OSPIRG isn’t just ‘green’
I am responding to a letter printed February 10th (“OSPIRG funding situation is worse than book prices,” ODE). I have been involved in OSPIRG since the fall term 2003 and I am writing to argue that the letter printed was completely incorrect.
To be exact, OSPIRG does have other “green” interests besides working to lower the cost of textbooks.
I am involved in the Willamette Legacy Campaign. This OSPIRG campaign succeeded in getting Governor Ted Kulongoski to pledge to clean up the river during his run for governor in 2002. OSPIRG students involved in this campaign in 2003 and 2004 are working with local businesses to urge Governor Kulongoski to keep his promise and clean up the Willamette River.
In addressing the concerns from Tuesday’s letter to the editor about OSPIRG’s Affordable Textbooks Campaign, I can personally vouch that this issue is a legitimate one. My Spanish packet alone cost me $150 and it came with materials I already had. This method of bundling textbooks with unnecessary and optional materials is getting out of hand. I am sure there are other students as frustrated with these schemes as I am.
OSPIRG stands for Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group. The people working directly on the campaigns are student volunteers and interns. The interests they are working to protect include those of renters in Eugene, the awareness of consumers, environmental concerns and the hungry and homeless. I believe that OSPIRG does great things and I become deeply offended when false accusations are carelessly thrown into a newspaper making me look like I am involved in “coercive” group.
Laura Church
sophomore
sociology
OSPIRG