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

Senate approves 4.5 percent increase on the 2016-2017 Incidental Fee Budget

ASUO Senate unanimously approved next year’s 4.5 percent increase for the Incidental Fee. As a result, students will pay $233.75 per term, a $10 increase.

Last week’s budget meeting was nullified after unexpected stipend costs in the Program Finance Committee resulted in a 4.9 percent increase of the incidental fee, larger than its original goal. All four committees had to make cuts from its original budget to reach their goal.

Senate asked the EMU Board to revise its budget after ASUO Executives scrutinized its proposal at Saturday’s meeting. In response, the EMUB allocated $100,000 from its reserves to pay for some of its costs and cut $20,000 from the Center for Student Involvement.

The EMUB was willing to accommodate ASUO’s proposal, but the committee was unhappy that it had the largest decrease.

“[The cuts] will hurt the building operation,” EMU Board chair Miles Sisk said.

The Programs Finance Committee also reduced its budget by $10,299. The ASUO Executive branch cut two stipend positions which saved $5,500. It also cut $1,250 because the executive will no longer advertise job positions in printed editions of the Emerald. PFC also cut $800 out of Unbound’s budget.

The Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee continued to cut costs in its decreased budget from .06 percent to 1 percent. The committee reduced Sexual Assault Support Services’ funds by $2,423. The reduction aims to make the program run “more efficiently” because some of last year’s allocated funds for position stipends were not used, ASUO Finance Director Shawn Stevenson said.

The Department Finance Committee reduced its budget by $2,000 that was allocated for office supplies to the LGBT Education Support Service.

Housing Resolution

The Senate unanimously passed its housing resolution urging Vice President of Student Life Robin Holmes and University Housing to not implement its tentative mandatory on-campus living requirement for first-year students in fall 2017.

Election board completed after confirming fourth member

ASUO Senate completed the elections board today after confirming Megan Williams as its fourth member.

Under the bylaws of the Green Tape Notework, the document under which ASUO operates, the Election Board requires a chair member and four additional members before ASUO elections can begin.

Williams has experience in the ASUO with the PFC. Election Board Chair Abraham Youhana said that her experience will be “invaluable.”

Student groups receive total of $17,812

Mind the Gap, an a capella group, received $8,500 to attend the VocalJam acapella festival and competition in Fayetteville, Arkansas from April 1-2. The group originally requested $11,200, but senators were able to find alternative flights to lower the cost.

The LGBTQA3 received $4,412 to send members to the TRANSforming Gender Conference at the University of Colorado Boulder on March 10. Members of the group hope that attending the conference will help students create a more inclusive environment for “transgender, intersex and two-spirit students” at the UO.

The International Student Association received $2,200, $700 more than it originally requested, to fund its weekly Coffee Hour. The group originally requested $1,500, but the group required more funds to avoid additional requests for the Coffee Hour for the rest of the year. Senator Max Burns encouraged the senate to increase the amount for the group. The funds will be used for decorations, advertising, and activities.

The ASUO Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee unanimously decided to defund the United States Student Association after seeing a lack of on-campus results.

The USSA, a student-led grassroots advocacy group, received $28,540 inthe last fiscal year, but ACFC members did not see significant on-campus impact warranting continued funding, ACFC chair Andrew Dunn said. With little visible benefit, ACFC decided to pull the plug.

ACFC member-at-large Allison Wieder said it was an uphill battle for the group to receive any funding. The group needed to implement significant changes to its organization regarding membership participation and leadership to demonstrate how it would benefit the entire university.

Wieder said the most striking thing about USSA was its low membership. When consulting the USSA about its budget request, she told the group it was essential to bring as many students as possible to the meeting to show their support. Only two members showed up.

“It truly showed that USSA did not care about receiving funding and did not take the budget hearing process seriously,” Wieder said.

The USSA has tried in the past to fix its membership problem through reorganizing and restructuring the program to focus on local issues rather than national, but Wieder said the group has made no progress in the last three years and that it has regressed to fewer members.

Amy Schenk, the ASUO federal affairs commissioner that worked with the USSA, said she was disheartened that ACFC decided to defund the group. The USSA provides opportunities for students to organize campaigns to benefit fellow students such as tuition transparency and sending students to conferences to help develop leadership skills.

