Statements printed in effort to educate, inform voters on upcoming election

You may have noticed The Baro published statements from the last print issue which contained inflammatory views—statements which denied the Holocaust and which claimed white people as the superior race; statements which could be considered hate speech by some.

These statements were those of Andrew Oswalt’s candidate platform. Oswalt, self-proclaimed member of the “alt-right,” is running for one of the four open Student Fee Committee seats. Oswalt has been charged with three hate crimes and was recalled from his House of Representatives position within ASOSU in February.

Yes, his platform contained inflammatory views which are inconsistent with OSU’s core values. Yes, we decided to print his statements anyway.

This voter guide insert, containing each of the candidate’s public platforms, was a paid advertisement created and submitted for publication by the Associated Students of Oregon State University. The Baro editorial staff discussed potential criticism from publishing this insert, but ultimately decided to print it in its entirety.

 The intention behind publishing this insert was to educate and inform the public. We feel it is not the place of a media organization to censor or change the statement of candidates that are running to serve in student government.

If a candidate running for a position of power has inflammatory and divisive views, it is the obligation of the media to inform the public of that so the community can be educated when casting ballots. The platform was published in an effort to inform voters on every candidates’ beliefs and positions, including Oswalt’s.

It is important that all students pay close attention to the candidates and what they envision for the university. This vision will impact your student fees. The students on the SFC committee are charged with deciding the student fees, student fees which you as students pay for.

If you disagree with statements made in Oswalt’s platform, ensure you take the time to read up on the other candidates to determine who you wish to be deciding your student fees next year. This election impacts each and every student.

The SCF ballots are live beginning today and are in every student’s ONID email inbox. Balloting will be open until 10 p.m. Friday May 25. 

You can see the all seven candidate profiles after page 9.