Last night, I composed a finely balanced, hard-hitting, insightful and mildly lyrical 700-word blog about Thursday’s PFC meeting. At 1 a.m., with a triumphant thrust of my fist, I clicked “publish” on a Journalism lab computer, only to be greeted by a snippy little error message and the realization that I had just lost an hour and a half’s worth of toil. For the rather uncouth and obscure string of profanities, I apologize to the guy with the Ducks baseball cap who was toiling over a page layout at the time. I was amazed this morning when I awoke without a rope around my neck.
That kind of mishap has restricted my updates this weekend, and I’m sorry because this week was one of the most eventful during my time reporting on the ASUO. So, I hope to make what follows a recurring feature: the ten biggest talking points in the ASUO this week.
- Transportation fee: Will it happen? Won’t it? The Oregon University System’s board blocked ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz’s proposal to enact the fee this week, but what I’ve heard recently is that he managed to turn them around. Dotters-Katz has said the issue will define his presidency, but its potential effects are probably even more widespread–it could mean cuts across the board for contracted services.
- OSPIRG: Dotters-Katz wants the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group gone. Considering that the entire ACFC, which will vote on whether to keep the contract, ran for office with Dotters-Katz, it’s tempting to consider them dead in the water. But the activist left on campus is going to put up a fight.
- OSA and USSA conferences: Unfortunately, the headline on my article about the subject is a little innaccurate, since the budget has only been recalled, not fully revised. That means Dotters-Katz and ASUO Sen. Carina Miller are going to face off over it at the recall hearing, probably backed up by ton after ton of ASUO honchos.
- Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit: Though there are proposals on the table, nobody actually knows what will happen to all the money–it’s waiting on other things, but it’s looming.
- Election season begins next week: Everybody I’ve talked to about it has predicted huge participation this year.
- Bye Bye New York Times: It looks like one thing that’s definitely going to be lost in the ACFC’s cramming.
- Child Care Subsidy: A charming little girl playing with her lunchbox in the hearing room did much to win CCS much of the PFC’s growth funding.
- Perley grievance peters out: You should have seen the relieved smile on the ASUO Treasurer’s face.
- ASUO Senate bake sale: Scandal! Emma Kallaway sold store-bought cookies.
- Tyler Scandalios on KWVA: Lyzi, CJ and I were glad to have the ASUO’s most quotable senator on with us, especially because of the grace with which he talked about his favorite campus toilet. Please give us your votes for next week’s guest so we can disregard them.
Next week looks to be a time. A friend of mine said I could increase interest in the ASUO, and thus my own writing, by putting silly pictures on this page. Here goes:
