Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1977)
Bill ties tuition to Consumer Price Index By MARY BETH BOWEN Of the Emerald SALEM — A bill that would freeze resident undergraduate tui tion during the ’77-79 biennium and limit future increases to no more than the rate of the Portland Consumer Price Index (CPI), was approved by the House Education Committee Wednesday. The action now puts two radi cally different tuition proposals be fore the Joint Ways and Means Education Subcommittee. The other proposal is Gov. Bob Straub’s budget request. It would set resident undergraduate tuition at a fixed 23 per cent of instruc tional costs, instead of the 25 per cent resident undergraduates now pay. Both proposals would more or less freeze tuition during the next biennium, but their effect on tuition costs after that could be miles apart. Locking horns over the two proposals at Wednesday s hear ing were committee chairer Rep. Jim Chrest, D-Portland, who said Legislative Issues the CPI proposal was the way to go, and Elizabeth Hands, a budget analyst from the governor’s office, who supported the fixed percentage plan. Chrest contended tying tuition to the price index would provide a check on rising costs. “Since 1967-68, the CPI has gone up only 62.1 per cent, while the state systems instructional costs have increased 99.1 per cent,” said Chrest. “Tying tuition to the CPI will make the chancellors’ office, the Legislature and all concerned with the higher education budget shar pen their pencils and take a closer look at it. They’ll have to justify those increases and possibly eliminate a few old programs that have been hanging on.” Chrest said in an interview later the CPI proposal will protect stu dents from arbitrary tuition in creases. “Tuition goes up willy-nilly,” said Chrest, “because there is no check on the rising instructional cost. "Whatever the cost is, the stu dents end up paying a certain per centage of it. The key (to the CPI proposal) is forcing the state sys tem to justify those cost increases to the Ways and Means Commit tee. Right now there’s no incentive to do that.” However, Hands said the governors office felt it is more equitable for students to pay a fixed percentage of instructional costs. Also arguing for the CPI plan was Kirby Garrett, coordinator for the Oregon Student Lobby, who said it would insure access to higher education — especially for middle-income students. Garrett claimed students in the past have paid a disproportionately high percentage of their instructional costs. He said undergraduate tui tion has increased 80 per cent since 69-71, while actual instruc tional costs have increased only 62 per cent, an 18 per cent differ ence. One of the major arguments against limiting tuition increases to the CPI has been made by T K Olsen, director of the Oregon Educational Coordinating Com mission. Olsen pointed out in ear lier hearings that if the instruc tional costs rise at a higher rate than the CIP, the students will be ‘‘excused" from paying certain portions of their instructional costs. He adds that the state system would have only two ways to make up those cost increases — by cut ting back programs or asking the Legislature for more of the tax payer's dollars. Olsen supports the fixed per centage plan, saying that if the students are made aware that their tuition costs are directly re lated to instructional costs they will have a vested interest in keep ing the instructional costs down But the CPI plan is the chore of State System Chancellor Roy Lieuallen, who says the issue boils down to a matter of philosophy. Lang’s backers propose plan to restore his power SALEM (AP) — The leadership struggle in the House continued Wednesday as backers of Speaker Philip Lang proposed a plan to restore much of the power that was stripped Tuesday from Lang by a coalition of Republicans and maverick Democrats. The House is expected to vote Thursday on a proposal drafted by the speaker pro tern, Rep. Hardy Myers, D-Portland, to restore most of Lang’s power, which has been 3 OVERNIGHT C NO MINIMUM COPIES UNBOUND KINKOS - 1128 Alder 344*7894 Also in Corvallis Vote for DAVE WHITE Junior Class President Pd While PSYCHIC CAN BEWITCH (M£SM£RIZ£) LOVED ONES, OTHERS TO YOUR BIDDING WRITE REQUESTS: DONATIONS APPRECIATED. JAMIL P.O. BOX 10154, EUGENE, OREGON 97401 PHONE ANYTIME: 342-2210 484-2441 J V. FIND YOUR WAY '“HOME EUGENE TRAVEL /'W/'I'H? c A 831 :;n X ,f)E. 13th 687-2823 turned over to a new six-member Rules Committee. Under Myers’ plan, Lang would control committee memberships and assignment of bills to commit tees, subject to veto by the former Committee on Legislative Opera tions and Procedures. The authority of Lang, D-Portland, over committee memberships and bill assign ments were