The new ASUO logo (thanks to Conrad Hulen).

The ASUO has been working hard on re-branding itself lately, specifically with a new logo (in case you were wondering, the tree is an Oregon White Oak). Aesthetically, the logo is leaps and bounds ahead of the terrible one the student government has been using since the Teapot-Dome scandal.

At tonight’s PCM (Programs Council Meeting) the ASUO announced that it is considering new rules for student programs that would require any documents–like fliers and posters–to carry the new logo. ASUO Programs Administrator Conrad Hulen described the branding effort, “As a way to show the 22,000 students here on campus that the student government is more than just an office and the executive and the budget committee. It’s all of you–the students.”

Hulen also described the ASUO’s reasoning for wanting the logo placed on all student program’s printed documents, “It’s going to be a way to tell people that this activity, program or event is in some way I-Fee funded.”

It should be pointed out that the ASUO is including all of its programs into the discussion about the new logo and future rules relating to its usage. When I raised the question regarding publications, it wasn’t immediately clear whether or not that had been entered into the discussion. I proposed that although the goal of informing students that a publication may be funded by the I-Fee, a logo could be misinterpreted rather easily by readers.

For example, in both the Commentator and the Emerald (two institutions that receive I-Fee funding) there is often criticism of ASUO officials or decisions. If publications were to carry the logo, it may seem to some readers that publications are endorsing the decisions of the ASUO instead of merely being funded by them. In turn, that could raise questions of independence for either paper.

I suggested instead that publications inform readers that they are I-Fee funded with a simple sentence (probably located in their masthead). ASUO President Emma Kallaway seemed amiable to the idea of a compromise, “I think that a sentence informing students of [a publication’s] I-Fee funding would be a good compromise [instead of a logo],” she said.

The Commentator‘s mission statement already includes just such a sentence but come time for the rules to go into effect other publications may have to adopt such a sentence as well. Several ASUO senators I spoke with seemed to affirm that the administration had already decided not to force publications to don the logo within their pages, which should come as some relief to our colleagues down the hall.

If you have a concern about the logo, the ASUO will be holding open forums throughout the term and seem more than open to ideas about the logo’s usage.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 17:29 by D and is filed under ASUO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.