New Blog!
So…this blog doesn’t exist anymore.
Sorry, everyone. If you haven’t realized yet, I’ve moved over to Tumblr. I keep this blog around and still link to it because it gives you a picture of my writing and interests, but I’m no longer in journalism, so I lost interest in this type of blogging.
So if you want to keep up with my thoughts (now focused on packaging design, interiors, marketing, and personal activities), head over to Kaleido. Hope to see you there!
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DisOrient, the Northwest’s only Asian American film festival, takes over Eugene.
From April 23rd to the 25th, the Bijou Art Cinemas will be showcasing independent films from Asian American directors all over the country. This year marks the program’s fifth anniversary, thanks to the support of many sponsors and Eugene’s Chinese American Benevolent Association, a non-profit cultural arts organization. Through the wonders of what one can do with a camera, DisOrient attempts to destroy media-enforced stereotypes of the Asian American community. I was lucky enough to preview some of the films and interview the directors for Ethos Magazine. Tickets for tonight’s opening film and reception have closed online, but you can still purchase them for $8 at the door. Saturday and Sunday’s programs are still open. For the full schedule of films and shorts, head over here (PDF).
Since I ran out of word count space on Ethos, I’m posting my two other interviews here. This is less of a preview, more of a peek into the filmmaking process. Hope you enjoy it. PLEASE give me feedback because this is my first attempt at entertainment writing, so I’d love tips on what I need to improve. Much appreciated! Thanks to Laura Fong, DisOrient’s publicity chair, for her assistance and all of the directors for speaking with me!
Mr. Sadman – Friday, 7:00PM – 85 min. (dir. Patrick Epino)
Mounir, a Saddam Hussein body double, finds fame in Hollywood
Charmaine Ng: What inspired you to make Mr. Sadman?
Patrick Epino: I came up with it back in ’03 when I still lived in San Francisco. I was just trying to tell a story about American society and what it’s like to be American. How a lot of times you kind of create meaning in the world is based on all these little artifacts in daily life and trying to put together a sense of self. We all have these various religions and philosophies that get them through days and, if that disappears, what are you kinda left with in today’s world? In the movie, he’s supposed to be this character who people adore him who he’s supposed to be, who he’s supposed to look like. And when he finds out that the guy is a terrible person, all that’s taken away, so he doesn’t know what else to do.
CN: This is your first feature film. How did you get into filmmaking?
PE: When I was in high school, I really liked movies, but I was just trying to be a teenager, so I didn’t really do anything. But then I went to college in Chicago, and they didn’t really have a film program, so I went off to Santa Cruz, and I just got into film again there. I’ve done shorts, but this is like the first film that’s really been anywhere.
CN: And what are you working on right now, if anything? Future plans?
PE: I’m writing a few things, and hustling a film takes a lot of time beyond regular life. There’s a couple of things that I’ve written that I’m working on moving forward. Like every week, I try to shoot something.
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Ajumma! Are You Krazy??? – Sunday, 12 – 2PM (shorts program) – 26 mins. (dir. Brent Anbe)
Wouldn't you go wild for Michael Park?
Korean soap operas exist solely to send women into a frenzy. It’s common knowledge. Ajuma! Are You Krazy??? director Brent Anbe has seen his former co-workers, aunts, sister, and his own mom get sucked into the craze. “I thought middle-aged women elbowing each other to get to a 20-year-old guy was a comedy that was writing itself,” Anbe jokes. He attributes the appeal of Kdramas in Hawaii to increased accessibility since some of the Korean channels subtitle their shows in English. Plus, “unlike American soap operas, there is a definite ending, so stories are planned out and not dragged out for years and years and plots repeated. But number one is hot guys definitely, hence my poster. And yes, those are his real abs.”
After earning a degree in communications at the University of Hawaii and working in the state’s film office for four-and-a-half years, Anbe was ready to write and direct his first project. He found himself in good hands. “In Hawaii, family and aloha are number one, and that extends to the Hawaii film community. Our film itself was crewed by diff. film professionals that I befriended over the past 10 years. They all came to Ajumma! for the love of filmmaking as well as the script/idea.”
Ajumma!‘s wild, unrestricted antics may continue in a sequel or be developed into a feature-length film.
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Tags: APIA, disorient 2010, event, film, preview, video, youtube
What Makes a Campaign Effective?
Milk seduces UK citizens through dance and ‘staches
Scrolling through my Google Reader, I came across photoblog Fresh Eyes On London‘s recent headline: “Sexy Cows”…what?
On Monday, a herd of people decked out in cow costumes danced suggestively at King’s Cross station, kicking off the “Make Mine Milk” campaign. Funded by UK’s Milk Marketing Forum to promote the health benefits of low-fat milk, their website is both educational and sharing-focused. The best way to get a message out there is by using visitors’ own networks, and they make it incredibly easy. You can literally drag sections and information from the site “onto” Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo! Updates, and e-mail. I’ve never seen that done before. You can even chat with your friends from different instant messaging clients located on a bottom sidebar.
