Both Mighty Oregon candidate Taylor Allison and Ducks Like You candidate Beatriz Gutierrez will continue into a second week of elections after the primary election results were released Friday afternoon.

Fresh Start Oregon candidate Thomas Tullis received 183 votes, officially removing him from the presidential race.

Allison received 48 percent of the 4,175 votes cast for a presidential candidate. Gutierrez received 43 percent of the votes and Tullis received 4 percent.

Allison needed 78 additional votes to capture the majority and the presidential seat.

“Campaigns are always close, and this year was especially close. We got the majority of the votes in this election, and we’re confident that we’ll be able to do it again next week.” Allison said. ”We’re really excited for getting a lot of the senate and finance committee seats. I’m really happy that many of our slate members will work at the ASUO next year.”

Beatriz Gutierrez could not be reached for comment.

This year saw a 17 percent decrease in voter turnout for the presidential candidate compared to the 2013 ASUO elections, but that decrease was most likely due to the change of election rules that banned campaigns from collecting votes at campaign tents.

Results for the 2014 ASUO Elections

The Ducks Like You campaign released a copy of the Mighty Oregon campaign’s phone banking script Friday. Ducks Like You states that the script shows a “constantly changing narrative” regarding Mighty Oregon’s position on the LTD bus contract.

The main sentence at issue in the script is:

“We want to give students more for their money by cutting big ticket items like the LTD contract.”

In the photo, released by Ducks Like You, the word “cutting” is crossed out and replaced with “renegotiating.”

“Clearly, it was their plan to cut LTD contracts,” Ducks Like You wrote, “But then made edits in order to manipulate the student body.”

Mighty Oregon presidential candidate Taylor Allison stated that her campaign’s position towards the LTD contract has not changed, and that completely cutting LTD was never Mighty Oregon’s plan. Allison emphasizes that the changes were made to the script only to clarify, not change, Mighty Oregon’s position.

“The only reason why it was crossed out and re-written is that our volunteers and everyone working on our campaign knew what we were trying to do with LTD,” Allison said. “We’ve never ever attempted to get rid of free bus passes for students, we’ve never ever talked about getting rid of free bus passes for students.”

Allison calls the release of the script a political move on the part of Ducks Like You, to get votes.

“It’s incredibly disrespectful for these statements to be made when they have never approached us to explain our position,” Allison said. “We’ve actually taken the initiative to try and explain our position to them, and they’ve not cared or been interested in letting students tell the truth.”

Allison claims that she spoke with Helena Schlegel, Ducks Like You’s campaign manager, and clarified her position on the LTD contract. The LTD bus contract has become a major issue in this election, with both Ducks Like You and Mighty Oregon campaigning on the contract.

“If them taking one of our phone banking scripts lets us spot the fact that they’re lying to students and spreading false information, then I’m glad we’re able to clear it up today,” Allison said.

Schlegel sees things differently.

“We repeatedly reached out to Mighty Oregon to ask them to clarify their position on LTD and each time we received a different response,” Schlegel said. “Taylor confronted me about the issue earlier this week and I made sure to check in with our team to make sure we were not stating false information.”

Discussion about the LTD contract between the two campaigns has mostly occurred on Facebook, according to Lamar Wise. The LTD contract is not one of the Ducks Like You campaign’s main platform points, but the issue came to light during a recorded conversation between members of the Mighty Oregon campaign and presidential candidate Thomas Tullis.

“The reason that we’ve been saying that Mighty Oregon is thinking about either cutting or renegotiating the LTD contract, is because of what was said in the recording,” Wise said. “At first we didn’t even know that Mighty Oregon wanted to cut LTD until the recording was released.”

Wise believes that Mighty Oregon’s recent support for LTD is a response to Ducks Like You’s heavy campaigning on the issue.

The ASUO Constitution Court dismissed a grievance against the Ducks Like You campaign yesterday. The grievance, filed by Mighty Oregon campaign advisor Evan Roth, was dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

The grievance accused Ducks Like You volunteers of intimidation and harassment.

“The court hereby admonishes any campaign that is allowing this type of behavior to occur,” Constitution Court Chief Justice Allison Apana wrote in an email. “And should this type of uncivil behavior actually be occurring, all campaigns are hereby put on notice to take immediate action to stop such behavior and to inform anyone involved in their campaigns that this type of behavior is unacceptable.”

Although the grievance was dismissed the Constitution Court emphasizes the severity of any campaigns engaging in harassment or intimidation.

“I can understand the Constitution Court’s ruling about the lack of evidence,” Roth said. “It was good to see that they understand that it’s a serious issue and will be taking these claims seriously.”

The Ducks Like You campaign responded to the grievance Wednesday night, denying that there was any evidence to back up Mighty Oregon’s claims.

