Watts Used O.A.S.I.S. for Political Gain

Dear Editor:

In response to the whole O.A.S.I.S. fiasco, I just want to make sure one thing is absolutely clear: Daniel Watts was never responsible for the campaign to save O.A.S.I.S. It is disheartening to see that he would stoop so low as to take credit for all of the hard work initiated by Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanola de Aztlan (MEChA) and the Student Affirmative Action Committee. The saddest thing is that he is only using O.A.S.I.S. to boost his vote for president. Why else would he even mention the fact that he is running for president alongside the “Save O.A.S.I.S.” jargon he regurgitates?

I just want to make sure that all of the students that signed petitions at the Cross-Cultural Center, O.A.S.I.S., SAAC lounge, and throughout campus are not confused into believing that Watts was responsible. In fact, instead of working with us, he decided to go out of his way to prove his interest in saving our learning center by rushing and collecting signatures one day before the due date and making it seem as if he didn’t know he wasn’t going to have enough signatures.

The SAAC community, on the other hand, has been collecting signatures since the first week of this quarter. We have collected around 1,500 signatures. I know it really should not matter who is recognized for saving O.A.S.I.S. as long as the work gets done. What I don’t agree with is using the hard work and dedication of students who truly care to promote a presidential election. If Watts really cared about saving O.A.S.I.S., why did he wait until a day before the due date to do anything? And why is he so gung ho about talking to the Guardian and mentioning that he is running for president?

The Guardian has only helped create this confusion and has showed a bias toward Watts. Thursday’s article mentioned him as the presidential candidate before even quoting him. It is unacceptable that Daniel Watts is using O.A.S.I.S. for political gain, and that the Guardian is helping with it.

The bottom line is that all of the petitions and e-mails to Dr. Watson were not the result of the hard work of Daniel Watts. He is attempting to use the campaign to save O.A.S.I.S. to gain the votes of all the students who signed those petitions and who care about saving O.A.S.I.S. Do not be deceived. If anyone can be credited for saving O.A.S.I.S., it’s Miguel Torres and Enrique Soto.

— Alicia White

Black Student Union Vice President, SAAC Member

Watts’ Failure to Act Belies His Motivations

Dear Editor:

I am writing in reply to Daniel Watts’ letter to the editor titled “O.A.S.I.S. Petition Needs Student Support.” If Mr. Watts said that dozens of his orientees used O.A.S.I.S. and asked him about ways they can help assuage the funding cuts, why didn’t he take on this matter long before election season began? It sounds fishy to start bringing up O.A.S.I.S. around this time when SAAC orgs have been dealing with this issue since last year, during which MEChA spearheaded a committee to pressure administrators. Where were Watts and Eddie Herrera then?

If Herrera and Watts had been involved with these services, they would have known that the other entity that they brought up, SIORC, is pronounced “source” and not “sork” as Herrera pronounced it in his public input. Yes, Watts, you can review the cassette to see for yourself. If they are actively taking an interest in O.A.S.I.S. by doing some “petitioning” in a symbolic manner as Watts mentioned, where are they on Library Walk now?

The O.A.S.I.S. campaign effort began within the SAAC community. To have it be used as a campaigning tool by Watts and Herrera is just wrong. It’s interesting that Watts can find so many loopholes in which he states that he isn’t officially campaigning. I find it distasteful that O.A.S.I.S. is being used in this way.

­— Soap Chum

President, Asian and Pacific Islander Student Alliance

Thanks to Those Who Saved O.A.S.I.S.

Dear Editor: 

Congratulations to A.S. President Christopher Sweeten on his successful meeting with Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, which resulted in a promise from her to restore funding, at least temporarily, to the parts of the O.A.S.I.S. program that most directly benefit students. I was pleasantly surprised that the chancellor responded so quickly to the students. Her quick response is really a testament to the efforts of the hundreds of O.A.S.I.S. supporters who’ve been working on this campaign for months. The credit for this success belongs to them and only them, and it truly is an impressive accomplishment; this is one of the only times I can remember that student outcry actually resulted in a change in policy.

I’ve only been a part of this movement for a couple weeks, ever since some of my orientees at Earl Warren College asked me for help. Since then, I’ve been dedicating my show on Warren College Television to O.A.S.I.S.’s budget problems, and last Thursday I interviewed Jeffrey Montojo, an O.A.S.I.S. employee, about the funding cuts. I’d like to thank him for explaining the situation to my viewers better than I ever could, and I extend an open invitation to any other student on campus to come on the air as a guest on my show, broadcast every Monday and Thursday night on the all-campus college channel. 

It is important that all students understand the value of O.A.S.I.S., and that the administration realizes the support it has among students. As SRTV co-Manager Andy Tess said at the last A.S. meeting, even though not every student on campus uses O.A.S.I.S., almost every student on campus knows someone who does. The knowledge presented in O.A.S.I.S. workshops and study sessions finds its way to every student, as O.A.S.I.S. users share the tips and study skills they glean from O.A.S.I.S. tutors. Its funding should remain a priority. 

— Daniel Watts

Earl Warren College Senior