Your 'stached blogger
Of course, in order for these functions to work, the site must provide visitors with something worthwhile to post. What better way than to engage the inner camerawhore? The milkstache has been used by the “got milk?” campaign for years, but it’s still super fun to do it yourself. After taking a photo with your webcam, you pick your milkstache style, and then you can adjust the size, swivel it around, or rotate it. They also have a personality quiz. Apparently, I’m chocolate milk, “the rarest of all personality types…It’s important to stay grounded.” I love it! It’s just all so silly and fun, but for a great cause. Obviously, with broken links and a bare-bones nutritional info page, the site still needs some work. Good start though. I still despise milk, but it certainly caught my attention. So my question for you is…
Do flash mob dances promote activism?
The one embedded above could’ve been more successful. From the looks of the video, it didn’t catch many people’s attention. They should’ve it done it during rush hour, whenever that is for the British. They also should’ve engaged the crowd more. I know they’re cows, but still…
Watching and performing flash mob dances excites me, but I’m not sure if they ever have an impact on the audience. Recently, Campus Change Coalition received some taunts from opposing slates about our dance during the primaries.
Kelsey Jarone, who ran for Programs Finance Committee (Senate seat 1), posted this letter to the Oregon Daily Emerald on her Facebook:
…Two recent LTEs have mentioned the dance as a silly way to attract attention to the votes and have cited it as evidence that ASUO elections are, in fact, a “joke”.
Friends, (I understand the way I begin this sentence makes me sound like a douche), I implore you. The 3C: Campus Change Coalition campaign was fueled by passionate, driven, and hardworking people that also enjoyed having a good time together. We believe in what we created together, as a family, and the dance was a way for us to have fun during elections and remember the reason we were running this mad dash in the first place: each other. Students, who care about students, fighting for an inclusive student government.
The 3C Dance will be remembered in my mind as a rad event that brought us closer together as a campaign and put smiles on students’ faces as they strolled to class. And every time I hear the dance mentioned, positively or negatively, I will smile and remember how much it meant to take a break from the stress, run outside with my friends, and dance.
What do you guys think? Sure, flash mob dances are entertaining, but can we measure their effectiveness? Also, feel free to post your milkstache photo and personality type. I want to see what you guys come up with!
P.S. If you haven’t seen the PowerShift Sydney dance, check it out NOW. I’s just…wow. Whatever your feelings about the environment, these guys get an A+ for enthusiasm and nailing their moves. Over 50,000 views too!
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Tags: ad, ASUO, awareness, elections, make mine milk, social media, video, youtube
And the results are in…
Rousseau and Arora celebrate after their win.
Next year’s ASUO will be headed by Amelie Rousseau and Maneesh Arora, who ran independent of a slate. (Yes, I realize that I keep leaving the accent off Amelie’s name. This is a blog. Give me a break.) They won by 330 votes, 2,082 to 1,752. Reality Check’s candidates won the remaining Senate seats, leaving Campus Change Coalition in the dust. However, Rousseau and Arora still have their executive staff positions to fill and committee seats to appoint, so hopefully, the many freshmen and sophomores involved in the other campaigns will get another chance. I’ve spoken with many of Reality Check’s candidates, and while they’re not all conservative – as they’ve been made out to be – it would still help to include players of other backgrounds, ideologies, and strengths.
For the statistics of the general elections, click here (PDF).
Now why don’t we make that ASUO/campaign reform happen?
Lucas McAdams, former VP candidate with Change & Leadership
This is something I’ve always groaned about, but never really thought through. Now that I’ve emerged from the campaign process, however, I see many institutional holes that need to be fixed. Coincidentally, Lucas McAdams, who ran for vice president with Cassi Gritzmacher on the Change & Leadership slate, posted a guest commentary on the same subject in The Daily Emerald today. The version I am posting is edited for length.
Students…have no idea what the ASUO does. Obviously, this is the fault of those who are elected. Their outreach lasts for two weeks, and once they have our votes they give up their effort to talk to us.
I see two specific ways in which the campaign process can be improved. First, I would do away with the formation of slates among candidates. Removing slates would force individual candidates to make a case for themselves on why they should be elected. My thoughts here stray to this year’s election for Senate Seat 19, the journalism seat, which was won by Reality Check candidate Grace Hochstatter — a freshman, who has yet to gain entry as a full journalism major. What’s more, she spelled “bridge” wrong on [her] posters. Now, in my opinion, that’s a joke. Without the umbrella of Reality Check, the race would have been decided much more legitimately.
Secondly, online campaigning should be opened up weeks before the primary elections begin. This would offer candidates a chance to get an actual message out to voters, instead of just a T-shirt or a color. It would create an opportunity for candidates to actually debate issues and for voters to be an integral part of the discussion. Further, it would allow people to see that the ASUO is important…
I never comment on articles (I know, hypocritical, right?), but I’m reposting mine because it says everything that I want this post to.
I haven’t had the chance to meet Grace, so I won’t comment on her qualifications. I do abhor typos and have some issues with a freshman thinking she can represent a school she has not had much time to be a part of, but this is – again – ageism, like Evan [the first commenter] pointed out. Some freshmen are indeed involved in their department right from the get go, and the fact that she thinks she can represent us for at least an entire year demonstrates her dedication to the major.
