Commentary

Stupid is as Stacey Does

Is it plugged in? This simple question could have saved us all.

"A monkey could have run the computers." If only this were true. In a weak attempt to pass on her mantle of incompetence, Stacey "I was unconscious at the time" Harding, former Elections Coordinator for the ASUO, told the Emerald that her job was so simple that even a monkey could have worked in her place. More importantly, we know that 1,000 monkeys typing on 1,000 typewriters given an infinite amount of time could have typed out her job description. Fortunately, we have the ASUO Executive for that.

Unfortunately, Harding's former job was and is important, even if she herself is not. Her lack of leadership ability, her inadequate plan for the Elections, and her disregard for her own job description culminated in her absence during the actual elections, and resulted in the worst voter turnout for the Primary elections in recent memory.

The computers to which Harding dismissively referred were supposed to be used in poll booths to verify that voters were students. The plan was to have students bring their new student I.D.s to the polling locations, where they would swipe their cards and be verified in a central database. Not a bad idea, all things considered.

Historically, term stickers were marked with a permanent marker to indicate that someone had voted. With the Registrar's office and Johnson Hall dead set against putting term stickers on the new, magnetic-stripped identification cards, few options other than using card swipes were available to the Elections Board. When the Primaries rolled around, however, only one computer out of five was up and running at the polls.

Way back in February, Harding submitted a special request to the Student Senate asking for a little over $9,000 dollars. In the only paragraph explaining why she thought the Elections Board needed the extra money, there was one sentence that pertained to computers - even though $6,500 of the $9,000 requested was earmarked for computer-related expenditures. That statement was, "We are required to purchase new computers and software (such as hand scanners, computers, etc.) in order to run the elections this year and in the future." This is the only official document that I was able to locate that detailed the plans of the Elections Board with regard to computers and voting.

To the Election Board's credit however, Dave Whipple, current co-director of the Elections Board, posted a page long summary of the "computerization" plans to the uo.org.asuo newsgroup on February 27th. This came more than two weeks after Harding had first submitted her proposal to the Senate. Even then plans were not finalized.

Let me now explain precisely what's wrong with not planning ahead. On the Elections Board's proposed budget, $4,000 was earmarked for "Hardware." I couldn't tell you what "hardware" meant, and I can only assume that it had something to do with the computers. There is no description of how the Board planned on purchasing whatever they were going to purchase. There is no indication that any outside counsel was sought to help with purchasing and planning decisions. Finally, there is no statement anywhere that bound the Elections Board to spend that money on anything in particular.

Another proposed budget entry was for a $2,500 computer. On the budget proposal, there was no description of what kind of computer, what the computer would be used for, or under whose advisement the Elections Board determined what they would need. Despite all this, the Senate approved the expenditure. I was told that Ryan Ositis, ASUO computer support, assisted with computer related issues. This became a moot point when Stacey Harding disregarded his suggestions. She spent $2,000 on a computer that was outdated before it was manufactured, and a monitor rendered useless because it lacked the appropriate adapters. (The Elections Board eventually managed to get the correct monitor adapter.) Not only were the actions of Stacey Harding and the Elections Board irresponsible (and hey, no nudity was involved), but the Senate was clearly unable to allocate money in a responsible manner.

The Senate's haphazard approval of this budget is only amusing when you consider how many student groups on this campus have even larger budgets and are asked to itemize even less. The problem with the budget was not merely that it was approved, but that crucial decisions, which hinged on the amount of technical knowledge available, were made with zero computer-professional or computer-competent assistance. The result was an eight percent voter turnout, halving last year's turnout for student elections.

Outside of the vacuum that is ASUO, a proposal such as Stacey Harding's would have been laughed at. There is no way in hell a rational person or company would approve half of a budget increase for a puff of smoke, and then $2,500 for a used, and possibly unusable computer. If the folks in ASUO are using their experience there as preparation for the real world, I hope that the real world doesn't want them.

There was one action taken on the behalf of the Elections Board that I couldn't condemn--and that was Ositis walking down to the Computing Center for some advice. I was in MicroComputer Services that day to tell him that with 40 or so days left before the elections, there wasn't much time to create a perfect system--but there was still time to do something. Unfortunately, as soon as Ositis returned to the ASUO office that night, he was barred from assisting the Elections Board because of a conflict of interest that didn't exist at that point--his candidacy for ASUO President. The Elections Board did not come to the Computing Center any other time for assistance. I could continue this chronicle of stupidity and incompetence for another ten pages except for the fact that I would like to explain briefly how people could go about getting information regarding computers and their use. Oh yes, there is a moral to this story. First, find a computer professional. As a University of Oregon student, you can go directly to the Computing Center for free advice. There are three full-time staff members in MicroComputer Services (MCS) and many individuals in other departments whose job is to help students and give advice. MCS may not always have an answer, but it certainly can recommend good places to find information, or tell you your computer is better off used as a boat anchor.

Second, get as many quotes on computer prices as you possibly can. The Documents Room in the Computing Center subscribes to nearly every major computing magazine, and they are chock full of advertisements, descriptions and critiques of the latest computers and software.

Third, make detailed plans. You'd be amazed how many problems you find in plans once they are written down. Constructive suggestions can only be made if there is something to critique in the first place. Several times I was accused of criticizing without offering solutions even though no one could describe a problem to offer a solution to.

Finally, don't hesitate to question the authority of others. Stacey Harding should not have been in a position to single-handedly disrupt the elections to the extent that she did. Her supervisor, ASUO President Matt Scotten, did nothing to stop her before it was far too late, and members of the Elections Board were not familiar enough with Harding's job description to feel comfortable expressing disappointment in her leadership. They should have been the first ones to suggest that Harding be fired back in February when it was clear she couldn't even write up a budget proposal.

As we approach the inauguration of the next generation of ASUO representatives, take it upon yourself to find out who these people are. As it stands now, there are few inside Suite four who are able or willing to go out and make their actions known to the students they are supposedly representing. Even if you don't vote, they will still spend your money.

[Editor's Note: The same monkeys that typed out Stacey's job description, also elected Bill/Bunger by a landslide. ]

Selena Brewington, a junior majoring in Computer Science, is a staff writer for the Oregon Commentator