“We take issues of people feeling safe seriously, and if the statements Mighty Oregon claimed were true we would have dealt with them accordingly,” Ducks Like You Campaign Manager Helena Schlegel said. “(The) Constitution Court ruled in the right due to the false allegations and lack of evidence.”

ASUO Senate sang the praises of several student groups at their weekly meeting. The all-female singing group Divisi started off their special request by performing “Shark in the Water” by artist V V Brown. The Oregon Voice requested $3,000 from the ASUO Senate for an event celebrating their 25th anniversary. The event would be held towards the end of spring term and would showcase student art, comedy and music.

Oregon Voice is a cultural magazine on campus that publishes student art and writing. The magazine is one of the only publications on campus that is completely student run.

“A lot of people don’t know about the Oregon Voice even though it’s a very unique thing on campus,” Izzi Rassouli said. “We’re hoping to use this as an outreach technique.”

The OV held a similar event last year featuring music and student art, this year it plans to add comedy to the mix. It has also been in contact with UO Standup Society to perform at the event.

The OV is partnering with KWVA to provide music for the event. Senators suggested that the OV showcase student bands and musical groups at the event to bring down the cost and reach out to the student body.

The event would potentially be held at the WOW Hall, which some senators took issue with. Senators Koenig, Hughes and Jones all suggested that the event be held on campus.

“I’m hesitant because the main purpose of your event is to reach out to students,” Jones said. “So it would be better to hold it on campus. I think there’s a disconnect the farther away you get from campus.”

Members of the OV were open to the idea of hosting the event on campus. Senate tabled the motion for funding, meaning that the OV will return to senate next week with an edited request.

During the hour and a half  senate meeting, $5,782 was spent.

Andrew Lubash is the University of Oregon’s first Truman scholar in 22 years. The prestigious scholarship is awarded to students with a commitment to public service.

The $30,000 will fund Lubash’s graduate schooling, hopefully at Georgetown University.

“I want to go to Georgetown and get a law degree and masters in public policy,” Lubash said. “After that I would love to either work as a congressional staffer or maybe work as a clerk for a judge.”

His ultimate goal is to work in a civil rights advocacy non-profit like Lambda Legal — which is an LGBT rights advocacy organization — or the American Civil Liberties Union.

According to the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation website, the award is highly competitive. It receives over 600 nomination each year and gives between 55 and 65 awards.

Lubash applied for the Truman scholarship last year and won the coveted scholarship Monday. The announcement was kept under wraps until today. 

Ballot measure to divest fossil fuel investments:

A YES vote is a non-binding statement that the University of Oregon Foundation should sell its fossil fuel investments and use its power, connections and influence to address the issue of climate change.

A NO vote does not make the statement.

Ballot measure to require elected officials to attend cultural competency trainings before taking office:

A YES vote would mandate cultural competency training for all newly elected officials before they take office. The current ASUO Executive will be responsible for organizing the training, which will include discussions on homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, classism and ageism. The training is required to be organized after the election date and before all newly elected officials assume office May 25. No officer elect can take office until attending said cultural competency training. Failure to do so will result in a delay in assuming office. In the case that a newly elected official cannot attend the training provided, they must seek their own training approved by the ASUO program advisor. This provision shall take effect at the spring 2015 elections.

A NO vote would not add this provision to the ASUO Constitution.

The ballot measure to add three seats to the ASUO senate:

A YES vote would amend provisions of ASUO Constitution to include 24 members, with as many graduate students holding seats as possible. This was proposed because there is currently a lack of graduate student representation in the ASUO and to reorganize academic constituencies.

A NO vote would retain the current provisions of ASUO Constitution.

The ballot measure to reapportion the ASUO Senate every three years instead of every two years:

A YES vote would allow the Constitution Court to review the nine academic senator seats every three years. If necessary, the court can rearrange them to ensure equal representation.

A NO vote would maintain the current ASUO Constitution.

Ballot measure to change who can Chair a finance committee:

A YES vote would allow committees to choose their chair according to their own bylaws, regardless of whether they have been elected to the committee or appointed to it. Currently, only elected members may be chosen to chair committees, but not appointed members.

A NO vote would retain the current provisions in ASUO Constitution.

Ballot measure to extend the term of the ASUO freshmen representative:

A YES vote would allow the freshman representative to extend his or her term until the end of each school year. All other senators begin on May 25 and end on May 24.

A NO vote would retain the current ASUO Constitution.

Behind the scenes campaign drama may have started before spring term even began, but week three is when ASUO campaigning is unleashed upon the masses.

Primary voting opens on DuckWeb April 14, and with it comes campaigning. According to the elections rules dictated by the ASUO, direct voter interaction includes canvassing, telephone campaigning, public events or appearances by campaigns and anything that involves in-person contact between a campaign and an elector.

