ASUO Constitution Court has approved three ballot measures for the upcoming election. Students can vote on the measures on April 4 through DuckWeb. If you are not well-versed in ASUO language, the ballot measures could be hard to comprehend. We went through the jargon, so you don’t have to. Here’s the breakdown: 

Making ASUO services universally accessible

This measure will require ASUO to implement Universal Design, which will provide proper accommodations either upon request or as a regular practice for meetings and events “for students with a broad range of abilities, disabilities, ages, reading levels, learning styles, native languages, cultures, [and] religions” without increasing the incidental fee.

The measure was proposed by ASUO Chief of Staff Casey Edwards who has been working with the AccessABILITY Student Union. The measure will only impact students and student leaders and has no enforceable impact on professional staff, faculty, or other University of Oregon employees.

A vote yes would make ASUO agree to a non-binding requirement to make the organization more accessible to all students regardless of ability and other characteristics such as “learning styles, cultures [and] religions.”

A vote no would change nothing.

Funding initiatives of the student body

If the ballot measure passes, any ASUO-recognized programs or services will receive more money if they collect signatures from at least 10 percent of the student body. The funding will come from the incidental fee the following year. The ballot measure cannot be used to defund programs.

The University of Oregon OSPIRG chapter is behind the measure.

ASUO Senate can still modify the funding to prevent the incidental fee from exceeding the budget growth.

A vote yes would allow student groups to collect signatures from students for more funding without going through the ASUO finance committees’ approval.

A vote no would change nothing.

Updating deadlines of Committee Appointments

This ballot measure will require the ASUO president to appoint committee members by Oct. 1. Current ASUO bylaws give the president multiple deadlines to appoint members on ASUO Student Planning and Construction Committee, ASUO Diversity Plan Committee and Elections Board Chair position.

A vote yes would set a deadline of Oct. 1 for the ASUO president to appoint the Election Board Chair, members of ASUO Student Planning and Construction Committee and ASUO Diversity Plan Committee.

A vote no would leave multiple deadlines for committee appointments.

First-year senator Keegan Williams-Thomas is currently working to amend the laws of ASUO to allow freshman senators to vote.

Williams-Thomas is currently not allowed to vote on issues in the senate, such as resolutions and special requests from student groups. His role is to provide his input on the discussions that lead to the senate’s decision. However, Williams-Thomas wants to change that.

Freshmen comprise about a quarter of the student population and contribute to the $16 million incidental fee budget. Even though adding one more voting senator in the mix may not be consequential, Williams-Thomas said adding the vote is still necessary.

“Although one vote won’t change a decision in the senate, with most decisions being unanimous, the opportunity for a vote and the opportunity for full participation within the senate needs to be there,” Williams-Thomas said.

The freshman representative is not elected by the student body, but is appointed by the ASUO Executive because freshmen are not on campus during spring elections.

Senator Nakai Corral said the position is highly competitive with numerous applicants who are trying to get involved on campus. Although freshman representatives may not be immediately familiar with ASUO processes, Corral said recent representatives — including Williams-Thomas — have been valuable to the senate even without a vote.

“Williams-Thomas has been to everything even when he didn’t need to be. To see his engagement [and] to see his excitement gives me a lot of optimism,” Corral said.

Senate President Kevin Dobyns also commended Williams-Thomas’ work on the senate with his input.

“Williams-Thomas has been valuable to the senate with just his voice,” Dobyns said.

Both Corral and Dobyns are in favor of Williams-Thomas’ proposal. Corral said that freshmen are the most important group in the ASUO because of their heavy involvement with student groups.

Although freshmen weren’t present during ASUO elections and the freshman representative is an appointed position, having appointed senators vote is not unprecedented. Dobyns said freshmen still deserve a vote.

“Even with those arguments aside, I still think the freshman representative should have a vote. There is no reason that their voices shouldn’t be heard,” Dobyns said.

Although no senator has opposed the proposed changes, Dobyns says that some are apprehensive because it can open a “can of worms.”

Once the freshman senator is allowed to vote, it raises questions about creating senate seats to represent sophomores, juniors and seniors. Another senator pointed out the University of Florida’s senate includes 200 students representing every major and class, compared to UO’s 20-member body.

Williams-Thomas said there have been discussions with other members of the senate to possibly expand senate representation to transfer and international students. However, his first priority is to give the freshman representative a vote.

Although Dobyns is not against giving those students seats and is something he’d consider, he said there is nothing preventing those groups from running for other seats.

University of Oregon’s Beta Theta Pi chapter has been disbanded due to reports of hazing and other “high-risk behaviors”, a statement from Vice President for the Division of Student Life Robin Holmes said.

According to the statement, the university was working with Beta Theta Pi’s national headquarters to address these issues. The national headquarters ultimately decided to disband the fraternity as a result of the meetings.