“[USSA] provides resources to students and those resources will be diminished. [It] still plans to operate on campus, but it is a big blow to its accessibility for students,” Schenk said.

USSA Board Director Gabrielle Hanley respects the decision the ACFC made, but it was difficult for her to have the group defunded.

“I wouldn’t be the organizer that I am today without the USSA,” Hanley said.

Despite the low membership, Hanley has seen growth in student involvement this year and hopes it will continue to increase as the group focuses on local-level campaigns. She is optimistic that the USSA will be able to regain funding.

“We lost our student base and we couldn’t show that we deserved the funding; however, I truly believe that our student base will grow again,” Hanley said.

Despite being defunded, the group will continue to operate and help organize campaigns, but its capacity to go beyond that will be reduced, Hanley said.

Dunn said the additional funds from defuding USSA and ACFC’s total spending decrease of .06 percent will be reinvested into the Programs Finance Committee, which oversees and funds student groups.

“In a year where we really want to emphasize funding for programs, that money going back to students directly involved on campus is really invaluable,” Dunn said.

Ron Peterson, the namesake of Peterson Hall in the Lillis Business Complex and Peterson Plaza at Autzen Stadium, died Sunday, Feb. 14 at the age of 88.

Peterson was a longtime supporter of the University of Oregon. In 2002, he and his wife, Patricia, made the second largest donation to the university, supporting the Lundquist College of Business, Presidential scholarships and athletics. In total, the Peterson family donated more than of $25 million to the university.

Peterson also received several prestigious awards from the university, such as the Presidential Medal in 2004 and the Pioneer Award in 2011.

“We are deeply saddened by Ron’s passing,” Jim Terborg, interim dean of the Lundquist College of Business, told Around the O. “Ron was a self-made man and a business leader. He gave so much to the college so that students for generations to come would have great opportunities. We will miss him.”

ASUO senators and finance committees convened at Mackenzie Hall on Feb. 13 to vote on proposed budgets for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Although budget meetings often evoke images of spreadsheets and boring presentations, this six-hour budget meeting was less mundane.

“My life revolves around drama, and today is a ripe day for my memoir,” Senator Zach Lusby said about the meeting. 

Here’s what you need to know:

Senator storms out of meeting, panic ensues, FaceTime allows vote

Senator Zach Rentschler stormed out of the room during voting after disagreeing with the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee’s proposed budget. Rentschler was the last senator to vote on the budget, all other senators voted in favor of it. Instead of voting against it, he picked up his backpack and left.

“Have a nice day,” Rentschler said, as he walked out.

Rentschler criticized ACFC’s budget for “prioritizing student advocacy” like OSPIRG rather than student accessibility and safety through Lane Transit District.

The senate needs 16 senators in attendance, or two-thirds, to hold a vote. Rentschler’s departure put it one senator short of this requirement and effectively stalled the meeting after five hours of discussion.

With no budgets passed and months of work on the line, panic enveloped the room. Senators scrambled to find another member to replace him and save the meeting from adjournment.

Following Rentschler’s departure, Senator Jason Selby attended the meeting through FaceTime, but abstained from the vote because he was not present during the discussion.

Rentschler returned later in the meeting, and Senate President Kevin Dobyns wanted him to apologize. Rentschler stood by his decision.

“This was a huge failure for student safety. I did what I think was right,” Rentschler said.

However, his departure and subsequent return may have been for nothing.

Budget meeting may be invalid, emergency meeting needed

After six hours of budget presentations and deliberations, a discrepancy in the budgets may have rendered it all invalid.

Senate approved the ACFC, Program Finance Committee and Department Finance Committee budgets. All three committees drafted their budgets to accomodate the projected 4.5 percent increase in the Incidental budget next year, a smaller increase than originally thought. 

Near the end of the meeting, ASUO Accounting Coordinator Lindsey Cotney informed the body that the budget resulted in a five percent increase.

ASUO Finance Director Shawn Stevenson said it is unclear if the proposed budgets were inaccurate or the calculation systems were at fault. Cotney planned to work throughout the weekend with finance committee members to find the problems.