Besides that, I completely agree with the rest of your commentary. I think these are fantastic ideas that exec should take into consideration. In fact, they really should create an open forum about the campaign process, because I’m sure you and I are not alone in feeling that it needs improvement. I recognize the value in slates, but it makes many voters vote blindly, not for the individual. That’s great for the individual, and a slate should have a qualified candidate for a seat anyway – but if a person really is not that strong, well then, that doesn’t go over so well for the people he or she is meant to represent.
But let’s be realistic. I don’t know if slates will ever, or should, go away. They do make a lot of sense in terms of rallying a group of like-minded people around a set of goals, and most would protest if ASUO tried to ban them from forming. Online campaigning is a much easier change to institute, I feel, although it could be more difficult to moderate. (But that’s the Elections Board’s job anyway, right?) The problem is the lack of education voters receive on ASUO. This needs to be fixed starting in September when people first set foot on campus, not during the first two weeks of spring term. Then when candidates start running, people will realize that “hey, these are the people in charge of my and/or my parents’ hard-earned money. Maybe I should pay attention.” I also agreee that campaigning should start before primary elections. One week is NOT enough time to pull off a successful campaign. I’m not saying people have should forfeit doing winter quarter’s classwork, like so many have with their spring classes. This would be more preparational work, the beginnings of outreach. Asking someone for their vote and the traditions like debates (which should also be revamped) should still remain during the first two weeks of spring term.
The current campaign process doesn’t have to be done away with, but it can be improved upon, as our culture evolves and more focus is placed on the Internet. Online interaction can be beneficial to both parties, if done right. People can read up on candidates, without having them breathing in their face and throwing on the pressure. They can decide who they want to vote for, without having someone calling you nightly, asking for you to solidify your pledge. But of course, personal interaction with voters – going to student group meetings, tabling in the res halls, standing on 13th and University, generally being available and open – is still most important. And a little pressure is indeed necessary, but after a while, people will either vote for your opponent or not vote at all, out of spite. Co-workers and friends have actually said to this to me. And who can blame them? We all know we annoyed the hell out of everyone for the past two weeks, but next year, maybe we could be a little less bothersome.
During 3C’s campaign meetings, when given the floor to discuss what they wanted to happen on campus, many people talked about getting freshmen involved early and holding an ASUO 101-type workshop during IntroDUCKtion. That’s exactly what needs to happen. Without first offering students an education on the ASUO, campaign reform is somewhat meaningless. The work to get a message across would be still be much harder than it has to be.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that I know everything about ASUO’s outreach efforts. I don’t. If you do, please enlighten me! I’ve only been here for two years. Nonetheless, in that period of time, I have not seen many outstanding examples of our student government bridging the gap of communication between it and the thousands that it serves. Our community needs that. After all, not everyone religiously follows student government-related matters, like I do. And even so, I was frightened to death of interviewing Alex McCafferty for Ethos. Having never met the senator before, he was still someone with an endless record of accomplishments (or mistakes, depending on who you ask) who I had read about in the paper. Imagine how difficult it would be for the average student with ZERO connections to feel comfortable getting involved. So why don’t we make the ASUO less intimidating? Why don’t we explain to incoming freshmen – hell, the entire uninformed student body – that game tickets are NOT FREE? Why don’t we open up the ASUO and become more engaged with the entire community? Let’s fix this flawed system already.
I argue that the ASUO itself is not a joke, but the campaign process is. From what I’ve seen, the majority of students are more familiar with the election than the actual governance of the ASUO, and this is where their apathetic feelings toward the group emanate from. Students recognize the slogans, the annoyingly vibrant shirts, the synchronized dancing on East 13th Avenue and University Street, but they have no idea what the ASUO does. Obviously, this is the fault of those who are elected. Their outreach lasts for two weeks, and once they have our votes they give up their effort to talk to us.
I see two specific ways in which the campaign process can be improved. First, I would do away with the formation of slates among candidates. Removing slates would force individual candidates to make a case for themselves on why they should be elected. My thoughts here stray to this year’s election for Senate Seat 19, the journalism seat, which was won by Reality Check candidate Grace Hochstatter — a freshman, who has yet to gain entry as a full journalism major. During the primaries, she broke election rules by placing her posters on walls around the journalism school in Allen Hall, instead of only on bulletin boards as the rules dictate. What’s more, she spelled “bridge” wrong on these posters. That’s right, our journalism senator spelled “bridge” wrong on her elections posters and won by a landslide because she was a part of the most effective slate. Now, in my opinion, that’s a joke. Without the umbrella of Reality Check, the race would have been decided much more legitimately.
Secondly, online campaigning should be opened up weeks before the primary elections begin. This would offer candidates a chance to get an actual message out to voters, instead of just a T-shirt or a color. It would create an opportunity for candidates to actually debate issues and for voters to be an integral part of the discussion. It would permit students to learn about the candidates and issues on their own time, instead of being hassled on campus. Further, it would allow people to see that the ASUO is important, and to argue with publications such as the Oregon Commentator that claim it isn’t (and in the next line try to write a legitimate ASUO endorsement, another joke). Overall, opening up online campaigning would make the elections much more personable. That was how ASUO presidential candidate Cassi Gritzmacher and I tried to run our campaign, and given more time I think it could have been seriously effective.
