So this weekend I took one of those SAPP (Substance Abuse Prevention Program) seminars that seem to be a requirement for graduating seniors who need just a couple more upper-division credits.  This weekend’s topic was hate crimes.

 Anyway, at the end of the seminar the speaker opened up the floor to those students on campus who wanted to speak out against hate.

 A girl two seats away from me raised her hand and said, “Last fall the Oregon Commentator published an issue where they called girls ’scrunts’.”

 In the fall of 2006 the Commentator defined a “scrunt” as: “A female, typically a freshman.  Generally a scrunt lacks a father figure and is extremely susceptible to peer pressure and persuasion.  Scrunt is something that one rustles.  ’Hey dude, let’s go dorm stormin’ and rustle up some scrunt.’”

I don’t know what she was so upset about.  I mean she’s been carrying this around with her for two years.  It must have really affected her.  I’m just going to do the responsible thing here and blame Ted.  Why?  Because it’s fun to rile up Ted. 

Take Back the Campus was what it was. I’m a little embarrassed at my own ignorance of the situation; I thought it would be more of an open forum. Silly me. It was obvious that a lot of work went into this. But just because one works hard doesn’t mean the results will be good. There were numerous petitions made, cameras, Zane Kesey was there, many (so many!) student presenters and the rest of the works. Yet, not much was accomplished with all these resources.

There were about 100 students who attended. I figure at least half were ASUO insiders and about half of the rest left half-way through. Some of the speakers were good, some were not. Depending upon the audience, some ideas were good and some were not. All together the forum informed maybe 25 students about issues that have been in the newspapers for weeks and months.

When it was all said and done, there was one dissenting voice. When the presentations were over and it opened up to “an open forum,” Ryan McCarrel asked to use the podium. In the past few weeks, he has been creating discussion via e-mails with political science students about apathy. He had a prepared statement, which he was not allowed to finish, about the need for change. Now imagine the irony of it all. On the chalk board “MAKE CHANGE” was written huge and “APATHY” with a slash through it was there too. McCarrel spoke about the problem of widespread apathy within the student body, and the desperate need for a change to better the student body as a whole. Sen. Nate Gulley yelled out “bullshit”. Sen. Patrick Boye interrupted to call out the Oregon Commentator (not sure why; we hadn’t said anything). It was obvious that those in charge did not want to have a discussion about change or apathy. They wanted to finish their job and go home.

Here is the speech that McCarrel didn’t get to finish. (more…)

After a 15 minute discussion about whether or not to have a discussion, followed by recess, and then another discussion – with three motions made to get the heck out of there in the mean time, two rescinded – the ASUO Senate finally decided to have a discussion about the resignation of Senate Vice President Donnie Kim. (more…)

I can’t say I’m surprised by the ruling of the ASUO Con Court to not void the minutes of the June 13 Senate meeting. If you’re just joining us here on As The ASUO Turns, no minutes were taken of the meeting, but were scrapped together in an unorthodox and seemingly illegal fashion. The Con Court beings its opinion by explaining “this Court finds that meeting in question was held in violation of OPML,” then tells why it will allow for it.   (more…)

Ted’s been talking about job hunting lately, since he’s graduated or some BS like that. Contextual evidence proved that today when someone called from the Gallup Poll and sounded JUST. LIKE. HIM

I know you fed me some story about some job, but you really didn’t have to lie that it wasn’t a phone calling job…really, it’s fine, man. Gotta make money somehow. :-P

What’s the second-worst thing about 7 hour long Senate meetings? The bars are closed by the time you get done.

What’s the worst thing about 7 hour long Senate meetings? The fact that Senate is “working” the whole time.

Last night, the Senate spent $835,784 of misappropriated money in about 7 hours. That’s about $120,000 per hour, and about $2,000 per minute. Oh yes, and they were making up the process as they went along.

Quite the accomplishment. (more…)