Samuel David Schwartz
PhD Candidate | Department of Computer
Science
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://docs.google.com/document/d/1rH4sB-OO1PbuDaUeQhqkD6hfetdPMb-dIqD4Z1imAkA/edit
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://www.oregonlegislature.gov/citizen_engagement
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