As the financial aid bills start to collect for upcoming graduates, it is time for many to start cashing in on the ideas they have worked so hard to learn in their time at PSU. While some people may have their things together and will have jobs waiting for them after graduation, others will have to find out just how to best use their newly acquired degrees.
A board at Portland State has created a proposal that would add sexual reassignment surgery to the school’s optional extended health insurance plan, as well as increase areas of coverage for the basic plan. The proposal, created by the Student Health Advisory Board, has been submitted to the Oregon University System for approval. OUS will evaluate the proposal, and if approved, it would go into effect in fall term. The changes in the proposal would add more coverage in the basic plan for services such as counseling and mammograms. Students pay a mandatory fee each term to enroll in the basic plan, but may also choose to pay more to enroll in extended coverage.
The student senate may discuss a petition, created by Judicial Board member Chris Geier, today that calls for the impeachment of Student Fee Committee Chair Amanda Newberg. The petition asks the Constitutional and Judicial Review Board to review three charges contained in the document and decide whether to file articles of impeachment.
Portland State employed the first large-scale usage of the new PSU Alert system on May 6 after an unknown individual warned that a bomb would detonate at noon in the Branford P. Millar Library. The library closed, but at noon, nothing happened. Those working on the first implementation of PSU Alert said the empty threat provided for a convenient test of the system, and the experience will now be used to help make improvements.
This week, a veritable PSU Viking marathon will be held on Comcast SportsNet (channel 37). The channel will be replaying Viking football and basketball games as well as reruns of yesterday’s premiere of a 20-part series titled, Camp Glanville: Tackling PSU Football.
The Elections Board said the ballot for the Student Fee Committee liaison positions in the student government election was flawed and unconstitutional in a meeting Wednesday, but postponed a decision on how to resolve the results in question.
In a landslide victory, students elected Hannah Fisher and her running mate Kyle Cady as ASPSU president and vice president, along with a majority of their “Bridge the Gap” slate. Fisher and Cady defeated “Empowerment” presidential and vice presidential candidates Christian Aniciete and Karla Hernandez with more than twice as many votes: 932 to 455.
Members of PSU’s full-time faculty union discussed the possibility of striking next fall term at a meeting yesterday, and some faculty expressed surprise and frustration over a March contract extension AAUP and PSU agreed upon that makes striking impossible until at least July 1.
Members of PSU’s full-time faculty union will not be able to strike over their salaries until July, contrary to what has previously been published by the AAUP. On March 7, the PSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the university administration agreed upon an extension that keeps the 2005-2007 faculty contract in effect until June 30. The agreement contains an article prohibiting a faculty strike until at least July 1.
Portland State’s full-time faculty union is inching closer to a possible strike, after stalled contract negotiations with university administrators, over what they see as unfair pay, reached a state of impasse Friday. But administrators say that the union’s previous contract has been extended until the end of the school year, which could prevent the union from striking until June 30.
The May 20 Oregon primaries are expected to be significant, particularly for democrats. Not only will the Democratic presidential nominee be decided, but the Oregon Attorney General should be chosen as well, as there is no Republican Party member running for the position. John Kroger is one of the candidates running for state attorney general, and wants to bring what he sees as a heavy-handed approach to some of Oregon’s largest “problem areas.”