I challenge next year’s executive to actually look to change the culture of the ASUO — instead of just forgetting about the students who voted for them the minute they step in to office.
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Tags: ASUO, awareness, campus issues, elections, politics
Alden Williams for Vice President (Reality Check)
Last Saturday afternoon, I interviewed Reality Check’s executive candidates for Ethos’ new Q&A feature. Due to some miscommunications between the other writer and the editor, Maneesh Arora, the vice presidential candidate running with Amelie Rousseau, was not interviewed. To keep coverage balanced, the editor and I decided not to post Alden’s interview on the website, so I am posting it here for your perusal and judgement. I learned much from speaking with Alden, and I hope you enjoy reading my interview with her as well.
Check out my interview with Alex McCafferty, Reality Check’s presidential candidate, here. Chris Parker’s interview with Amelie Rousseau can be found here. (Thanks to Chelsea Vadakin for her hard work filming and editing!) After reading both interviews, please show your support by RSVPing to Alex & Alden or Amelie & Maneesh’s voting events. Make sure to log onto DuckWeb by 5PM on Thursday!
For my previous interview with Ian Fielding, Reality Check’s ACFC Senate seat 8 candidate, head on over here.
In sophomore year, Alden Williams served as the vice president of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Now a junior in the Family and Human Services program, she has several internships under her belt and has worked with homeless people through Eugene-based non-profit organizations, ShelterCare and Project Homeless Connect. She has also helped plan the Princess for a Day event for the Heart Gallery of Lane County, which helps place foster children in homes.
With an affinity for preparing community fundraisers and events, Williams sits on the Board of Directors for the Ford Family Foundation’s youth adventure camps, which strive to build team and individual development. She also sits on the board for the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy. Both groups are based in Oregon.
Charmaine Ng: Please describe your cultural background. How has it prepared you for leadership roles?
Alden Williams: I grew up in Philomath, Oregon, which is a really small rural town. I think that has shaped my culture in many ways because I wasn’t subject to a lot of diversity in general, but the ideas were there, the diversity of opinions were there, the diversity of backgrounds were there. The best way that being from a rural small town in Oregon has prepared me for leadership is knowing that community is so important, and that incorporating one another, resources, and networking is key in being successful and in being a thriving community.
CN: How do you plan on nurturing and increasing diversity on campus?
AW: We already have an existing calendar that works relatively well, but that calendar should exemplify and show all of the student groups, events, competitions, happenings, goings-on, and that should be more accessible to students. But it’s so different…actually getting the rapport built between students and building that bridge. I think one of the best ways to do that…is to create an event with every single one of the 200+ programs, groups, unions, all represented with an advocate or delegate. This event would be an avenue where students would be able to talk with one another. As far as nurturing and increasing diversity on campus, I think that we need to nurture what we already have, and I think that one of the best ways to do it is to create some new avenues and new ways for students to work with one another.
CN: How do you plan on giving student unions more of a voice on campus?
AW: Student unions are great because they have a high number of students involved in them that already care and already want to be advocates for their community. I think it’s important to have an open conversation about what it is that they need. So just being an approachable person who is able to hopefully find needs and identify solutions and fill those needs is huge. Something that Alex and I think is really important is being involved in these groups outside of the money aspect and outside of meetings and campus politics. It’s important that there’s a face to the name.
CN: After this year’s past events involving the Pacifica Forum and the news surrounding attacks on the LGBTQA, how will you ensure that the EMU remains a safe space?
AW: The EMU being the center of campus and being a place where so many student groups meet, but also a place where students frequent all the time, it’s really important to make sure that everyone feels safe here, no matter who you are or what you’re doing. One of the key points on our platform is talking about the EMU renovation, making this place more accessible, and making it a better place to function as a group and a better environment as a whole. All it takes is one act for somebody to make feel unsafe; all it takes is one word to be said. But I think the best way to combat that is being united as a community and working with one another.
CN: As the University works on the EMU’s remodeling and the Oregon 2020 Initiative, how will you advocate for cultural groups? Do you have any plans for expanding the student union spaces in the basement?
AW: Well first of all, the University of Oregon student groups shouldn’t be in the basement. They’re absolutely the foundation of our University. The fact that they’re in the basement and they’re hard to access makes for a climate on campus where students are unaware. I feel like the best way to work on that is to make those the focus of the EMU and to get students here. As I mentioned earlier, I’m from a town of 4,000 people and, coming to a school this huge, I didn’t know where to begin. I would not have thought to roam the labyrinth of the EMU. Students want to be involved and be aware of cultural issues on campus, but they can’t be if this is our hub.
CN: Now that the ballot measure has passed changing what would be your duties as vice president, what are your goals for working on the Diversity Plan?
AW: One of my first goals would be to learn from what’s worked in the past and work on improving the atmosphere of how the Diversity Plan is enacted. Also, making sure that it’s mandatory for all the staff, specifically the executive staff, is really important because students do need to be aware. I believe that one of the best ways to do it is by creating an open forum, working on cultural issues, and talking with one another, while enacting a policy that’s potentially really, really helpful.
