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OSU biochemistry and biophysics professors Andy Karplus, Shing Ho and Kevin Ahern listen to the Joint Ways and Means Committee.

Legislative committee hears testimony on co-chairs' budget in meeting hosted at Cheldelin Middle School

ASOSU President and staff were unable to testify, will travel to Eugene for another hearing

By: Nick Ngo

Posted: 4/11/07

Cheldelin Middle School's cafeteria was filled with a large audience as community members came to testify at a field hearing in front of the Joint Ways and Means Committee.

Amid the crowd was ASOSU President Mike Olson, accompanied by other ASOSU staff, OSU students and faculty waiting to come and testify for funding higher education.

However, as the hearing carried through the night and many came up to testify for other issues and topics, Olson was not able to testify by the time the meeting was over.

Even though Olson didn't testify, there were other representatives from OSU who were able to give their opinions.

Kevin Ahern, biochemistry and biophysics senior instructor, was able to make it up to the table. Ahern said the state needs to pass Senate Bill 5515 for funding higher education. He talked about the success students are achieving in the biochemistry and biophysics program, voicing concern over what detriments budget cuts might have on the program.

Earlier in the year, co-chairs Sen. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby, and Rep. Mary Nolan, D-Portland, from the Joint Ways and Means Committee shaved off money from the governor's proposed budget for higher education. Within the governor's proposed budget, OSU was asking for $874.6 million. When the proposal reached the committee's table, the committee decided to take off $34.6 million.

Olson said the amount of money taken away would affect class sizes and faculty salaries.

"You really have diminishing returns on your education and the ability to receive a quality education," Olson said. "It's just impossible for them to keep trying to reduce tuition and implement systems such as the Shared Responsibility Model. It doesn't maintain that quality of service and quality of higher education we all hope to receive."

Along with a budget for higher education was the Capital Budget, which affects things like maintenance on campus. The governor proposed a budget of $324.8 million, while Joint Ways and Means proposed a budget of $271.8 million less at $53 million.

"That has huge implications on the quality of our buildings and structures," Olson said.

Olson said it is imperative for the university to receive the governor's budget recommendation.

Within the last 15 years, there has been a diminishing investment in higher education.

"Its impossible for us to make it up in one year, but with the governor's budget at least it's a step in the right direction," Olson said. "One thing Oregon needs to invest in is the K-12 education system, but without that concurrent investment in Oregon public universities, legislators will create such an empty promise for current and future students across the state."

Rep. Nolan said they're continuing to work on the issues presented to them from other schools that spoke at the hearing, along with previous testimonies from members of the Oregon Student Association.

"Oregonians in recent years have insisted in paying taxes at the bottom 10 of all 50 states," Nolan said. "Unfortunately, when you pay taxes at that low of a rate, it's hard to keep your services much better then the bottom 10.

"We're trying to do the best we can with the resources available and talk with people to pay a little more with taxes in order to get better services at public places like universities."

Sen. Schrader commented that needs at universities are great.

"The problem we have is we don't have enough revenue, so we're giving it to the younger kids," Schrader said.

"But heck, what are we going to do when they get older? How are they going to do well in the university or college setting or get a job? So we have to come up with more revenue, and I'm here for all this."

Nolan said it's important to understand how all the services connect.

"If we're not funding good early-childhood programs, then we don't have kids who really engage in elementary schools," Nolan said. "If we're not funding the K-12 system adequately, students who go to universities aren't prepared for the level of college programs they have.

"They're all connected; we can't do one and not the other - it won't work."

Olson, along with other ASOSU and OSU representatives, will travel to Eugene today in order to get a chance to testify. This time they will be heading down earlier to get a spot at the top of the list.

The field hearing will take place at the University of Oregon Willis Business Complex in room 282 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.