Senate will hold an emergency meeting prior to its weekly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Senate must approve the budgets by Friday, Feb. 19 for ASUO President Helena Schlegel to sign off and send them to the Board of Trustees.

ASUO executives scrutinize EMU Board budget which fails to be approved

The EMU Board budget came under intense scrutiny from ASUO Executives who feel that the board has been separated from the ASUO. The EMU board is an ASUO finance committee, which consists of ASUO Senate members and regular committee members, that is in charge of creating the EMU’s budget for the next fiscal year. The budget was the only one not approved by the senate.

Schlegel said she did not receive the complete EMU Board budget until the night before the budget meeting.

Executives and members of the board debated about what goes in the budget and who decides that amount. Senator Max Burns claimed the EMU professionals, rather than students, created the budget.

Schlegel pointed out that roughly $20,000 going to office supplies on the budget could be paid with other resources. She suggested the board look into the Executive fund – money allocated for student groups’ office supplies – for supplies to reduce rising Incidental Fees.

The EMU board’s budget is at $6.5 million, which translates to a 2.5 percent increase from last year. Senator Robin Lilley, a board member, said it’s the smallest budget increase ever for the EMU board.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated Rentschler also criticized funding for OSA. That is not true.

The AccessABILITY Student Union and ASUO senators are working together to move the University of Oregon to the forefront of higher education institutions that are universally accessible for students with disabilities.

At the Jan. 6 ASUO Senate meeting, the senate approved a resolution to create a working group to collaborate with members of the AASU. Since that meeting, the two groups are planning to introduce a ballot measure next term that would make the ASUO and UO more accessible through universal design — the idea to produce buildings and environments that are accessible to people with and without disabilities.

The creation of this new measure arose when the AASU was unable to submit its documents to ASUO to receive its yearly budget. Nocona Pewewardy, vice president of AASU, said completing the process can be difficult for students who are overly busy or have disabilities that limit their mobility.

Although the ASUO accommodates students with disabilities through its processes, ASUO Chief of Staff Casey Edwards said that there are no specific policies written in place for accessibility purposes.

“We have done a lot of work regarding accessibility. We change policies and procedures to allow students more access and accommodations. [However], we want something more set in stone and long-lasting,” Edwards said.

In addition to problems with the budget process, the AASU was unable to receive an office space in the EMU from 2008-2014 because it lacked accessible spaces for the group. In March 2014, AASU was approved for space in the Multicultural Center, which is currently accessible to all students, and will be able to move into the office after remodeling of the EMU is complete.

But although the EMU may fit “the letter of the law” of the American Disabilities Act — the law that requires public buildings to be accessible for people with disabilities — Pewewardy said it is much more difficult for institutions to fit “the spirit of the law” because some portions of the EMU, such as the Mills Center, are not actually accessible.

Senator Quinn Haaga says that the senate initially planned to pass a resolution to help accommodate students with disabilities with ASUO affairs and commit to universal design on campus to increase accessibility. However, resolutions are only temporary and any subsequent senate body is not required to adhere to past resolutions.

In order to create more lasting, permanent change, Edwards said passing a ballot measure that changes the Green Tape Notebook, the bylaws by which ASUO operates, would bind future student bodies to commit to making the UO more accessible for students.

With the AASU and ASUO working together, Haaga is optimistic that they will be able to make lasting change through this measure.

“[Nocona and I] both want to see change in the university and she has the framework to make that happen,” Haaga said.

Pewewardy said the UO prides itself on being inclusive, but that its pride “is often a barrier to structural changes that would bring the UO more [aligned] with ideals…used to recruit students.”

Although the groups have not yet finalized the measure, Pewewardy said the measure will be a huge step forward for the UO.

“If students pass a ballot measure in support of universal design, we will create an example for UO administration and academic departments [to] provide a foundation for our successors to build from to a make UO’s pride a more authentic experience for students,” Pewewardy said.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the AASU was still searching for a permanent office and that the Multicultural Center is not accessible to all students. Neither of these statements are true. The AASU was approved for an office in the Multicultural Center in March 2014, and that will open after remodeling at the EMU. The Multicultural Center is currently accessible to all students during the EMU remodel.