CN: You’re very involved in Greek Life. How will you bring the different cultures of the Greek community into the ASUO? What plans do you have for balancing the needs of Greeks and non-Greeks?
AW: Most people underestimate the diversity in Greek Life and the incredible people that really are involved in Greek Life. And I think the best way to incorporate them into student government is to bridge the gap as far as communication goes. The Greek community is self-sustainable, so that they don’t necessarily need very much from student government, but…the 2,000+ students within Greek Life are absolutely represented in student groups on campus. I want to help by advocating for a specific issue about housing. We haven’t magically found more housing for the several hundred students we’ve increased by.
There really is no difference between Greeks and non-Greeks. We’re all students, and we all choose to be involved in things that we care about. I think that would be really ignorant to step into a position like vice president and not consider all issues equally. Just because I come from that place doesn’t mean that it’s the only thing I care about.
CN: During last year’s elections, giving international students, who also pay the incidental fee, the right to vote was a major issue. This year, nothing came of that. When next year’s elections come along, will you fight for fixing that, or do you think it is no longer important?
AW: Every student that pays the I-fee should be able to vote. That’s incredibly important, and unfortunately, there are a lot of issues on campus that aren’t be advocated for simply because people aren’t saying anything and people aren’t advocating for themselves. The bigger picture is that a lot of issues are being forgotten and being dropped.
CN: How has your experience with different cultures impacted your goals as a vice presidential candidate?
AW: As a vice presidential candidate, I talk a lot about community, and I talk a lot about working with student groups because that’s my passion. Being a proactive vice president with student groups and needs on campus is a goal, and my cultural experience plays into that because I’ve gotten to see numerous people with different backgrounds, ideals, and ideas come together for a common cause. I work for an organization called Rural Development Initiatives where I’m a facilitator for communities, and we basically work on making their towns a thriving place. Having the skills to be able to work with people on a strength basis and not focusing on differences is huge. And if people are able to do that, they can accomplish anything.
CN: What are your thoughts on cultural competence and acceptance on campus and in Eugene? Do you have any plans to make these two things more common?
AW: I think we say we’re a lot further than we really are, and particularly in Eugene because this is typically a very open and accepting and inclusive space. But I think that a lot of people have different experiences than that. It’s one thing to be able to talk the talk, and it’s another to be able to walk the walk. Cultural competency trainings are a step that hopefully takes an attitude that’s already positive in theory and applies it to actual results through experience. If we personally facilitate those environments where people can actively be engaged in good conversation about issues involving culture and involving the things that divide us or the things that unite us, I think we will become a better student body because of it, and make that issue much more real.
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Tags: alden williams, ASUO, campus issues, elections, politics, reality check
Ian Fielding for Athletic Contracts Finance Committee Senate Seat 8 (Reality Check)
A few weeks ago, junior Ian Fielding approached me about covering the ASUO elections for Ethos. That morning, the Daily Emerald had asked him and a slew of other candidates a few generic questions for their Voter’s Guide. However, he didn’t feel like he had enough time to elaborate on his ideas for the position he was running for, Senate seat 8. While Ethos will be releasing interviews with the executive president and vice president candidates, we did not have enough time to pull together more staff for interviews of other candidates. So Ian and I decided to take matters into our hands, holding our own interview early Friday. While both of us are close, I present the following interview with zero bias. He had no say in the questions, and I kept them strictly to his position and slate. We only wanted to provide voters with more information about candidates for positions other than exec.
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The day after the primary results are released, Ian Fielding stands at the top of the EMU Skylight, still wearing his sky-blue/lime-green “Reality Check” shirt. He texts away an inquiry of this reporter’s current location, very eager to get his interview started. After taking over an empty Century Room, we sit around debating who the losing slates will now side with. The reporter chuckles in her head, as she thinks back to freshman year. Ian Fielding could have cared less about student government. Now he speaks like an insider and works day and night campaigning.
Charmaine Ng: So Mr. Ian Fielding, you’re running for ACFC Senate Seat 8. What does your position entail?
IF: ACFC deals with nine different contracts. Big contracts that most students are gonna know about are the LTD bus route, student tickets, and then OSPIRG, which was a contract that we actually removed, but now that students may be interested in. It also deals with a lot of the ones that fight for students like OSA and USSA. A lot of people don’t know about the lawyer contract, which basically means that students can help with legal issues. A lot of times, this is with unjust and unfair tenants. It’s something that we need to spread the word about, and hopefully I’ll be able to do that when I’m in office.
CN: So what are your thoughts on how ACFC handled LTD this year, and how would you improve upon next year’s negotiations?
Ian Fielding: Yeah, LTD is a bummer because you have to keep the contract, and it’s not very fair to students because they know that, and they have a lot more position in negotiating. So my plan to change the whole scenario there is to have a shuttle route to the most popular routes to decrease our reliance on it. This also can increase student jobs because we could train students to drive these shuttles. And it could also be cheaper because we could lobby the University for better rates than LTD.