Students can expect to see campaign workers carrying clipboards and posing with puppies long after voting begins. Unless one of the three presidential candidates wins by 50 percent of the vote in the primary elections that start week three, voting will move into the general elections process during week four — when students will vote for the top two presidential candidates.

Prepare yourself to be stopped by countless campaign workers in the next two weeks.

Here’s everything students should know about elections, besides how to avoid being stopped on 13th Avenue and University Street by campaigners:

• Primary voting opens on DuckWeb Monday, April 14 and closes the following Friday.
• There will be a neutral voting site located in the former ASUO office in the EMU.
• Unlike previous years, voting at campaign stations is not allowed.
• Campaigns can offer advertising materials like shirts, pens, etc. However, advertising materials cannot be exchanged for votes.
• No campaigning is allowed in the ASUO office, which is currently in EMU South.
• No incidental fee money can go to any candidates or campaigns. This means that resources from funded student groups cannot go towards any campaign.
• No campaign materials can be posted on vehicles or bicycles without the owner’s permission.
• Campaigns must respect indication by an elector that campaign contact is unwanted.

Beatriz Gutierrez

Why are you running?

“I’m doing it for my community, because there’s definitely a need to change the ASUO to be more accessible and real and really care about students and their needs.”

What is something in the current administration that you would like to change?

“One thing that we’re already working on is increasing the diversity within the student government in many different ways. Not just race, ethnicity or gender, but also class. A lot of specific people are turned towards the ASUO and I think we could do better in reaching out to different students.”

Speaking of diversity, I noticed Sam Dotters-Katz tweeting about a lack of gender diversity on the Ducks Like You slate. Can you address that?

“It’s a valid concern that he has — that my slate is mostly male identified — but women are running my campaign. A lot of the people working behind the scenes are women — women of color. I think that’s really powerful.”

Both of the opposing campaign platforms focus on slashing the budget through big cuts. How does your campaign address the budget?

“I think students need the incidental fee. I don’t think slashing resources is really the answer. I’ve done advocacy work in Salem and I think we just need more visibility in Salem and trying to find solutions for the deficits that are there, because one thing that I’ve seen is the university wants to fund itself. Instead of cutting the I-fee we should be pushing for more help from the state for tuition so that the cost is lower.”

What is your stance on Fraternity and Sorority Life?

“I’m not anti-Greek; I respect people’s decisions to be a part of those organizations. I don’t think it’s right that all of ASUO is a majority Greek life. I don’t think they should be the majority, but I don’t think that they are going to be pushed out.”

You’ve personally never served on the ASUO. How do you address some of the concerns about your inexperience, or do you see it as an advantage?

“I know it is a concern that can be handled. Everyone can learn. I do see it as a bit of an advantage because of the politics that come with the student government and the politician-ing.”

Taylor Allison 

How do you see your senatorial experience coming into play if you were to be elected president?

“I see it as giving me a really good understanding with what students are looking for out of our student government. Working with 180 programs and chairing the Program Finance Committee I’ve gotten to see every part of campus, whether it’d be international students, Club Sports or Fraternity and Sorority Life. It’s given me a very broad perspective, and it’s also given me the experience that an ASUO president needs to deal with tough issues and to be able to figure out the conversations that are efficient and necessary to make sure that we have the best leadership for students.”

One of your platforms is that you want to bring concerts, big speakers and more opportunities to bring students to athletic events. Some of those things, such as funding big concerts like Macklemore last year, have been contested in the past. Do you see that as being an issue with some students on campus?

“During Laura Hinman’s administration, one of the first things we did was reach out to students and we asked them ‘what do you want from your student government?’ The number one response was that they wanted more big events on campus. It’s our job to represent what students want, and students wanted to know why all the other big universities are able to provide these opportunities that we don’t offer.”

How does Mighty Oregon plan on moving past the recent controversies that have occurred?

“We’re moving forward. We have changed our leadership and our team has moved around throughout the last couple of weeks. It definitely is an unfortunate situation, but I think we really did come out stronger on the other side. We now know what is more valuable to us and what we want to do for students this year, and we’re coming together. We’re moving past the fact that Ben (Bowman) got removed from the ballot. That won’t define our campaign.”

Ducks Like You puts a strong emphasis on diversity. Do you think Mighty Oregon is lacking in that?

“We actually have an equal amount of men and women on our slate. One of the important things for me was to have gender diversity. Also one of the things we looked at was what parts of campus people were coming from, whether it’d be Fraternity and Sorority Life, or people that work on the executive for the Dance Marathon to the executives for the blood drive. We want to reach students all around campus, and I think we’re doing that.”

Thomas Tullis

What separates you from the rest of the candidates? What distinctions do you bring as the next potential ASUO President?