removed Tuesday on a 32-28 vote, with 14 of the 37 Democrats siding with 18 of the 23 Republicans against the speaker. The Rules Committee was given power to decide bill assign ments and create new commit tees. And memberships on exist ing committees now can be changed only by majority vote of the House. Rep. Bill Grannell, D-North Bend, a leader of the move Tues day that left Lang as a figurehead speaker, said Myers’ idea was not acceptable and predicted the 32 votes would remain solid against Lang. Myers, who as pro tem would become temporary speaker if Lang resigned, said his sugges tions were aimed at pacifying members who have objected to some of Lang's decisions. Lang has steadfastly retained his composure this week despite losing his powers during public debate in the House Tuesday. He said he did not feel let down by any of the Democratic caucus members, some of whom sup ported the insurrection. "I’ve always been aware of the fact since the speakership contest that some of the people in the caucus didn’t fall into the category of my supporters,' Lang said. “Of the people I truly consider my supporters, none of them dis appointed me," he said Legislator optimistic on tuition freeze future By GARY NORRIS Of the Emerald The undergraduate tuition freeze and increased financial aid for middle-income students have promising futures in the Legisla ture, but state funding for day care and intercollegiate athletics will face stiffer challenges, House Minority Leader Roger Martin, R-Lake Oswego, told an EMU au dience Wednesday night. Martin cited a $60-million surp lus in state funds as a factor favor ing increases in student financial relief. His speech was sponsored by the Oregon Student Lobby. “This is a very important issue, said Martin, adding that since 1969 tuition at Oregon has risen 100 per cent and is currently above the national average. “It’s always easy, when the Ways and Means Committee is running short of money, to fund colleges by raising tuition," Martin said. “Your tuition is actually pay ing for other state programs. It’s already 18 per cent above the cost of instruction.” “No one can argue that it’s very difficult for a typical middle income family to finance a college education,” said Martin. He said he supports raising the eligibility ceiling for middle-income families from $12,500 to $15,500. But Martin said he wouldn’t want to choose between a tuition freeze and increased state finan cial aid. “The cap on tuition affects all students across the board, but it’s essential that we also find some way to borrow money to send people to school,” Martin said. HB 2459, which would provide day care for children of low income students, may have a tough time passing the House, though, Martin said. The measure calls for a $3.65-million appropria tion from the General Fund, and according to Martin, will face stiff competition from other state prog rams vying for money from the same source. But Martin added that problems with day care legis lation go beyond funding difficul ties. He said federal regulations on day care have increased “like they're alive" the past few years, and have restricted the state’s ef forts to enact legislation of its own. “Day care workers come to Salem with arguments against federal regulations and those ar guments are perfectly valid," said Martin. Pressure brought to bear on congressional leaders would be more effective at this point, Martin said, to free the state from too much federal control on day care. A bill to provide state funding for intercollegiate athletics faces an uncertain future in the Ways and Means Committee, according to Martin, after being passed by the Education Committee, 7-2. The bill would appropriate just under $1 million for women s athletics to be distributed among state col leges. College athletics is not high on committee co-chairer Vera Katz s list of priorities said Martin, but he cautioned that it the Legislature cannot resolve the issue of athle tic funding on its own. then Title IX will take care of it just over a year from now, possibly at the expense of minor, non-revenue-producing sports On July 1, 1978 colleges will have to conform to a "fair share rule for women's athletic funding, according to Martin, which could mean that as much as $500,000 would be pared from the athletic budget to finance women's sports The money would undoubtedly be raised by dropping minor sports, said Martin. House Minority Leader Roger Martin, R-Lake Os wego, appraised the chances Wednesday night of three higher education issues facing the Legisla ture. He said things look good for leveling of tuition Photo by Perry GaskiU and increased financial aid for middle-income families, but warned that an athletic-funding bill may face a stiffer challenge in committee.