CN: So how much would purchasing the shuttle cost the ASUO?
IF: You wouldn’t necessarily have to purchase shuttles, if you contracted someone else at a better rate that already had shuttles. You could even contract LTD and work out a way to get student drivers or have LTD do it. But if LTD did it, the problem with using their busses is that they may not agree to that, so we’d have to go with a different source.
CN: Moving on: OSPIRG. So like you said earlier, the ballot measure passed, with students supporting its presence on campus. What is your reaction, and do you support it in its current form?
IF: I don’t want to get into a huge discussion about OSPIRG yet until I do a survey when I get into office and try to investigate the matter further. I’m definitely going to consider the student voice here. It did pass by 100 votes, and there’s over 2,000 votes for it. There’s also a lot of support against it. If anyone was out on campus witnessing the great OSPIRG support…where there wasn’t many people who are against OSPIRG, so that easily could’ve swayed votes. And I mean, if OSPIRG can change the way that their contract works and give more money towards students because obviously there’s some student support for it, then I could be interested in bringing it back. It just depends on how accurate this ballot measure really reflected the students’ interests.
CN: Well, what’s wrong with funding researchers? Doesn’t that help student campaigns?
IF: If I think the student body really does wants to fund research in that way, I’m not going to go against what the student body wants. But the thing about the research is…I don’t think we need to pay $80,o00+ for researchers to find out that students want lower textbooks. They still haven’t really produced results. Textbooks are still really expensive. I spent over $250 for three classes this term. Over 30 years, they’ve been working on it, [prices] aren’t coming down.
CN: Well, aren’t they researching ways and methods to lower textbook prices, not just surveying?
IF: This goes back to results. They’re not getting anything done, in regards to textbook prices. They have done some good things; they’v e raised money for good causes, but those causes aren’t student-related. If I want to raise money for cancer, that’s a great cause, but we shouldn’t have a mandatory fee that every student has to give $2 to fight cancer.
CN: Alright, so football tickets. Your presidental candidate has based his entire legacy on football games. What are your plans for improving 2011 – 2012′s ticketing system?
IF: Well I’m going to disagree with the start of that. His entire legacy isn’t based off student tickets. Alex has also been focused heavily on parking and other ACFC-related areas. He’s been big in OSA, OSA loves him; he’s going to the conference in Portland. He’s all for increasing student advocacy. He is against OSPIRG, which a lot of people think that doesn’t mean he cares about the student voice, but he’s been heavily involved in OSA. So his “legacy” – if you wanna say willdly enough – while in office is a little unfair. He has also served as the president of the Senate trying to create more efficient meetings, and he has also been the Ombudsman. He created that position to push all the senators to actually hold their office hours…I’m going to be working with him closely and the executive staff and the other ACFC members to increase not only free tickets, but the season passes. There’s gonna be 1,000 season passes that are going to be sold at half the retail value. Increasing this number increases free student tickets as well, because it’s going to be about $300 per student, and the more tickets we get there, the more free spaces open. The student section has gotten bigger with Alex McCafferty’s plans, and I continue to keep working with his plans to increase student passes and free tickets.
CN: What about those fans who can’t afford those $300 season passes?
IF: Well we increase the free section by 6%, so there’s even more free opportunities, everyone wins.
CN: Well what if they still can’t access those tickets because the online system sucks? [Writer's note: The online system has always loved me, but I used the term "sucks" because that's how so many of my associates have described its performance.]
IF: Well the online system is always trying to be improved. I think most people agree that it’s better than the old system, and the University didn’t want us to remove the old system because people were missing classes, and it wasn’t supporting an academic environment. Alex McCafferty has always been about academics first. The online system hopefully will be a little bit faster this year too with the season passes, because right now, you’re hopefully gonna remove 1,000 people who get season passes, who are the really dedicated fans. And that’s going to clear up space because you’re going to have 1,000 less people who are logging onto DuckWeb [Writer's correction: GoDucks.com]. I can’t predict the future and say it’s going to be a perfect system or whatever, but hopefully, it’ll be better.
CN: So you mentioned Legal Services earlier and OSA and USSA. Can you elaborate on how much you would give them, money-wise?
IF: The problem is how aware students are right now with the services. I think all of these are great contracts. Legal Services is a pretty big contract, actually; it’s over $300,000. I know people do personally use them, and it’s especially important for tenants who are treating their college students unfairly. People just aren’t aware of it. I would like to maintain the service. Last year, they requested a budget increase of about $30,000. If they can’t prove that more students know about it and it’s not like providing for enough tudents, I don’t know if I would approve that big of a request. With OSA, their request isn’t usually very large. Last year, it was less than 10%, and they have a fairly small contract, so that’s not a lot of money. And the thing is with OSA is they do a lot of student advocacy. It depends on if OSPIRG comes back or not in some form. But if they don’t come back, I’m definitely for increasing the OSA contract. USSA is going to stay at $10,000. If you know about that contract, it’s been $10,000 for a really long time. There are hundreds of schools that pay $10,000 for it. I would keep that contract, and I agree with their causes. [Fielding later reminded me that I forgot to mention the family co-op contract. His thoughts: "Economic times are hard. The University's children need to be looked after by providing them with subsidized rates."]