“I’m ambitious enough to tackle all of the problems. While the other candidates sort of prioritize what they think are the more important issues, I plan on changing the ASUO and University of Oregon, and how things function entirely. I’m planning on putting in the time that’s required and I’m planning on moving in there and turning the whole thing on its head, and getting rid of all of the problems and changing what needs to be changed.”

As a freshman who’s been at the UO for two full terms, what experience do you bring to the ASUO?

“I have a lot of leadership experience background, but I don’t necessarily have as much involvement in the ASUO or ASUO experience as the other candidates and I see that as a strength. As someone who’s just now getting involved in the ASUO, I think it gives me the ambition and the energy to really take on all the problems instead of being a part of the problem.”

How do you plan on moving past the recent events that you’ve been involved in? For example, the grievance you filed against former ASUO presidential candidate Ben Bowman.

“I’ve set up conflict resolution mediation with the other parties involved and we haven’t heard whether they accepted that invitation or not. I’ve also been talking with the Dean of Students and Robin Holmes, the vice president of Student Affairs, to come to a solution to the recent conflicts.”

If you were to win, would you be worried about senators who won on the other campaign slates not wanting to work with you?

“I think my platform has a lot of similarities with both the other campaigns, and I think whatever slate or senators are elected — I’m confident that they would be mature enough to work with whoever is in charge, and they would work well with any leadership. I’m confident that they would work well under my leadership, and my ideas.”

Signs reading “we are not motherfuckers” and “diversity is beautiful” flooded the ASUO Senate meeting on Wed., April 9.

The signs referenced statements made by Sen. Alex Titus during a meeting with ASUO presidential candidate Thomas Tullis in March. Tullis was jailed and released earlier this week for allegedly taking an illegal audio recording of the conversation.

During the conversation, Titus made disparaging statements about groups that receive I-fee funds.

“Literally the same 10 people took $5,000 for a conference in Orlando, $4,000 for a conference in Colorado and $15k for an Asian diversity conference about why Asians shouldn’t be over-sexualized,” Titus said in the recording. “That’s 20k in one night that those motherfuckers just took.”

Before the discussion began, Titus addressed the senate body and members of the audience.

“I am extremely sorry if I said any comments that directly offended you as a person,” Titus said, addressing the assembled crowd. “I feel that I have treated all of the groups here fairly.”

Students from a variety of programs and groups on campus attended the discussion — including representatives from MEChA, the Black Student Union, the Multicultural Center, Kultura Pilipinas and more — addressed the statements and demanded more than an apology.

“I want something from senate either condemning this or taking some action against this,” MEChA director Ricky Salinas said.

“I’m one of those ‘motherfuckers’ who came in here and asked for $5,000 for a conference,” Salinas said. “I hope you see that your comments are not just offensive to one group or a few groups and I hope that all of you on this body, not just Titus, are aware of the position that you’re in. You are not just here for yourself or your own agenda.”

The recording specifically addressed funding for the Asian Desi Pacific Islander American Conference. Demiliza Saramosing requested funds for the ADPIA conference at a previous senate meeting and came to voice her concerns over Titus’ recent comments.

“I felt very hurt to hear senator Titus talk about ADPIA in the recent recording. I was really concerned because I’ve been working really hard on the conference and it hurt that Titus didn’t feel that our conference was important to the University of Oregon and the Eugene community,” Saramosing said. “I don’t like to be called a motherfucker.”

Both Titus and Saramosing expressed interest in meeting to talk in person.

Titus pledged his willingness to meet with any members of the audience and continued to apologize.

At the meeting, a working group was created to pass a resolution condemning racist statements. The resolution will be voted on next week at ASUO Senate.

“I feel like even if I voted yes for the resolution that wouldn’t be enough,” Titus said. ”I wish there was a better way to say it. I’m just deeply, deeply sorry for things that I’ve done. I feel horrible and I know a lot of you do, too. I hope we can move past this and that you can forgive me.”

The Ducks Like You campaign released an official statement regarding the recordings. In the statement DLY pledges support for the student unions who felt attacked.

“We will not support violent and inaccurate statements towards marginalized, communities of color, whose work goes unacknowledged when trying to engage the greater campus community on how to make this campus a safer environment for all,” the statement read. “This serves as a reminder that we all must work to making sure we hold incompetent spaces accountable in order to build a community where people feel welcome and safe on campus.”

During the meeting, Constitution Court member Pat Chaney was confirmed as the new Elections Board Coordinator. Chaney’s appointment to the position comes at the suggestion of ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz following the resignation of the last Elections Board because it disagreed with administrative reinstatement of former presidential candidate Ben Bowman last Friday. Bowman had previously been disqualified from the elections from the Elections Board and Constitution Court in response to allegations of intimidation and bribery filed against him in a grievance by Tullis.

Chaney will be taking a leave of absence from Constitution Court to serve on the Elections Board.