Committee meets to explore OSA and OCCSA merger

An investigative committee of student government representatives from all over the state met for the first time on Friday to explore the possibility of a merger between the Oregon Student Association and the Oregon Community College Student Association.

Both the OSA and the OCCSA exist to make sure that students’ voices are heard by legislators.

The merger idea was hatched by Portland State student Eric Noll more than a year ago. Noll, who serves as the legislative affairs director for the Associated Students of Portland State University, previously attended Linn-Benton Community College. There, he served as chair of the OCCSA and acted as
a liaison between the OCCSA and the OSA.

Combining the groups, Noll said, would allow for more effective lobbying in the capitol. Currently, the schools in the OSA are represented by seven state legislators. The OCCSA is represented by an additional 17. According to Noll, if the college students of Oregon were able to lobby 24 representatives, it would be more likely that they would be heard in the Oregon Legislature.

“It would allow us to get to the bread and butter of issues,” Noll said. “In no way do I see a scenario where this doesn’t benefit PSU students.”

The idea is very much in its infancy, Noll said, and a full proposal probably wouldn’t be put forth until February 2014. However, the committee plans to explore how a merger would increase student autonomy, increase advocacy for student needs, and provide more opportunities for student leadership development.