Spring Break
School year marks success in legislature
Battles at the Capitol gave way to wins for Oregon's system of post-secondary education
The Daily Barometer
Issue date: 6/8/07 Section: News
The 2006-07 school year had its ups and downs related to student issues at the state Capitol.
Courtney Sproule, communications director for the Oregon Student Association, said in an e-mail that a lot of accomplishments came from the students who fought all year for at the Capitol.
A major accomplishment within the course of the year was the governor's recommended budget. The budget proposed the largest investment for colleges and universities in recent history.
Another victory was the "students persistent presence in the Capitol through rallies, testimony, lobby visits, creative actions, postcard campaigns, press conference, etc. culminated in the legislative leadership's commitment to make colleges and universities the top priority for new funds announced with the May forecast," Sproule wrote.
On May 15, it was reported that Oregon had an additional $152 million were available.
"The Co-chairs responded by stating that the top priority for these new funds would be funding colleges and universities," Sproule said.
The successes were due to the commitment and initiative that students put in, Sproule wrote. An example being OSA members, OSU faculty and OSU students showing up at the Joint Ways and Means Committee hearing in April. The committee held hearings throughout Oregon in order to decide where they should allocate funding in their budget.
"As reported by the media and acknowledged by legislators, postsecondary education dominated the hearings, with over 50 students resent at the Portland, Corvallis, Eugene, and Medford hearings," Sproule wrote.
Other efforts by students included having a bake sale in the Capitol Gallery, constantly making phone calls to legislators, lobbying, meeting and spending time with legislators.
Along with fighting to secure funding for postsecondary education, students also participated in rallies for SB 2 - a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against sexual and gender orientation.
Courtney Sproule, communications director for the Oregon Student Association, said in an e-mail that a lot of accomplishments came from the students who fought all year for at the Capitol.
A major accomplishment within the course of the year was the governor's recommended budget. The budget proposed the largest investment for colleges and universities in recent history.
Another victory was the "students persistent presence in the Capitol through rallies, testimony, lobby visits, creative actions, postcard campaigns, press conference, etc. culminated in the legislative leadership's commitment to make colleges and universities the top priority for new funds announced with the May forecast," Sproule wrote.
On May 15, it was reported that Oregon had an additional $152 million were available.
"The Co-chairs responded by stating that the top priority for these new funds would be funding colleges and universities," Sproule said.
The successes were due to the commitment and initiative that students put in, Sproule wrote. An example being OSA members, OSU faculty and OSU students showing up at the Joint Ways and Means Committee hearing in April. The committee held hearings throughout Oregon in order to decide where they should allocate funding in their budget.
"As reported by the media and acknowledged by legislators, postsecondary education dominated the hearings, with over 50 students resent at the Portland, Corvallis, Eugene, and Medford hearings," Sproule wrote.
Other efforts by students included having a bake sale in the Capitol Gallery, constantly making phone calls to legislators, lobbying, meeting and spending time with legislators.
Along with fighting to secure funding for postsecondary education, students also participated in rallies for SB 2 - a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against sexual and gender orientation.
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