*Check out her shady campaign website on which she instructs students how to vote on the ballot measures !

Name

Katie Taylor

Year in School

4th Year

Major

Planning, Public Policy and Management

Hometown

Queenstown, Maryland.

Tell us your slate, ever so briefly. And more importantly, provide a succinct yet compelling set of sentences that aim to rationally persuade us to adhere to it.

The Katie & Alex slate is a diverse set of passionate students with proactive plans to empower and advocate for students. This is our school, it only makes sense that we get what we want out of it and that our voices are heard in the decisions that matter to us, from the cost of our education to campus sustainability to fairly representing all communities on campus.

 Which inadequacy or injustice at the UO keeps you up at night the most? How do you plan to remedy this?

 I think whenever students don’t have a voice in the issues that affect them that’s not right and it’s problem. Students can and should take the lead on this campus. They should lead the EMU/SRC renovation project. Students of color should lead any changes within CMAE. Students should take the lead on addressing the cost of our education. Students should take the lead in bringing back anonymous report forms to protect survivors of sexual assault.  I will reach out to every student who has not had a voice on campus and dedicate my time to making sure their voice is heard.

 Without listing experience, what’s so special about you anyway? Why are you doing this?

What’s special about me is that I have the good fortune to be part of this amazing student body. And what’s special about them? You name it. There are so many different kinds of people from so many back grounds who are passionate and engaged  and looking for something more out of their time here and looking to give back to their campus community. I do this for them. I have had the privilege this year of working with so many awesome students on a wide array of issues. I want to keep building student voice around these issues so we can start making some real changes for everybody.

Students have found that ASUO elections rouse a kind of futile discourse consisting of many “empty promises.” To quote Shakespeare, candidate promises truly sound like “much ado about nothing.” Obviously there’s a lot to be done at the UO, but let’s not forget how short an executive term is. Slates aside, what are your principal, feasible priorities?

I will prioritize funding for student groups and programs. I will help address the cost of our education by bringing student voices to Salem and Washington DC to fight for more higher education and financial aid funding.  Furthermore, I will work with administration to bring down the cost of the EMU/SRC renovation project—I’ve been in enough meetings to know that it can be done. Reinstating anonymous report forms is another  attainable victory that will greatky improve student lives. I also will continue to be an ally to students of color as they fight for transparency in the transition from OMAS to CMAE. Finally, I will keep pressing the State Board of Higher Education to keep guns and tasers off of this police force.

 Although the ASUO is one of the most established student governments in the country, a majority of the UO student body remains apathetic (and annoyed) during elections. If you could speak to these apathetic students in particular, what would you tell them?

There’s a lot of rhetoric thrown around on campus through various means that I think disempowers students. They don’t believe that they can or should fight for an affordable education, or a sustainable campus, or for social justice. That rhetoric is wrong and it’s a lie. Students can do so much. We have the power—this is our school. It’s your choice whether to care or not, but if someone tells you not to care, don’t listen. They aren’t leaders.

 And now for the most pressing of inquiries: As you may or may not know, we’re all about the booze here at the Commentator. If you could have a drink with anyone, who would it be and what would you be drinking? Be very specific.

 One of the most important leaders of the twentieth century and perhaps the most influential woman in the civil rights movement, Ella Baker. We would drink red wine, something modest and inexpensive.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 5th, 2012 at 07:46 by Hailey and is filed under Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.