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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1981)
Emerald Vol. 82, No. 131 Eugene, Oregon 97403 Monday, April 13, 1981 Supporters rally for higher ed Funding fight looms ahead; Weaver, Heard offer support By PAUL TELLES Of the Emerald Oregon students must fight for fund ing if they don’t want Oregon's system of higher education dismantled. So said two state senators, the chancellor of the state system, a con gressman and a University vice pres ident at Friday's rally for higher education in the EMU Breezeway. “I have a recurring nightmare," Roy Lieuallen, chancellor of the State Board of Higher Education, told the 350 students who gathered for the rally. “The state system is sending out no tices denying admission to thousands of students, closing educational pro grams and terminating faculty members.” Lieuallen said only half the cuts made in the higher education budget during last summer’s special session of the Legislature have been restored. And Gov. Vic Atiyeh has recommended only a 4-percent increase in higher educa tion funding in his current budget proposal. Worse yet, the state system has been ordered to submit a "contingency" budget with another 10-percent cut, Lieuallen said. "The smart money is betting that the Educational Coordinating Commission will recommend that there be a cut of no more that 5 or 6 percent in basic school support." Basic school support is funds for Oregon’s public primary and secondary schools. If basic school support is protected, it could mean 20-percent cuts in higher ed funding, Lieuallen said. The ECC was scheduled to submit its recom mendations Sunday. If the ECC recommendation passes as outlined in the Legislature, "there will be a lot of high school students in this state who will find that post-high school education is the sort of things dreams are made of,” Lieuallen said. Consequently Lieuallen urged the students to attend today’s ASUO sponsored "U of O Day” in Salem. “If you need an excuse, come around to Johnson Hall and we'll see what we can do about it,” he told the cheering crowd. ASUO Pres. Dave Eaton said after the rally that several hundred students would attend the Capitol rally. Buses were scheduled to leave McArthur Court at 8:30 a m. today. Sen. Ed Fadeley, D-Eugene, said higher education has started behind the state’s other programs in this year’s budget race, and $30 million must be added to the governor’s proposal for higher education to eliminate the hand icap. “The governor started higher educa tion 10 yards behind and wearing lead boots in comparison to other state programs,’’ Fadeley said. “Our first job is to get the lead boots off the runner so higher education will be co-equal in the race with others seeking general fund dollars.” Fadeley also encouraged the students to attend today’s rally, to pro tect both their interests and the inter ests of future Oregonians. “If you don’t go, you are the initial losers,” he said. “The long-range loser is the kind of society we in Oregon want to have.” “I have no intentions of presiding over the Senate while we dismantle the Oregon system of higher education," state Senate Pres. Fred Heard, D-Klamath Falls, said. “If the Oregon Legislature has to stay in session until Palm Sunday of 1982, we’ll do it,” he said, referring to Lieual len’s earlier statement that the ECC’s recommendations were expected this Palm Sunday. Heard said the future of Oregon's economy depends on the quality of its higher education and admonished the students, "Don’t let up.” Departing from the state politics themes of the other speakers, Rep. Jim Weaver, D-Ore., criticized Pres. Ronald Reagan for proposing increased fund ing for the synthetic fuels industry, the nuclear power industry and the military while cutting federal financial aid pro grams. Noting that the MX missile system is costing taxpayers $4 million a day, Weaver said, “It seems to me that if the government can throw away $4 million a day, we can certainly provide the Photos by Steve Dykes Shaunna Poteet, University computer science major, demonstrated her support for extra “Bucks for Ducks" during Friday afternoon's ASUO-sponsored rally in the EMU breezeway. young people of this nation a college education.” Weaver said Reagan’s budget proposals would prevent needy students from attending college and would make higher education a privilege of the wealthy, rather than a right of all Americans. "If you're going to college to improve your chances to get a job, the president says you should get a job first.” However, Weaver said there are many "boondoggles” in the federal budget, and that it must be cut. He predicted Congressional Democrats would channel cuts into areas other than those suggested by Reagan. “It’s going to be a battle, but I think we’ll win.” University vice president Curt Simic told the students that, contrary to popular belief, good things don’t come to those who wait “It's up to us to hustle if we want to get what we want.” Students take appeal to Legislature today Almost 400 students are expected to head for Salem today to try to convince the Legislature to give higher educa tion a fair shake “Early indications show that it was really a terrible situation," ASUO Vice Pres. Rich Wilkins says of student re sponse. “But now things seem to be improving." However, Wilkins, who has managed the ASUO's lobbying effort this year, says “Now is not the time to slack off.” Ten buses were reserved for today’s trip. During the day, students will rally on the Capitol steps and hear speeches from several Eugene-area state repre sentatives, along with state Sens. Jim Gardener, D-Portland, and Ted Kulon goski, D-Junction City. During the afternoon, students will meet with individual representatives to talk about the higher education funding issue. A few students will meet with Atiyeh. The governor has recommended that higher education receive only a 4 per cent increase during the next bien nium.
