Opinion
It seems nowadays that everywhere you look on campus, there’s a reason to be concerned.
First, a woman is sexually assaulted on the Portland State campus by two strangers. The Campus Public Safety Office acknowledge the crime as a rarity, and while the student population is a little concerned, it trusts the school’s judgment and counts itself as safe.
At a meeting of the State Board of Higher Education on Jan. 6, 2012, a near 9 percent increase in tuition for the full 2012–13 academic year was approved for Portland State. Included in this hike is a 9 percent increase in tuition for the upcoming 2012 summer session as well.
Summer enrollment across the entire OUS has been increasing significantly in recent years, with many students seeking to take advantage of the traditionally lower costs compared to the regular academic terms. That alternative to soaring overall tuition fees has apparently run its course.
As you grow hungry on your way to class, you may begin to regret not bringing food with you. Thankfully, you spot a vending machine in the hall, which allows you to grab something quickly and be on your way.
But as you bite into your newly procured snack, you find that you are not provided with the feeling of satisfaction that one should get when hunger is no longer a problem. While the snack food commonly found in vending machines may fill you up temporarily, you are not getting the right nutrients.
Behind the staid elegance of the information desk, the Disability Resource Center serves the needs of students attending PSU.
The DRC’s location in room 116 of the Smith Memorial Student Union does not reinforce the traditionally exclusionary and exploitative conceptualization of disability. However, it may do just that if students are unable to utilize the services they are entitled.
On Sept. 15, 2011, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian announced that Oregon’s minimum wage would get a 30-cent bump (from $8.50 to $8.80 an hour) for the year 2012. The increase, which took effect on Jan. 1, makes Oregon’s minimum wage the second highest in the nation. Our neighbor to the north, Washington, is the first at $9.04.
All matters of economics are contentious. No matter how assured one is in his or her outlook on the best way to take advantage of the flow of money, an army of experts and Ph.D.’s stand ready to disagree.
As the calendar turned over to 2012, Portland State administrators wasted no time in flexing the considerable financial muscle that Senate Bill 242 has granted them. This bill relaxed the previous limitations on administrators tasked with creating the school’s budget. With a tremendous amount of freedom in spending tuition dollars, and less legislative oversight than ever before, PSU now has a real financial incentive to behave more like a business than a university. And it’s doing just that.
On Jan. 15, the Student Fee Committee held deliberations for the 2012-13 student publications’ budget proposals in a meeting attended by Dean of Student Life Michele Toppe. The SFC proposed the reclassification of student positions at Portland State publications, which includes the Vanguard, the Rearguard, Portland Spectator, KPSU, PSU–TV, Pathos and The Portland Review.
Let’s face it: the odds are already stacked against the average college student, weight-wise.
Consider it. The freshman 15. The holidays, with their indulgences. No time to exercise during the week, with all the various classes and obligations held by the average student. And even for those with food stamps, that budget only goes so far.
Every day, approximately 100 Americans end their lives by suicide. According to statistics gathered by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, over 36,000 people in the United States will take their own life each year.
A new tool recently implemented on Facebook will hopefully take part in preventing some of these deaths. With over 800 million users on Facebook, this new application could prove to be a true lifesaver.
Three little monkeys. Made from six different types of monkeys. It’s hard to believe something that sounds so much like a children’s song or story could have such potential for medical advancement. But if the research can be applied, its implications are staggering.
Earlier this month, Portland State–partner Oregon Health and Science University’s most prominent laboratory, the Oregon National Primate Research Center, announced that it had successfully combined the genes of six different monkeys to create three baby monkeys.
The days of wine and roses may be over for Occupy Wall Street.
2011. Economic crisis; still no end in sight. People got angry, and decided to fight the system in their own blustery way. The Occupy Wall Street movement arose form the shambles of the unemployed and angry to attack the crooked bankers and fat-cat politicians who seemed content to enjoy caviar and fine cigars while the rest of us made due with our 76 percent share of the income.