OSA to focus on tuition equity, childcare costs

From working to make tuition equitable for undocumented-status students to helping lower the cost of education, the Oregon Student Alliance has developed a list of legislative priority issues to lobby in this year’s Oregon Legislature session.

Every year, OSA, the statewide coalition of student governments that represents nine campuses including PSU, agrees upon items it will concentrate on. Here are some of the group’s priorities for this year.

Lowering tuition and increasing funding

“We are looking to keep tuition low,” said OSA Communications Director Courtney Sproule.

OSA also wants to make sure campuses statewide have enough funding to be able to provide an adequate selection of core classes needed for students to graduate, Sproule said. She said if key classes are available only once or twice per year, it can add on semesters, and sometimes years, to a student’s graduation date, straining their funding and consequently their ability to graduate.

Sproule added that Oregon’s community and regional colleges are a priority focus this year for funding, as those colleges are in particular financial crisis at the moment.

Tuition equity

OSA reports that it is also continuing its battle for tuition equity for Oregon’s undocumented youth–children of immigrants who do not have official residence status in the state, regardless of how long they have actually lived in Oregon.

The tuition equity program would grant these undocumented-status students in-state tuition rates, versus the non-resident rates they are currently required to pay to attend Oregon colleges and universities.

Childcare for student parents

“Childcare costs are often times more than tuition costs,” Sproule said. She said that can be a huge barrier for student parents hoping to complete their education. Because of these prohibitive costs, OSA plans to lobby the legislature to increase grant funding for student parents that would go toward paying for childcare.

Currently, the funding for student-parent grants is set at $1 million; Sproule said OSA would like that to increase to $1.8 million.