Tough questions, uncertain answers at restructuring forum

Portland State and the Oregon University System held a campus-wide forum on Tuesday evening about the future of higher education in Oregon that featured PSU President Wim Wiewel, OUS Chancellor George Pernsteiner, ASPSU President Katie Markey, Professor Maude Hines and Representative Chris Harker.

The panelists discussed the current state of the OUS, as well as the restructuring proposals being heard by the Legislature. 

“We spend as much on education as we spent 20 years ago, but now the student pays two-thirds of the cost and the state one-third,” Wiewel said when making his case for reform.

Of the questions asked, students were largely concerned with how restructuring would affect tuition.

 “How will Senate Bill 242 give faculty and students greater control over tuition setting?” ASPSU Student Senator Karen Albright asked Wiewel.

According to Wiewel, the tuition process would not change if Senate Bill 242 (SB242) passes.

“But it will become more formalized and involve greater student participation,” Wiewel said.

While the restructuring proposed in SB242 would grant the OUS greater control over how tuition dollars are spent, it would in no way impact the amount of tuition that Oregon university students pay. A proposed 9.4 percent increase in resident undergraduate tuition for the 2011–12 academic year at PSU, if passed, would not be affected by SB242. What would change is that the OUS would not have to seek approval from the Legislature when deciding how those tuition dollars are spent.

“In and of itself, the restructuring bill does not by itself change the budget issues at all,” Wiewel said. “It will make us more efficient, but it won’t fix anything.”

Pernsteiner and Wiewel reiterated that while SB242 proposes sweeping changes to the way that OUS operates, and who operates it, the changes for students and faculty will only be reflected in areas such as class size and facilities management.

It is claimed that under the new system institutions would have more freedom in hiring of staff to meet rising enrollments, and in raising wages for faculty. Additionally, having greater control over tuition dollars would provide the OUS with a greater capacity for facilities repair and maintenance, something that has been a well-publicized concern at both Oregon State University and PSU in the recent past.  ? 

Another concern addressed by students and faculty was the potential for a lowering of standards in order to meet performance requirements and graduation rates required under the restructuring proposal. While there was much discussion on the issue amongst panel members, there were no proposals for an empirical measure of the quality of university education.

Pernsteiner commented on the timeline for implementation, should SB242 pass, as well as the possibility of institutional boards. Institutional boards would give each university their own say in budget issues and overall university system policy.

“The board has a committee that will see how institutional boards might make sense in raising educational efforts,” he said.

While audience members expressed great interest and concern over the potential restructuring of OUS, the overwhelming majority of questions posed by the public related to issues concerning tuition, student voice and mechanisms for the protection of minority student groups.

According to Pernsteiner, the bill would take effect on Jan. 1, 2012. ?