here ... who want special ized programs, such as the Hawaii Club and the Jewish club and things like that, and I guess my biggest prior ity is to give all programs that are pro posed in front of us equal treatment. I am a student and I know what it's like to look at your bills from the UO and not know what half the fees go to, and a big thing on my agenda is to make sure everyone does know what their money is going toward because that is really important. Everyone works hard for their money. Emerald: What’s your fiscal philosophy in regard to the incidental fee? Sunder: 1 believe mainly that we will not have a negative budget, or a budget deficit, and that the inci dental fee will be allocated where all students can see directly where their money is going so no one is like, "What is this fee?" People will know exactly where it is. You know, like every time they call DDS or (Assault Prevention Shuttle) they know that that is what their fees are going for. Emerald: Where do you stand on incidental fee money for off-campus purposes, such as the United States Student Association, the Oregon Student Associ ation and OSPIRG? Sunder: I guess you'd have to look at how it would impart the students' lives. If they are programs that students feel is something that they need or that affects them great ly, then whether they are off cam pus or on campus, they should be sponsored. But if the students feel that no, their campus budget is not affected at all by these programs, or very minimally, then that should be taken into accordance Emerald: How will you work to ensure a viewpoint-neutral PFC process? Sunder: I think that a big thing I have in my favor right now is that I have not been previously associat ed with the ASUO — this would be my first year with them. I think that alone gives me a very viewpoint nuetral standpoint. Emerald: What's your favorite reality television show, and how does it relate to your campaign? Sunder: In all honesty, I don't even like reality TV shows. Oh, I did watch "American Idol," the first one. I can't say that it relates to the campaign at all. May the most talented win? — Parker Howell Koushi Sunder mm.. Tyler Graf is running on a pants-optional platform Tyler Graf, a senior journalism major, is running for ASUO president. Emerald: Quickly summarize your priori ties. Graf: My priorities. Well, I'm running on a pants-optional platform. I don't know if you knew this, but here in Eugene, everybody can go around shirtless — even women — al though people must keep their pants on, and I feel like that's an oppressive rule because pants — they get in the way of just about everything. I think that we could create more openness at this university if people didn't have to constrain their junk, pretty much. I'm not saying that people should go around flashing their junk at every opportunity, but I think that there are benefits to — or there would be benefits — to allowing someone like myself to, you know, have his junk show ing, swaying in the wind, if you will, like a majestic sausage. Emerald: How will you succeed in keeping your campaign promises where other admin istrations have failed? Graf: Well, that's easy. I have one campaign promise. I think that people should be pants less — if they want to. I'm not going to say that people have to be pantsless. It's really their choice. I'm all about options. And this is just another option. Tyler Graf Emerald: How will you maintain an open government that keeps students informed about the ASUO and allows adequate media access? Graf: Well, I think there's been a big prob lem this year with media access within the ASUO. I don't think there needs to be a PR representative with as much power as (ASUO spokeswoman) Taraneh Foster. I would like to access the media a little bit more. I think that could engender a little bit more open ness and a little bit more trust. The Executive is there to serve the student body, and if they have initiatives that they want to follow through with, then they should be able to ar ticulate why they want those initiatives to be passed. Emerald: What s your fiscal philosophy in regard to the incidental fee? Graf: My fiscal philosophy is that the inci dental fee has ballooned out of proportion over the years. OSPIRG doesn't need to be funded. The OSA doesn't need to receive the funding it receives. There are plenty of stu dent organizations that are not very fiscally responsible, and 1 see that as a huge problem because if there are candidates running on like a fiscal platform — lowering tuition costs — I think that they are kind of missing the point. I find it a little hypocritical to run on a fiscal platform while focusing solely on tu ition costs because the ASUO can't do any thing about tuition costs, but they can do a lot about incidental fee costs, and they affect students just as much as tuition. Emerald: What's your favorite reality tele vision show, and how does it relate to your campaign? Graf: My favorite reality television show is called "Pants Optional Island." And it's about a group of people who — they are flown to an island — have to go around pantsless. They have to cavort around and do little games. They have to eat things off of each other's loins. It's a crazy show. It doesn't really exist yet in this country — it's German. It relates to my campaign because I'm all about freedom, and that's what that show is about. —Jennifer Sudick