CN: So my last question for you: what makes you better for this position than Katie Ericson? You don’t really have that much experience, but neither does she, so…
IF: I don’t have a ton of ASUO experience. I have sat on the Academic Requirements Committee. I’ve been to every meeting but one that I couldn’t attend due to finals, so I think that shows that I’m pretty dutiful in that responsibility. I’ve been in other leadership roles. Managing an Ultimate team, I also did the accounting for that, got jerseys put together. I’ve helped a lot of people understand how to deal with competitive environments. So I do think I bring in non-ASUO-related experiences. I also have a really good work ethic. I’m willing to work really hard for the students. I’ve been at the University for a year and a half, and I believe I’m only a couple credits shy of being a senior already. I usually take five courses, but next year, I’m going to be able to only take eight credits, which is going to give me a lot of time to focus on serving the student body. Katie Ericson could be great. I don’t know if she has as much time available as me; I don’t know her leadership experience. I know if you were to elect me, though, you’re going to get someone who’s gonna work his ass off for you and try to produce positive change. I also have a good relationship with the other ACFC candidates that I’d possibly be working with. And then I have a good relationship with the possible executive staff in Alex McCafferty and Alden Williams. So I believe I’ll move into office very smoothly with the relationships I have with them and our ability to work together to get things done.
CN: Alright, well, thank you for your time!
IF: Thank you!
—
Please remember to vote this week in the general elections, and admonish your friends if they don’t. Voting starts on Monday at 9AM and ends Thursday at 5PM! Go over to DuckWeb now! Check out this post for links to information on other slates and the Daily Emerald’s primary election coverage. And pick up today’s paper for new updates, like their official endorsement of Reality Check.
If you enjoyed my interview with Ian and believe he is the best person for the seat, please RSVP to his Facebook event to show your support!
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Tags: ACFC, ASUO, campus issues, elections, ian fielding, politics, reality check
Long time no see.
Hey, everyone! I’m alive! I apologize for my nearly two-month-long absence. The end of winter quarter and beginning of spring quarter have been a whirlwind time for me, and it has been growing difficult to find time to write. A few people have noticed, and I appreciate the questions about when this blog would return. Hopefully, I will continue to find time here and there to make quick posts.
ASUO Elections
Campaigning for next year’s student government hit the ground running Monday, March 29th. People mocked garish t-shirt colors and website designs. Apathetic students avoided 13th and University like the plague. Flash mob dances entertained people pouring out of Columbia 150. In the end, about 22% of the student body (5157) voted in the primaries, an impressive number considering only 15% cared last year. For the results by the numbers, head over to the ASUO Elections Board‘s site (PDF).
The four contenders for executive president and vice president have now been narrowed down to Alex McCafferty and Alden Williams (Reality Check) and Amelie Rousseau and Maneesh Arora (independent). The other slates, Campus Change Coalition (Jairo Castaneda and Alex Esparza) and Change & Leadership (Cassi Gritzmacher and Lucas McAdams), deserve some love for the hard work they put in.
Next week, voting for the general elections starts Monday morning and ends Thursday at 5PM. Log onto DuckWeb, click on your student menu, and you’ll see an option to vote. While Reality Check may have taken many of the committee and senate seats, a few are still up for grabs, and the exec president and vice president positions are anyone’s game. I encourage you to check out the linked websites, flip through the Voter’s Guide, and search the Daily Emerald‘s interviews for more information. Make an educated vote!
Full disclosure
This week, I campaigned for Campus Change Coalition and mainly worked on social media/web. I thank the staff for trusting me with such a huge responsibility. Now that the primaries are over, I must admit that I agree with some of Reality Check’s platform points and values. A few weeks ago, deciding which campaign to work with was a toss-up. I still stand by my decision to side with 3C, and I loved meeting and working with every single person in that campaign. Although generals are here and most of our candidates did not make it through, I am not turning my back on the 3C family. With that said, I am not fully supportive of putting Amelie and Maneesh in office. Whoever ends up in the exec spots, I hope that people will refrain from voting down a slate or only for their friends. Vote for individuals based off of their passion and goals, not because of their affiliations.
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Tags: ASUO, campus issues, elections, politics
In Oregon of all places?!
On January 21, Facebook blogged about their plans to construct their first data center in Prineville, Oregon, about four hours away from Eugene. The post stresses their green efforts, with the center employing an evaporative cooling system, airside economizer, re-use of server heat, and a power supply system that “reduces electricity usage by as much as 12 percent.”
After backlash from supporters of clean energy, spokesperson Lee Weinstein spoke up on Data Center Knowledge,
Our new data center will be receiving our power through PacifiCorp, which like most utilities has a diverse generation portfolio including hydro, geothermal, wind and coal. PacifiCorp is now the #1 utility owner operator of renewables, having grown their portfolio 2,400 percent over the past three years.
Despite their varied portfolio, their focus is still fuel. According to DCK, “Companies like Google and Facebook want to be as green as possible, but must also control costs. The economics of on-site generation of using wind or solar power still don’t add up for most providers.”
