Dear Oregon State University community, I hope you are having a great spring break! I'm Sam, a computer science graduate student at the University of Oregon with an interest in university finance and governance. I am writing to you because I am alarmed by our governor and state legislature. *Proposed budget cuts to higher education were unveiled last Thursday* by the chairs of the legislature's budget writing committee. In practice, this will mean some combination of tuition hikes, pay freezes/cuts, and job losses in Oregon's university ecosystem. OSU will be impacted if the proposals are passed by the legislature. *Take action: Add your name to this letter*, asking lawmakers to fund public universities instead of slashing the higher ed budget this next biennium. *https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fdocument%2Fd%2F1rH4sB-OO1PbuDaUeQhqkD6hfetdPMb-dIqD4Z1imAkA%2Fedit*&data=05%7C01%7Chumanitarian_engineering%40engr.orst.edu%7C627bea7f23bc4e51a65508db310b85a2%7Cce6d05e13c5e4d6287a84c4a2713c113%7C0%7C0%7C638157697774774599%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=1gqwH0etJIWFtgP4WfkXcWrlutVZf20XaUuZz6OfKwQ%3D&reserved=0 <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fdocument%2Fd%2F1rH4sB-OO1PbuDaUeQhqkD6hfetdPMb-dIqD4Z1imAkA%2Fedit&data=05%7C01%7Chumanitarian_engineering%40engr.orst.edu%7C627bea7f23bc4e51a65508db310b85a2%7Cce6d05e13c5e4d6287a84c4a2713c113%7C0%7C0%7C638157697774774599%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=QDCHaJrnMCiWUuB0j%2FWhNLqkB2yOG3OUDXZKcc78R7U%3D&reserved=0> All of higher education in Oregon -- from university and community college support to scholarships for underrepresented or economically disadvantaged students -- is currently slated to get around 3% of the state budget. Compare Oregon's 3% state budget allocation to post-secondary education with Nevada at more than 6%, Idaho at ~7%, Washington at ~8%, or Utah and California at just over 10%. In fact, Oregon is state #45 in the nation when it comes to its support of public universities on a per capita basis. This is embarrassing. *Take more action: reach out to lawmakers yourself.* You can find who represents you by going to *https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oregonlegislature.gov%2Fcitizen_engagement*&data=05%7C01%7Chumanitarian_engineering%40engr.orst.edu%7C627bea7f23bc4e51a65508db310b85a2%7Cce6d05e13c5e4d6287a84c4a2713c113%7C0%7C0%7C638157697774774599%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vnEtD0fl7b2jxViNOT8qOXV%2FL1yLcHTNfTXrElco%2BTg%3D&reserved=0 <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oregonlegislature.gov%2Fcitizen_engagement&data=05%7C01%7Chumanitarian_engineering%40engr.orst.edu%7C627bea7f23bc4e51a65508db310b85a2%7Cce6d05e13c5e4d6287a84c4a2713c113%7C0%7C0%7C638157697774774599%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=sYk6MjRm3078Huf9hHFYsqQp00sGBXpG4aNuvsKlrII%3D&reserved=0> and clicking "Find your Legislator" on the sidebar on the right. Send an email or call your representative+senator. Thank you for your time, and for getting involved. I firmly believe that our democratic republic is strongest when we the people constructively engage with our government. Best, Sam Schwartz ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Samuel David Schwartz PhD Candidate | Department of Computer Science