Oregon universities received a failing grade in terms of affordability recently, but ASUO President Rachel Pilliod said she isn’t surprised.
She said this was something she expected, especially considering the D- grade for affordability received in 2000.
“We tried to communicate the bad situation to legislators,” she said. “It’s very, very upsetting, but not a huge surprise.”
Pilliod wants to tell voters and legislators that more money needs to be spent on higher education so that students don’t have to carry so much of the financial burden.
“This is a very true and telling example of the commitment that’s been made to higher education,” she said. “This is not going to cut it. We cannot be the last in line in the nation for education.”
Vice President for Academic Affairs Lorraine Davis echoed Pilliod’s reaction.
“The biggest cause is the reduction in state support,” she said. The main reason for the expense is the fact that the University has had to use tuition in place of money that should be coming from other sources, she said.
“We’ve had to (use tuition) because we’re not about to reduce our quality,” Davis said.
An additional grade Pilliod was concerned about was the D+ received
for participation.
This means that only 25 percent of those 18 to 24 years old are enrolled in a college or university, while the best states have 48 percent enrollment.
“That sends a signal to us that there isn’t access to higher education,” Pilliod said.
University President Dave Frohnmayer was not available for comment.