OSPIRG Zero-funded
It is my pleasure to report that OSPIRG may be no more. In a unanimous vote tonight, the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee canceled OSPIRG’s contract, completely defunding the group.
The ACFC’s budget must still be unanimously approved by the ASUO Senate, but even if the Senate rejects the budget, it doesn’t have the power to write or modify contracts *. For the moment, it would appear that OSPIRG is dead in the water.
OSPIRG was given another opportunity to present its case tonight, and members said they were presenting new information. On further questioning, though, one OSPIRG member was forced to admit that their presentation was “a different perspective on the same information.”
One presenter claimed that the ASUO would see a 1,300 percent return on its “investment” of $120,000. It was a little redundant when he then started a sentence by saying, “Now, I’m no economist, but …”
The ACFC first motioned to approve OSPIRG for a $27,866 budget, but the committee could not get clear answers on how that would affect the group.
The ACFC continually pressed the group to explain exactly how their budget would be affected by the cut and what services they could still provide, but OSPIRG waffled every time. When ACFC member and Senate President Alex McCafferty asked for a “yes, no or maybe” answer on whether or not a campus organizer could still be provided for $27,000, one of the presenters said they would have to talk to the OSPIRG board of directors.
This is what caused the committee to vote down its original proposal and later motion for a zero-percent budget.
The room was split between OSPIRG supporters and detractors (left to right, coincidentally). ASUO Executive Sam Dotters-Katz spoke out against the group several times throughout the hearing.
“The issue that I have is not the good things they do for the world,” Dotters-Katz said. “But the purpose of the Incidental fee is not to save the world. It’s to improve the experience of students on campus.”
Department Finance Committee member Brendan Good had strong words for OSPIRG as well, saying “a pig is still a pig, anyway you look out.” (He handed out flyers earlier that said OSPIRG wasn’t kosher. Get it?)
Several ASUO Senators spoke against the group also, such as Derek Nix and Demic Tipitino. Tipitino recommended that OSPIRG be completely defunded and return next year to apply as an ASUO program. (Programs are required to have strict, line-item budget.)
On the other side, Jesse Hough, who ran for ASUO vice-president last year, said that defunding OSPIRG would silence students. Actually, his exact words were, “You’re tearing out my larynx here!”
Former ASUO Senator Diego Hernandez, displaying his trademark wit and tact, also told Dotters-Katz to “shut up” at one point and later went on to accuse several in the room of sexism (for disagreeing with a female OSPIRG supporter, presumably).
All the cries of “student empowerment” and sexism were for naught, though. After about an hour and a half of hearing speakers, the ACFC called the vote to question. ACFC member Tina Snodgrass, after a moment of deliberation, gave the final “aye” for a vote of 4-0-0.
It’s unclear how this will all play out, but kudos to the ACFC for taking a firm stand against the unethical practices of OSPIRG. We’ve been for fighting for this for a long time, and I hope this is truly the end of OSPIRG at the University of Oregon. Until that last nail is finally in the coffin, though, you can count on the Oregon Commentator to keep you updated.
*Senate President and ACFC member Alex McCafferty, in a comment below, says this isn’t the case. I’m assuming then that the ACFC budget must only pass a majority vote by Senate.
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[…] that reason, the ASUO Senate voted to defund the OSPIRG chapter at U. Oregon just a few weeks ago. OSPIRG isn’t just a bad egg, either; […]
Jesus.
In the words of the immortal Ric Flair…WOO!
former senator Ryan Castro = piggy
He was tossed off the cliff after like 2 meetings
New Polls just in:
Dotters-Katz Approval Rating: 23% approve of his policies, 12% disapprove, the rest don’t know who he is
Delashaw: 5% approve of his facial hair, 34% disapprove, the rest thought it was a continuation of his chest hair
Miller: 100% don’t give a fuck
Kallaway: 76% say she should drop out of the race, 9% find her nose attractive
Daily Emerald: 3% read pages 1-5, 84% only pick it up for the sudoku, and 10% have only seen it on the floor of the Knight Library restrooms.
Sara Hamilton: 95% qualify her as psychotic, 4% remember her in their dorm room last year, and 1% thought she was Asian.
Piggy = David Griffin nick Schultz’s chief of staff
Noor wrote: “The U of O reminds me of Lord of the Flies.”
I think Senate would be way more awesome if they used the conch shell instead of Robert’s Rules of Order.
P.S. Who gets to be Piggy?
I think I know who that is……….the legend.
Zach,
That was the first thing you wrote that i laughed at.
William
It looks like my brilliant “OSPIGG” brand is starting to stick. Now that is a “legacy gift”
The U of O reminds me of Lord of the Flies…
Kallaway should drop out of the race. That was a warning shot
cb
but it’s still a pig
Enough.
Me and carina miller are proud to announce our engagement!
Political marriage bitches!!!!!
We wanna win, and we are willing to be double tokens.
I am token white guy, she is token student of color
Andy – That’s programs, not contracts. Contracts are different.
Kallway. You can put lipstick on a pig…
Well, it’s kind of nice to hear about those slick campaigns, my moneys on Fink. Fink has the strongest pull from the Greeks and the music school. Those combined should give Fink and his beautiful VP running mate Sasha Williams a real shot to win this thing outright.