“Reports of things like hazing and other high-risk behaviors are unacceptable,” Holmes said. “While an unfortunate outcome, the university greatly appreciates the seriousness with which the General Fraternity has taken the fraternity’s issues.”

In response to the fraternity’s being banned from campus, the university will explore new policies Holmes believes “will help curb these sorts of problems.” Holmes said the university will work in partnership with national fraternity and sorority headquarters, consider new levels of fraternity and sorority life staffing, limit membership and create a longer-term moratorium for new chapters.

Despite these on-going issues, Holmes said fraternities and sororities still have the “potential to be transformational in terms of individual development and leadership.” However, she added that the university must “eliminate the problematic behaviors that endanger members and others” in order to do this.

Beta Theta Pi could seek reestablishment, but it will not be able to no sooner than winter 2018 if it meets all the necessary requirements at that time.

Follow Miles Trinidad on Twitter @miles_trinidad

In the wake of the Umpqua Community College shooting, ASUO Director of Staff Casey Edwards and senior Sydney McBride are continuing their efforts of making the University of Oregon a safer place with the Campus Safety Campaign.

The goal of the campaign is to increase safety on campus “day and night, inside and outside of classrooms and between all people,” Edwards said.

The duo has been working on the campaign since fall 2015. They expect to see gradual improvements before they graduate in the spring and expect larger changes after they leave.

After starting the campaign, McBride and Edwards learned that UO is not adequately prepared for situations like an active shooter.

“This campaign has brought to the surface the [UO’s] emergency plans are insufficient and that there are plans unknown to those even in the ASUO,” McBride said.

Freshman Sara Pedersen, an international student from Norway, said the close proximity of the UCC shooting made the idea of campus shootings more real for her.

“I was shocked the UO didn’t do more [after the UCC shooting]. People didn’t make a big deal about it and it proves that things like this are normal,” Pederson said.

Since fall 2015, the two have worked with Enterprise Risk Services and assessed what they learned. ERS plans to create a student advisory board regarding campus safety and is working with journalism students to create videos about how to react in certain situations, including a situation involving an active shooter.

Edwards and McBride have also worked with the Division of Equity and Inclusion to make campus safer through cultural competency, a partnership that ASUO’s new Multicultural Advocate Vickie Gimm has helped foster.

The two hope the combination of all of these efforts will improve the general feeling of campus safety.

Despite the amount of work being put into the campaign, McBride said there is a divide between students who care about the issues and those who know how to make a difference.

Although McBride said it is difficult to make progress in an institution as large as UO, the two made progress with ERS and the Division of Equity and Inclusion that will ultimately impact students.

“It may be minimal right now, but in the end it could save someone’s life,” McBride said.

By the end of the term, Edwards and McBride plan to create a survey to assess students’ understandings of available resources and services and learn ways to better engage students about the issue of campus safety.

Because the two will be graduating in the spring, they hope to create a domino effect on campus where future students will reap the benefits of their work.

“There has been steady progression on this project throughout this term, but it is definitely not something that can be solved in just one year, especially given the complexity and scope of the problem,” Edwards said.

We went to the ASUO Senate meeting so you didn’t have to. Here’s what you need to know:

Senate confirms its only woman of color this year

Senate confirmed Ednaly Jimenez-Gomez to take over Senate President Kevin Dobyns’ seat, making her the only woman of color on the senate this year. Two other students were confirmed to ASUO at the meeting along with Jimenez-Gomez.

Jimenez-Gomez plans to increase diversity and gender representation in ASUO as a senator. Jimenez-Gomez, who serves as Mecha’s finance director, will reach out to student groups and attend their meetings. Senator Martin Martinez spoke highly of Jimenez-Gomez and called her a great leader on campus. He expects her to be a quick learner when she replaces Dobyns.

Adrion Trujillo will take over Senator Robin Lilley’s senate seat representing the EMU Board. Trujillo aims to provide a greater voice for student programs on the EMU Board. He also wants to increase transparency between the EMU Board and the ASUO after sitting through the budget meeting on Feb. 13. Trujillo has been involved in ASUO for three years through the Men’s Center and LGBTQA3.

“I felt there was a need for someone from programs that are housed within the EMU to have a voice on that board,” Trujillo said.

Erika Goto will serve as a new EMU at large. Goto has been involved in Allen Hall Advertising and Undergraduate Council. She aims to improve communication within the board and on campus as a whole. Senator Andrew Dunn said Goto is “one of the most qualified people.”

Senator presents ballot measure to guarantee accessibility for those with disabilities

The Senate reviewed an impending ballot measure from the AccessABILITY Student Union that would commit the ASUO to implement the principles of universal design – an idea that aims to produce an environment that is accessible to students with and without disabilities. Although ASUO currently accommodates students with disabilities through its processes, there are no specific policies in place to guarantee it. If the measure is passed, it will amend the laws which the ASUO operates under and these accommodations will be required.

