Why are you running in the ASUO Elections?

Hello, my name is Mei Mei (they/them) and I am running in the ASUO election because we are an educational institution, thus education must be the first priority. Unfortunately, the current UO is operating as a corporation that detracts from that priority. First, departments are being defunded, and professors increasingly lose freedom over their syllabi, leading to a decline in the quality of education that we are receiving. Second, the barriers to being a student exponentially rise; attacks to DEI, increase in tuition and cost of living, and meager resources to combat the problems arising in a rapidly more threatening political climate are making education far more difficult then it needs to be for women, people of color, transgender people, people with disabilities, immigrants, and other minoritized groups. Third, our university not only relies on the expertise of our professors, but rests on the backs of student workers, who deserve to be recognized for their hard work, free from harassment, discrimination, and compensated fairly for their labor. I believe that student government should strive for minimizing all of these barriers that prevent students from succeeding.

As one of the most front facing parts of ASUO, how do you plan on making these interactions as positive as possible for students?

As one of the most front facing parts of ASUO, I plan on making these interactions as positive as possible for students by applying my own experience as an student organization leader. I am currently Production Editor of the Student Insurgent, as well as President of Chinese Banzhang, and from these positions I have learned that the most muddled aspect of ASUO for a student organization leader is how many different parts there are, and the lack of clarity of which part functions as what, and what sorts of limits there will be with the endeavors I have for my organizations. I will strive to make these processes as transparent as possible, with written step-by-step instructions on how to actually achieve both the menial tasks, and the grand visions that students organizations may have.

Is there a particular ASUO funded service or organization (or multiple) that you are passionate about and hope to work with? Why?

I am passionate about working with student activist organizations, specifically those affiliated with ROAR Center (Radical Organizing Activism Resource Center), and the supported initiatives (e.g. BDS; medicated abortion on campus; accessible HRT on campus; the labor union; the SSWANA center; liberation of Congolese, Palestinian, and Sudanese peoples; and the flourishing of unimpeded radical thought). I also am interested in supporting this campus’ AAPI groups and emphasizing solidarity that the radical left must extend to cultural organizations, and the well rooted place that Asian American communities have had in US history and politics.