ASUO: Senators disagree on validity of veto
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current service level, whereas the
PFC benchmark would allow foi
new growth.
Senators passed the new bench
mark after they failed to override
the veto, voting 7-4-3, less than the
two-thirds majority of the ful] 16
members needed to supersede it.
ASUO Vice President Mena
Ravassipour said the executive ve
toed the budgets to allow more dis
cussion about “the fact that these
two (budgets) are conflicting.”
Ravassipour said the initial 5.3 per
cent increase for the ADFC might
cut the group below its current serv
ice level, while the 5.62 percent in
crease for the PFC would allow for
new growth.
Yet some senators disagreed about
the need for more funding and the
validity of the executive veto.
Senator Austin Shaw-Phillips,
who said he originally voted against
the measure, said the Senate decid
ed the benchmarks in inconsistent
ways. Shaw-Phillips said he decided
to support the 7 percent increase be
cause the tickets provided by the
ADFC are “one of the most popular
services to students.”
“I think I disagree with myself,”
Shaw-Phillips said. “I was negligent in
not keeping that in mind last week. ”
ADFC member Tobias Piering
said the committee asked for a 7
percent increase so that it would be
able to bargain with the athletic de
partment. He said the ADFC would
try to use only the 5.3 percent in
crease, but the committee is cur
rently unsure whether the depart
ment will raise ticket prices.
Senator Sol Hart said although
signs point to a ticket price increase,
it was impossible to say for certain
that an increase would occur. Hart
said a 5.3 increase seemed like a
“good-faith effort.”
Senator Emily Sousa criticized
the executive veto, saying that the
benchmarks should be decided in
dependently.
“I’m a little bit disgruntled with
the veto in general,” she said.
Senators narrowly approved the
ADFC’s 5.3 percent benchmark in
crease two weeks ago after concerns
that many tickets were going unused
by students, wasting student money.
Senator Lisa Lam said the 7 per
cent benchmark should not be de
nied because of concerns about un
used student tickets, saying that “if
there was an easy answer to it, it
would have been solved years ago.”
Senator Rodrigo Moreno-Villamar
said some people were saying the
amount of increase was not relevant
because it was “just a benchmark,”
but emphasized that the executive
wouldn’t have vetoed the bench
marks if that was the case. He said
the 5.3 percent increase was “not by
a long shot not having good faith”
in the contract.
He added that the senators
should have more information from
the athletic department before mak
ing their decision.
“How come we have to approve a
solid number for a budget that has not
provided solid numbers?” he asked.
Hart said the “doomsday scenar
ios” presented by some people who
were in favor of the 7 percent in
crease were not accurate, saying that
Athletic Director Bill Moos would not
say students could not go to games
due to lack of a good-faith effort.
Ravassipour defended the veto,
saying the executive only wanted
more discussion.
“It was by no means a force for
you guys to approve another bench
mark,” she said.
Yet Moreno-Villamar said a veto
implies force because the Senate
needs a “super majority” to override
a veto, adding that a veto is “not just
opening it up for discussion.”
The Senate also voted 11-3 to
reaffirm the original benchmark of
5.62 percent for the PFC after it
failed to override the veto 10-1-3.
Although it vetoed the original
benchmark, the executive recom
mended the same benchmark on
Tuesday, drawing criticism from
some Senators.
Hart called the veto “ridiculous,”
and said it violated the premise of
reviewing the programs’ budgets on
an individual basis.
“In my opinion, the executive has
acted very improperly,” he said.
“I’m frustrated that we have to vote
at all. Basically, you vetoed it, but
you support it.”
parkerhowell@ daily emerald. com
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IN BRIEF
Portland flag ranked
in national top ten
PORTLAND — A recent survey
ranked Portland’s city flag as the sev
enth best in the country.
The North American Vexillological
Association, which studies flags,
ranked 150 of them, and said the best
flags are simple, distinctive, use
meaningful symbolism and have no
writing or seals.
The Portland flag is an offset cross
of blue, white and gold stripes. A star
is located just left of center, and it is
all on a green background.
According to the city’s Web site,
the green symbolizes Oregon’s
forests. The intersecting vertical and
horizontal blue stripes represent the
Columbia and Willamette Rivers,
with the white star signifying Port
land at their confluence.
The yellow stripes represent the
harvest of grain because Portland is
a wheat exporter.
The city of Salem finished 51st on
the association’s list.
— The Associated Press
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