According to ASUO President Emma Kallaway’s grievance response, the ASUO has signed its contract with Lane Transit District for the coming year. That means student ID cards will continue to serve as bus passes. It’s not like anyone expected that wouldn’t be the case, but Kallaway received some bad press for not answering e-mails from LTD and former ASUO Transportation Policy Adviser Nick Schillaci.
The LTD contract and transportation issues in general were also the most written about ASUO topic of the 2008-2009 academic year. So if a contract was finalized, why not tell a reporter? As Monday’s column noted, Kallaway has not been the subject a positive story yet, and few are even neutral. Touting a win on buses, even when everyone knew it was coming, is the way this game works. It’s news when Congress passes a piece of legislation that is important to a president’s agenda; it’s still news when the president has the bill signing ceremony, even though we all knew he would sign the bill.
That’s what media management is about. The more space filled with “Emma gives you buses,” the less space available for future grievance fodder. Paging Curtis Haley.