ASUO senators Max Burns, Hannah Thompson, Tess Mor, Evan Roth and Keegan Williams-Thomas will be serving as the five student members in the University of Oregon Senate this term, a rare opportunity at any school. Although the senators said they are excited to represent students at the meetings, some have acknowledged a lack of engagement between the student body and the UO’s legislative body.

According to the University Senate web page, the composition of the governing body is unique because it is one of the few senates to include students, who became part of the body when it ratified its constitution 2011. ASUO senators are responsible for advocating on behalf of students during discussions.

Being in a room filled with professors “can be a little intimidating at first,” Roth said. However, he added that it is very easy to talk to them during discussions.

“University senate […] is one of the only entities where students and faculty can have [a] legitimate dialogue over pieces of legislation that will actually affect the university,” Roth said.

Although Roth is excited to have the opportunity to represent students and their opinions to faculty, he said there is a lack of student knowledge about university senate, other legislative bodies and how it affects them.

Williams-Thomas said students should take an interest in the senate because “it is a major part of how things are run, how things change or stay the same.”

Recently, the senate has made several changes to the university’s sexual misconduct policy and proposed new academic programs.

“[Students] need to shape and talk about what our school should look like. As a student body, we have a great deal of power and a voice that is under utilized,” Williams-Thomas said.

However, Burns said there are issues and policies presented at senate meetings that have very little impact on students. In recent meetings, the senate discussed information technology security policy and Service Employees International Union policies.

“It’s really hard for students to contribute to conversations about [issues like those] because there are a lot of things that we have no control over,” Burns said.

Along with the lack of student knowledge of the senate, other problems plague the senate, which makes it difficult to progress.

Burns said the senate is backlogged with out-of-date policies spanning several decades as a result of the Oregon University System, which was disbanded last July. As a result, the senate must review each policy and decide which ones the senate is going to repeal or revise.

Another issue is that discussion is limited to academic-related issues. While most topics naturally center on academics, other issues — such as campus safety and law enforcement on campus — often do not receive the same attention. 

“[Restricting discussion to academic issues] limits the scope of the conversation,” Burns said.

Despite this, the senate has been more focused on creating policies to better the university this term, as opposed to past terms when it moved slower, Roth said.

“University Senate’s dialogue has been more driven and has been a priority to ensure that things are actually getting done,” Roth said.

UO School of Law Dean Michael Moffitt has decided to resign as dean effective July 1, 2017.

According to Moffitt’s message to the law school community, he decided to step down “after considerable soul-searching” and concluded that “the time is right” to find new leadership.

“It has been my great honor to serve as Dean … I am proud of many of the things we have accomplished over the last five years,” Moffitt wrote. “There is still much to do, but it is clear to me that we are headed in the right direction.”

According to Provost Scott Coltrane’s memo, Moffitt will return to his faculty role which he has held since joining the law school in 2001.

“His leadership of the law school will be truly missed. While this is a tremendous loss to the university, his decision to continue his faculty role will ultimately benefit our law school students and the discipline of law,” Coltrane wrote.

Moffit became dean in 2011.

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

Senators finalizing housing resolution language, possible vote next week

Senators Max Burns, Andrew Dunn and Zach Rentschler have continued working on the housing resolution that was introduced last week.

The senators have been working on the resolution’s language and what the senate can do about the issue, Rentschler said.

Dunn spoke with President Michael Schill, who studied housing policy. Despite affordable options in Eugene, the school still plans to renovate Bean and Hamilton halls to implement mandatory housing.

Burns says that the university is pursuing this policy because students who live on campus do better academically and are more likely graduate within four years.

However, the senators are against the policy because it reduces affordability for students. Burns will be speaking with University Housing Director, Michael Griffel about the policy next week.

Rentschler says the group is working to finish the resolution by next week’s meeting to vote on it.

ASUO Senate granted a total $7,966 to four student groups

The Women’s Center requested $5,053 from surplus and $6,098 from its internal budget to cover an increased salary for its new director. Current director Erin McGladrey said the increase is important for the hiring process.

The Women’s Center said the current director is underpaid compared to the median salary range of directors at other schools and needs to be paid more, according to the Dean of Students.

The increase will bring the director’s salary from $47,000 to $49,000.

Senate passed the request with 19 “yes,” zero “no” and two abstained votes.  

Senate unanimously passed a $1,709 request for Graduate Evolutionary Biology and Ecology Students. GREBES plans to bring three well-known speakers in the science community to campus during its Spring Seminar Series about “de-extinction.”

The seminar will discuss current research involving bringing extinct animals back to life.

Senate granted $900 for the Asian Culture Communication Association to host its first photograph exhibition. The group will display photographs taken by students on Feb. 5.

Senate also passed Circle K International’s request of $304 to send two members to a conference in Oregon Feb. 12. A speaker from the group said the conference will help leadership roles grow.

Divided senate denies returning student group’s request

Divisi came back to the senate seeking a reimbursement for its Winter Gala after its request was tabled last week due to an unclear formality.

The senate was divided over the fundraising nature of the event, which surplus funds cannot be used for.

ASUO Advisor Becky Girvan said Senate can vote either way on the request without the Green Tape Notebook, the bylaws by which the senate operates.

While senator Quinn Haaga was in favor of the request, senator Abel Cerros said he was uncomfortable provide funds for a fundraising event.

The senate did not approve the request with 10 “yes,” 11 “no” and zero abstained votes.

2016 – 2017 budgets nearing finalization

All four of the committees — Program Finance Committee, Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee, Department Finance Committee, and the EMU Board — have finished their hearings for their 2016 – 2017 budget ahead of their Jan. 29 deadline.

ACFC is expecting a 0.6 percent decrease in its budget and the senate will vote on each of the committee budgets on Feb. 13.

During a presentation on Jan. 26, LeAnn Gutierrez, a candidate for the executive director position at the University Health Center, presented her vision of success to a crowd of about 50 staff members of the UHC.

With the University of Oregon’s health services ranked 13 in the nation, according to the Princeton Review, Gutierrez praised the quality of the UHC’s care and said she will push to make it even greater.

She said that the UO’s health center has a “great reputation” and the teams are “first-class.” Gutierrez has collaborated with several UO representatives about ideas that she could implement at the University of Texas at Austin, where she currently works as its associate director of its health center.

Gutierrez said her first priority would be building trust among staff to “work together toward a shared vision” for the health center.

In order to build that trust, Gutierrez plans to create a supportive learning environment at the UHC and have leadership that “actively listens to staff and has a willingness to consider alternate viewpoints.”

Throughout her presentation, she focused maintaining the “culture of excellence that is already here” and creating greater staff input and recognition.

Gutierrez said higher education is known for being a “silo” — segmented and isolated from other resources on campus. However, she wants to change that by having staff look to other resources on campus and from inside the health center to improve the quality of care that the it provides.

“We forget that we’re not alone on campus. We need to increase on-campus collaboration,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez also wants to increase student participation through employment and make the UHC more accessible.

The UO’s commitment to cultural competency was one factor that influenced her decision to apply for the position because she believed that was something UT Austin lacked.

The executive director is responsible for the overall administration of the UHC. The director also provides a vision for the center, strategic planning, maintaining resources and serves as its spokesperson.

The second candidate, Shannon Millington, will present her vision for the University Health Center on Jan. 29 at the Gerlinger Lounge from 8-9 a.m.

Fahma Mohammed lived in Happy Valley, Oregon, where she was one of only 20 black students and five Muslim students at a high school of over 3,000. Her first term at the University of Oregon was a culture shock, but not for the reason one would expect.

During her time at UO, she joined the Black Student Union, African Student Association and the Muslim Student Association — opportunities she never had before.

“I wanted to be part of a student group where I’m not a minority anymore,” Mohammed said.

However, not every black student’s experience has been like Mohammed’s.

Black students have a rougher time adjusting to college than their white peers, according to a survey by the Jed Foundation and the Steve Fund. Forty-one percent of black students consider transferring during their first term, as opposed to only 23 percent of white students — almost twice as many.

At the UO, 1.9 percent of students identify as black. Black faculty only comprise 1.4 percent of all tenured faculty, which lags behind the nationwide average of 4.6 percent, according to the US Department of Education.

Black students and faculty often feel alienated and unsupported.

Illustration by Mary Vertulfo.

For Shaniece Curry, external director of the Black Women of Achievement and member of the Black Student Task Force, walking into a lecture hall where nearly all of the students are white is “ostracizing and discouraging.”

