The Oregon University System announced Friday that it will endorse a new proposal, titled “The Deal,” that would create a partnership to spread the cost of higher education between students, universities and legislators. Right now, though, student leaders say students are getting the short end of the stick.
Ultimately, the plan would ensure that students pay no more than half the cost of higher education. But with no tuition cap set, in the long run, students could see costs increase.
“The only thing students are shaking on is that we’re paying more,” Oregon Student Association chairwoman and ASUO President Rachel Pilliod said of the deal.
Given Oregon’s ongoing budget woes, OUS sees the plan as the best way to stabilize long-term funding for higher education.
“It’s the game in town right now,” OUS Chancellor Richard Jarvis said. “We’re looking for this to be our campaign in the Legislature next spring.”
To ensure state support, Pilliod said it’s important all involved parties have a unified front. But for now, Pilliod said the state student association sees the proposal as a “work in progress.”
Pilliod said there is concern that the state won’t be able to meet its end of the deal. At the end of the fourth special session of the Legislature, funding was already below the agreed level. In the proposed deal, that funding is supposed to go up. And right now, no one seems certain about whether that will happen.
“That’s the challenge, isn’t it?” Jarvis said.
The deal could also force universities to put caps on enrollment if the state doesn’t provide substantial funding.
“That would be the deal breaker,” said University senior Tim Young, one of the 11 members of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. “This proposal really holds the Legislature accountable to consider the impact of their decision in the process.”
Funding for the deal would come from state general funds, institutional contributions and student investment through tuition and fees.
Most notably, the state would issue funding equal to 80 percent of the national average by 2003. For students, tuition and fees would not exceed state support for undergraduate residents. By 2010, OUS would agree to increase statewide enrollment to 100,000 and double the amount of funding for research and technology.
“It’s a win-win for the state,” Young said. “It’s a win for the administration. And it’s a win-lose for students. … We’d pay more and we’d get more.”
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