The ballot measure received support from other senators, but there were proposed changes to the language of the measure to make it more gender inclusive.

Senate has spent over 66 percent of its surplus fund so far

Two-thirds through the school year, the Senate has gone through 66 percent of its surplus funds by the end of Winter term. A total of $22,378 was requested tonight which leaves the unofficial surplus at $165,527. Senate approved all 13 special requests.

We went to the ASUO Senate meeting so you didn’t have to. Here’s what you need to know:

Senate has used 63.2 percent of its surplus this year. Here are the lists of approved special requests tonight:

• University Film Organization requested $5,000 for new, up-to-date cameras for students to use. The group aims to provide students an opportunity to work with equipment to prepare for a career in film. The cameras that the group currently has are obsolete by two years. However, Senate tabled the request and referred the group to the ASUO Executive’s specific funds for replacing minor equipment.

• OUTLaws transferred $4,000 within its budget to bring two speakers to campus for its Spring Speaker Series on April 11. The first speaker is a transgender advocate and the second is a Black Lives Matter speaker

• U R Awesome received $349.95 for its Finals Kisses event on March 8. Part of the money will purchase 2,500 Hershey’s Kisses. The group will also have Puddle for an hour in front of Knight Library and the EMU.

• Associated Students for Historic Preservation granted with $6,064 to send eight members to The California Preservation Foundation in San Francisco.  The amount will cover flights, rental cars, conference registration fees and hotel costs.

• The Asian Culture Communication Association received $2,000 for its Japanese Comic-Con Festival. The festival aims to teach students about Japanese culture. The festival will be held May 20 in Global Scholars Hall room 123.

• Divisi received $500 to send its group to Berkeley, California for an A Capella festival. Students will attend workshops and perform in a showcase.

This year, PFC will have an 11.6 percent increase in its budget to help with these fast growing groups and has also increased stipends for student leadership positions. According to Lusby, the additional funds will help student groups become more productive.

“A lot of groups grow very quickly on campus and the model PFC works in can’t accommodate that. The benchmark this year really helped us expand those student organizations,” Lusby said.

Within this increase, $740,140 will be used to give student leaders within these groups stipends. ASUO Finance Director Shawn Stevenson said the stipends, which is 26.5 percent of PFC’s total budget, will help students develop leadership skills without having to make significant financial sacrifices or debate if they want to become more involved within their groups.

“With PFC growth, we saw a lot of stipend growth. This is really going to promote student leadership. There will be more positions on campus and more ways for students to grow,” Stevenson said.

In contrast to PFC, the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee, which had an 8 percent increase last year, will have a 1 percent decrease in its budget. According to ACFC chair Andrew Dunn, this decrease helps create space to further support student groups and their work on campus.

“A large increase to the [incidental fee] is not something we set as a goal, but supporting student groups on campus and providing the opportunity for student leaders to grow within their own programs they design is really important to ASUO,” Dunn said.

Stevenson said that he is excited to see how the funds will affect the Men’s Center, which works with sexual assault prevention and reassessing masculinity. Now that the group can hire a full-time director,  Stevenson and other ASUO members are optimistic about the growth the Men’s Center will see.

The ASUO decided to limit the fee increase to 4.5 percent because it did not want to be greater than the 4.46 and 4.7 percent tuition increase for in-state and out-of-state students next year, Stevenson said. The decision was made to stand in solidarity with students.

See a complete breakdown of where the incidental fee goes here.

McDermed’s retirement came with no warning to other members of UOPD.

She had meetings scheduled for every day next week, including three days of Incident Command System advanced training and a meeting about Track Town 2016, McIver said only hours before McDermed announced her retirement.

Andre LeDuc, Executive Director of Enterprise Risk Services —the department that oversees UOPD — sent an email to all UOPD employees at 9:34 p.m. on Friday announcing McDermed’s retirement.

“Dear UOPD Colleagues,” the email read, “Carolyn McDermed, chief of the University of Oregon Police Department, announced her retirement today. We will have information about the leadership transition process Monday.”

McDermed has been under fire since the UOPD lost a $755,000 lawsuit last year. James Cleavenger, a former UOPD officer, sued three UOPD members, including McDermed, for wrongful termination and retaliation. Cleavenger won the lawsuit, $36,000 of which was in punitive damages against McDermed herself.

Cleavenger alleged in his lawsuit that McDermed mismanaged the police department. She was criticized specifically for her handling of the “Bowl of Dicks” list, which was created by night shift officers to name people and organizations the officers disliked.

More to come.

Original:

Normal operations will continue throughout the weekend and more information about the transition process will be provided on Monday, McIver said.