“It sends a message … that black students are less deserving and less qualified to receive higher education. That, in itself, can take a psychological toll on someone,” Curry said.

Charise Cheney, associate professor of ethnic studies, says the main problem today is that people are taught the idea of color blindness, that they should not see color and that everyone is the same. Although color blindness may seem to fit the idea of equality, it becomes easy to ignore the struggles people have because of their ethnicity.

Cheney says that black students and faculty constantly confront stereotypes. People picture them coming from ghettos, being uneducated, aggressive and part of a culture heavily influenced by hip-hop and rap.

“[Black] students on campus have to constantly deal with feeling underestimated — that they are less intelligent than others, or that they’re only here because of affirmative action or because they’re athletes,” Cheney said.

Cheney says that in her ethnic studies 101 class, white students are visibly uncomfortable when the topic of institutional racism comes up. They roll their eyes, and sometimes argue that racism is no longer a problem today.

“When we talk about racism, [students] feel like the faculty is pointing a finger at [them],” Cheney said.

Illustration by Mary Vertulfo.

Yvette Alex-Assensoh, vice president for equity and inclusion, says it is a fallacy to believe that people can stop seeing race because it has always been a central issue in the United States since the arrival of the pilgrims to today.

Alex-Assensoh argues that people should celebrate their differences instead. Acknowledging  differences can help some understand what others experience due to their race.

“Our differences add to our strengths. They make us stronger. They help us to become better people,” Alex-Assensoh said.

Despite pushing to recruit more faculty of color, the UO struggles to keep them. In the past seven years, the UO has had the lowest percentage of faculty of color in the nation’s top 62 research universities, and ranked the lowest among the 34 public schools in the group between 2005 and 2012.

Cheney says that working in a school lacking diversity can feel unwelcoming and hostile.

Cheney’s experience at the university has been overwhelmingly positive since she started in 2009, because the ethnic studies department is more diverse compared to other departments on campus.

However, Cheney says her experience would be different if she were in any other department.

“For some people, it’s a challenging place to be. I know for a fact if I had to be in a different department, my self-satisfaction on the job would not be as high,” Cheney said.

Jaleel Reed, a third-year graduate student and member of the BSTF, says the faculty at the school “has demonstrated a lack of cultural competency” — an understanding of cultural differences.

“[Faculty and administrators] fail to mediate conversations that stem from racial injustice from the classroom or conversations … specifically about racial injustice,” Reed said.

Reed says increasing black faculty is essential to supporting black students. Black faculty provide mentorship for students who feel like they are misunderstood and have experiences that are relatable to those of black students.

Students from the Black Student Union, the Black Student Task Force and Black Women of Achievement showed their respect for the legacy and advocacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 18 in Eugene. Photo by Amanda Shigeoka.

At Monday’s Martin Luther King Day March, Senior Vice President Scott Coltrane said the administration has created several committees to address the list of demands presented by the BSTF in November. In addition to the committees, the Division of Equity and Inclusion is also scheduling more campus conversations, similar to the one held in November, “to learn about different cultures.”

“We hope to not only create a healthier campus community, but also contribute to a Eugene where everyone feels safe and supported,” Coltrane said.

Curry, a leading member of the BSTF, urged students, faculty and administrators to take action and do more than just talk about the issues.

“Are you going to march with us, or are you going to write these eloquent speeches? I just ask that your words become action,” Curry said.

Patrice Bishop-Fisher, a law student who has felt alienated in the school’s MBA program, argues that the administration does not understand what students are experiencing. She feels like the administration is tackling nonessential issues first, like the renaming of Deady Hall, and says recent campus talks will not lead to substantial progress.

“I wish these discussions made me feel like things are going to change,” Bishop-Fisher said. “It doesn’t matter if they rename Deady Hall. It won’t change my experience in the MBA program.”

In order to solve the racial issues on campus and color blindness, Bishop-Fisher says that it is necessary for people to self-reflect and notice what they say and do.

“It’s hard to face the prejudices that you have. Nobody wants to be the villain of the story,” Bishop-Fisher said.

Fahma Mohammed, a black student quoted in this story, worked for the Emerald for one term in spring 2014 as a news reporter.

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