Monique Petersen. Communications Director, ASPSU
The Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU) advocate for students on all levels of the college experience. The single biggest issue affecting access to higher education is the ability to pay for college and have enough funds left over to sustain a lifestyle conducive to learning.
When issues of affordability arise on campus, the ASPSU will not allow the student voice to go unheard among the hierarchical powers that determine Portland State fiscal policy. It is because of this truth that the recent arrival of the indirect cost fee has caused ASPSU to actively organize around a solution that would benefit all students. The ASPSU has advocated for a 0.01 percent fee to cover the financial deficit, as the Oregon University System has mandated that some cost fall on the shoulders of students.
There is a lot of confusion surrounding the definition of what the indirect cost fee is and why it is now an issue. It is no secret that higher education in Oregon is in a serious financial crisis. Students have been paying more for a public university education that is consistently providing fewer and fewer services. The Oregon legislature has left students on the back burner of funding priorities for too many years and now students are literally paying for the consequences.
The dangerous trend of tuition and fee increases as well as faculty and service decreases leave some of us students struggling to make ends meet and sitting on the floors of classrooms. From here it seems that the solution for financial stability is to price many aspiring minds out of the education Oregon’s Constitution mandates is a basic human right.
The Oregon University System has charged Portland State’s vice president, Dr. Lindsay Desrochers, with determining the level of a fee that must be implemented. Dr. Desrochers has since commissioned a committee to come up with a reasonable percentage that can be rationalized through fiscal deliberation and value-based consideration. This fee would be used to pay for part of the cost of items previously not budgeted for when allocating revenue receive from tuition and state funding.
Examples of these items include administrative costs and transaction fees. What students do currently pay for is a student fee of $150 per term that covers the cost of running effective student groups and the Smith Union Student Memorial, among other things. Without much further explanation it can be determined that this “indirect cost” is in fact an arbitrary tax on the student fee.
Early Wednesday morning, members of the ASPSU attended an indirect cost committee meeting armed with a mission and endorsements from other student groups, including Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group and Students for Unity. The 0.01 percent fee that we were advocating was repeatedly shot down by committee members who included Don Forsythe, Wendy Endress, Julie North, John Eckman, Michael Burton, Mary Beth Collins, Dee Wendler and committee chair Susan Dodd. Through debate and discussion, it was established that the Oregon University System would reject so small a percentage because previous efforts by Portland State to eradicate the fee completely were unsuccessful.
The ASPSU appreciates these efforts, but are by no means satisfied with any arbitrary percentage decided upon to appease the mighty demands made by the Oregon University System. The committee’s failure to conjure a solution that will work for students has left the ASPSU with no other option than to do what we were hired to do-advocate for the 25,000+ students of Portland State through strategic grassroots organizing.
Several ideas and suggestions were discussed by members of the committee as well as student government members. The most promising appears to be the idea proposed by Dean Wendy Endress, who fostered the notion that we could begin at the lowest option feasible, a 1 percent fee that could gradually be adjusted according to university needs. The ASPSU is willing to consider this option and would like student feedback.
We cannot continue to create emergency solutions for an under-funded budget that consistently fails to thoroughly consider access to higher education. Committee Chair Susan Dodd explicitly stated that if she were to have it her own way, there would be a 0 percent fee that would release students from any financial burden in this matter. The ASPSU appreciates this sentiment and would like to see its premise explored further.
With these factors, it is important to note that almost every committee member acknowledged their preference for a 1 percent fee or lower, with the exception of Chairperson Dodd. It is also important to note that since Monday morning, Dodd has received 100+ e-mails from students, expressing their opposition to an inflated fee they do not understand.
The ASPSU is calling on all involved parties to make a value-based policy of the lowest fee possible. The mission of this university is to provide access to a quality education. By arbitrarily removing funds from student groups or adding to the cost an individual student pays, Portland State would fail to fulfill its promise of access. The ASPSU would like to thank all the students who have assisted us in this campaign through e-mails and statements of support.
There is one more meeting before the issue is decided, it takes place next Wednesday at 8 a.m. Please look out for signs and notices about the particulars around campus and feel free to attend. Also, we invite any student with questions or comments to visit the ASPSU office in Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 117. Contact with committee members is encouraged.
There is no reason that the indirect cost issue cannot result in a solid victory for students. We must be active participants in the discussion of this issue, and we should be the ultimate deciding factor in its resolution.