The center will also meet LEED Gold Standards, but is that enough action? Facebook cannot ignore the role that coal is playing in powering their product, even if it isn’t a major one. This could be a chance for Facebook to start a healthier trend.
Facebook has about 400 million users, yet most aren’t even aware of this news, or could care less. Most of the publicity, judging by Google results, stems from business and environmentalist blogs. But as a Facebook addictee, do you want to play a part in coal usage every single time you log on? Will more of you stand up? Sign the Change.org petition.
I would link you to a Facebook group, but funnily enough, I can’t log onto any of them. Huh.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments
Tags: current events, environment, facebook, oregon
Here we go again.
Sometime Tuesday, Springfield police arrested freshman redshirt LaMichael James for domestic violence charges related to a Monday fight with his girlfriend. The situation did not warrant medical attention, but according to the report, he caught her around the neck and knocked her to the ground, resulting in neck pain and minor scrapes.
He pleaded not guilty this afternoon to a total of five charges: one for strangling, two for fourth-degree assault, and two for physical harassment. He will be released on $100,000 bail tonight or tomorrow, on the stipulation that he wears an electronic surveillance ankle bracelet until his hearing on March 24th.
Oregon football coach Chip Kelly released this statement:
“We are concerned anytime a student-athlete is mentioned in a police report. We do not condone any behavior that doesn’t meet University standards or our football program’s standards, and we go to great lengths to actively educate our student-athletes regarding appropriate conduct.”
This is the third time in two months that a UO football player has been charged with committing a crime. On January 24th, placekicker Rob Beard and kicker Mike Bowlin, who is no longer a University student, were involved in a 20 – 40-person street brawl. Beard was charged just yesterday with fourth-degree assault! Earlier that Sunday, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity members accused Jeremiah Masoli and Garrett Embry, who has since been discharged from the team, of theft. Now James? What’s going on here?
Our team’s reputation already took a blow last September when senior running back LeGarrette Blount threw a punch at a Boise State player. But that’s not the only thing that I’m worried about. This can’t be a case of coincidence or bad luck. These are ALL football players. Athletic director Mike Belotti claims that they “do a very good job of trying to educate those young men and young women as to the right things to do. And sometimes people make mistakes.” Sure they do, but with the number of foolish demonstrations stacking up, the department must look at the root issues instead of doling out stern talks or kicking players off the team. These particular student-athletes are under the most stress and pressure out of probably anyone at the University. They’re MY age, and they have to hold press conferences! Now that the season is done with, all of that pent-up energy and emotion is flooding out, but even so, the football train never stops running. And that’s a problem.
Kelly can remind his team yet again of the responsibilities on their shoulders as spokespeople for the University’s athletic program. And that they cannot do whatever the hell they want, that the law applies to them too. But he also needs to give them some room to breathe and be college students. The testosterone needs to bubble over in a gym or out on the field, not in real life and against loved ones or fight-starters. I know that they signed up for this strenous lifestyle, but some of them are still 19-year-olds. They’re still figuring out who they are and the kinds of men they want to be. How they achieve that without a sense of freedom?
What do you guys think? What can Kelly do to help his team out? Does the problem not lie in the pressure, but instead the aggressive nature of football players flying out of control? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
(Source)
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Tags: athletics, campus issues, current events
Annabel Park hugs her cup of warmth, as she films in the middle of a snow flurry. Her topic: the growing Coffee Party Movement.
The Coffee Party Movement formed in response to the Tea Party Movement, a self-organized group of citizens that desires minimal influence, fiscal responsibility, and free market values in our governmental system. They have earned substantial media attention, thanks to their nation-wide Tax Day protests. Outraged by the message that the Tea Party was sending, Annabel Park and Eric Dyler started the Coffee Party Movement. Since late January, their Facebook page has gained 3,159 fans.
Their mission statement reads as follows:
The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.
At the moment, it remains unclear what the party’s plans are. Clearly in the beginning stages, they are focusing on building momentum through social media outlets and reaching out to supporters to film videos and compose blog posts. According to their Youtube video’s description (embedded below), they are planning a summer convention.
Check out this briefing on what is wrong with the Tea Party and the need for the Coffee Party:
“[Congressmen and women] are supposed to represent us. That’s their job. And we need to start acting like bosses,” Park demands. “We need them to get to work, you know, instead of fighting. And we need people to get out of the way.” The Coffee Party is “a really open invitation for people to participate, believing that the government should function for our interests,” she says.
I’m confident that this group will go places. Aside from their catchy slogan, their belief in and desire for a strong, unified governmental body and increased political participation immediately grabbed me. There will be times when we disagree with decisions coming from President Obama, Congress, the Supreme Court, etc.; of course there will be. No one is going to please everyone, and in some cases, compromise is necessary (oh, the poor health care bill…). Nonetheless, we must work to ensure that the people we vote in actually earn their positions, hear our voices, and create innovative solutions. If they don’t, why the hell are they there?
If you’re interested in more updates, check out their under-construction website, Youtube, and Twitter.
(Source)
Filed under: Uncategorized | 5 Comments
Tags: coffee party, current events, politics, video
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