Oh, the short collective memory of an undergraduate population!
Reading about the defunding brouhaha regarding OSPIRG, I was reminded of my own time spent with the group, during 2003-04. That year, I came to OSPIRG asking to start a Renter’s Rights campaign. The group assented, and the campaign gained speed through dialogues with then-Councilor David Kelly, the West University Neighborhood Association and eventually the ASUO. A search through the ODE’s archives will detail these events. During that time, I was aided in my research directly by the Portland office, which did research for me on Corvallis’ and Portland’s housing codes. This is how OSPIRG works; these advocates are hired by the state’s student PIRGs as a whole, and they work on the issues that students choose.
In July 2005, the city enacted its housing code, making dealing with landlords much easier. How this directly benefits students is easy enough to see, as the majority of students are renters.
The crucial point here is that how OSPIRG works is through individuals deciding what the issues are, and being given the resources and power to make real change happen. What other group on campus can boast that? That the ASUO wants to take away students’ most powerful voice in the outside world is ludicrous at best, criminal at worst. I urge you to contact the members of the ACFC and ask them to continue to fund OSPIRG.
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