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