If not Fink, then I think that Hough will use the cursed OSPIRG to his advantage and rally some hippy support, I would recommend running on an anti arena/pro OSPIRG thing.
CJ sounds like the underdog, but if OSPIRG got cut then anything is possible.
Andy, different bitch. OSPRIG was a contracted organization not a student group. The ASUO simply decided not to renew OSPRIG’s contract.
Which is why it is likely we’ll see OSPRIG back before we know it. They’ll just sign a new contract next year.
Good riddance.
Hey.
Emma Kallaway is like Rod Blagojevich. As Blagojevich appointed Burris while facing impeachment hearings, Kallaway will be running for the ASUO Presidency while violating 8 ASUO rules.
STEP DOWN EMMA: you are a corrupt official.
sam is on drugs
I would also like to announce my candidacy. I am running as Carina Miller’s vice president. I know we disagree on…well everything, but I can’t help but associate myself with a white-hating brainless scumbag like Carina Miller. If Emma Kallaway thinks her white ass can come in and tokenalize the Bsu vice president well guess what… Lidiana Soto is with us!!! That’s right, the short racist radical anarchist brainless beezir lidiana is with us! She is good at playing the race card to make up for having no mind of her own. So we basically own the union vote.
Miller / Gower 09…. Hypocracy you can count on
Or…
Miller / Gower 09… We whine louder than the rest
Or…
Miller / Gower 09…. We hate white people(besides nick)
Or…
Miller / Gower 09…. Because you couldn’t vote for anyone worse
Or…
Miller /Gower 09… Because Steve morozumi needs a new Fanny Pack
Last night I overheard my friends talking, here are the latest campaigns for asuo executive:
Kallaway/gestacho
Fink/Williams
Gower/miller
Schultz/soto
Hough/gillespe
Sam dk/weintraub
Polk/Rosenberg
Cj/thunderlove
The phantom
Just thought you should know…
I thought there was a rule about not defunding programs more than 10%/yr? Is that bitch a different beast than the OC?
OC is racist and sexist, it is clear the ACFC fucking blows. The executive makes my blood boil because they are rich white boys.
That being said I would like to announce my candidacy for ASUO office, for ASUO President.
That being said, the elections board are a bunch of racist sexists too!
I saw asuo officer tom bode at snafu the other night with feet that flopped over those dark purple heals he was wearing. His glistening red lips under that twilight disco ball made my tight jean buttons snap. excited? yes.
Why not put a brick down in the heart of campus? It’d be cheaper that way, and everyone can dance on it. 😀
Build a memorial/grave for OSPIGG on campus please. Students who have kept more of their money and are loaded can dance there. The weather today is undeniable proof that OSPIGG attempts to change the temperature of the planet were futile. Remaining OSPIGG funds should be stuffed into a pig-shaped pinata that blind folded students can attack with a machete.
So now OSPIRG is at LCC, SOU and OSU-cascades…is that a state wide organization? Or a collection of shitty schools? Seriously asking the question…
Those OSPIRG kids didn’t think Sam was a puppet, they looked broken hearted after he spoke…good work sam!
This is a good deal and I approve, but I wouldn’t call this a death blow.
I hate to be a cynic, but OSPRIG will jump right back into the ASUO feeding trough. This year is a outlier for the ASUO and is not likely to repeat itself. Next year there will be a new president, who is more likely than not going to be heavily affiliated with OSPRIG/student unions.
OSPRIG will ask for money and they’ll give it to them. Probably more. Case in point:
In 1998, the Honesty campaign (organized mainly by OC Jonathan Collegio) forced the funding of OSPRIG to a popular student vote, OSPRIG lost (55% -45%) and was not funded. The very next school year the ASUO refunded the group completely.
The UO was without OSPRIG for about 6 months.
It is my understanding that former senate president athan papailiou was the chief architect behind this defunding. Sam dotters katz is merely a puppet on drugs.
Just… wow. Really brilliant stuff.
Excellent Work!Good to hear that fiscal accountability is still alive on the campus.
So…is the PIG dead?
VICTORY?
Yes, a simple majority vote to approve the ACFC final budget.
Excellent job by all that spoke up, and Diego Hernandez really needs to have himself beaten into unconsciousness for being a complete and utter douchebag.
“Even if we had 20,000 students gathered in the amphitheater, they would not hear our voice in Salem!” –Jesse Hough, during the “rip out my larynx” speech.
ah, esteemed wisdom…
Thanks, Alex. So the ACFC budget just has to pass by a regular majority vote of the Senate?
Actually, the ASUO Senate does not need a unanimous vote to approve the ACFC budget. The Senate would need a unanimous vote if they decided to decrease a Major Funded Program budget (PFC, ACFC) 25% or more, however OSPIRG is a Traditionally Funded Program, which means a decrease of 25% or more only requires the unanimous vote of the finance committee.
Also I am the Senate President in addition to a ACFC member. I usually would not care but ACFC Member just sounds so bland!
But without an earth there would be no campus, maaaa-aaaan.
Awesome!