Senator Quinn Haaga wants to change the process to allow funding to send teams to national competition within Club Sports’ budget.

ASUO hosts a tuition transparency information session to prepare for next week Board of Trustees’ meeting

The session will inform students about the proposed tuition hike and ASUO’s alternative proposal. At the tuition forum on Feb. 3, ASUO President Helena Schlegel proposed a 3.5 percent tuition increase, instead of a 4.7 percent increase proposed by the administration.

ASUO will discuss strategies to lobby at the Board meeting. Attendees will also get a chance to create posters and slogans, ASUO Legislative Assistant Amy Schenk said. Some of the slogans from last year read “W.T.F. Where’s The Funding, Chuck [Lillis]?” and “We are Ducks not Bucks”

“There will be pizza,” ASUO Finance Director Shawn Stevenson added.

The meeting is at 5 p.m. in Pacific Hall room 123.

Student groups receive a total of $13,000

The Radical Organizing and Activism Resource Center and The Sustainability Center received $1,500 to bring a keynote speaker to its Earth Week event. The Sustainability Center normally has enough funds for its event, but the EMU Ballroom closure has rendered most of its funds unusable. As a result, the center must request funds from surplus for its event.

The Jewish Student Union received $5,000 to send eight students to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Conference in Washington D.C. Senator Jason Selby, member of the JSU, said the group fundraised about $5,500 for the trip. Students will listen to speakers about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how to be “effective pro-Israel campus activists.” The group will host an event on campus after the conference to share its knowledge with other students. The conference will be held March 20-22.

Dance for Oregon received $5,000 to send 20 students to the American College Dance Association Conference at the University of Wyoming from March 9-13. At the conference, students will attend dance workshops, lectures and performances.

Ahiru Daiko, a Japanese drumming group, was granted $1,000 for storage and rehearsal space for the next four months at the Mackenzie River Lodge. Before the request, the group was forced to store its instruments in a group member’s home and could only practice once per week in Gerlinger Hall. Now the group will be able to store its instruments and practice in the Mackenzie River Lodge twice per week.

Senate passed the Black Women of Achievement’s request of $725 to host its Women’s Empowerment Luncheon. The request will also cover the cost to renovate a house with historical significance in Eugene.

Senate passed transferring fund requests for eight student groups, including Design for America, Designated Driver Shuttle, Chinese Philanthropic Leadership Association, Veterans and Family Student Association, Her Campus Oregon, Emerging Leaders in the Arts Network, ASUO Executive and The Black Law Student Association.

The upcoming EMU Ballroom renovation starting March 19 will be giving the venue an upgrade, but has also been a small hindrance for some student groups who planned to use the venue during that time.

The $2 million project aims to make the ballroom more accessible for people with disabilities, update the aesthetic of the room, upgrade the lighting, heating, ventilation and increase its capacity.

The ballroom was not part of the initial renovation plan of the EMU, UO Director of Scheduling and Event Services Rick Haught said. The decision to renovate the room was made during late summer last year, after costs of the complete EMU construction was under budget.

“[The ballroom renovation] is a blessing for everyone on campus. It’s the largest single space for an event that is not an athletic facility,” Haught said.

EMU Board Chair Miles Sisk said there are other venues to hold events such as Mac Court, the Ford Alumni Center or Straub Hall, but they do not have the same capacity as the ballroom and are not as efficient for some events. However, Sisk said that the temporary closure is greater in the long run.

“I believe that it is a very small sacrifice to ensure the ballroom is up-to-date and accessible to all students,” Sisk said.

Haught says there were six events scheduled during the ballroom’s scheduled closure. Three groups have relocated to Mac Court, two to Straub Hall.

Gary Gao, president of the International Student Association, says the venues closure has tripled the cost of its annual International Night from $2,000 to $6,000 because it has been moved to Mac Court. Unlike the ballroom, Mac Court lacks a stage, sound system, and lighting system that would be adequate for the ISA’s event. As a result, the group must pay for additional services to set up the venue for the event.

“We probably have to go to the ASUO [Senate] to get more funds,” Gao said.

Mani Woodward, co-director of the Students of the Indian Subcontinent, said his group booked the venue one year in advance of its annual culture night but had to relocate it. As a result, SIS decided to split the event between the LLC Performance Hall and Straub Hall, where a performance from an Indian comedian from the Daily Show will be held. Woodward said holding the event outside from the ballroom has actually made holding the event cheaper because the Performance Hall is free and hopes to reimburse the funds the ASUO gave the group for the event.

Despite these inconveniences, Sisk said the ballroom should be completed by the beginning of fall term.

“I believe that it is a very small sacrifice to ensure the ballroom is up-to-date and accessible to all students … I think [the ballroom renovation is] a really important part of the project. It will have really positive effects to serve students in the future,” Sisk said.