Committee approves higher education budget
By Brooks Oareff
The Joint Ways and Means
Committee approved a sub
committee written two-year
budget for Oregon higher
education that is $21 million
less than the $583 million ask
ed by Gov. Vic Atiyeh, but
about $50 million more than
will be spent in the current
biennium. The next biennium
begins July 1.
The budget was passed on
the morning of Friday, June
17, with only Rep. Max Simp
son D-Baker dissenting.
Included in the budget is a
mandatory tuition freeze, with
exemptions for summer ses
sion, continuing education tui
tion and enrollment fees and
existing resource fees. The
omnipotence of the tuition
Hazing bill fails, then passes
Senate, awaits Atiyeh’s okay
After failing once on the Oregon Senate floor and then
passing after reconsideration, a bill to make “hazing” il
legal is on the way to the governor for his signature.
Whether the bill will be signed into law remains
uncertain.
According to Denny Miles, administrative assistant to
the governor for communications, Gov. Vic Atiyeh has not
yet decided if he will sign the bill or not.
“He has given no solid indication," says Miles. The
main problem Atiyeh has with the bill is that laws already
exist that take care of any hazing problems, so it is difficult
to justify needing a new law, he says.
The bill, introduced in the House by Rep. Tom Mason
at the request of Delta Tau Delta fraternity at Willamette
University, underwent intense scrutiny in the house, where
there were four work sessions in the Judiciary Committee
before the committee arrived at the final bill as amended.
The bill establishes that hazing is illegal and sets a
maximum fine of $1,000 for a student group and $250 max
imum fine for any individual involved in hazing.
Amendments to the bill identify hazing as subjecting
a person to “bodily danger or physical harm or a likelihood
of bodily danger or physical harm.”
The bill specifically prohibits subjecting a person to
calisthenics (except curricular activities or athletic teams),
total or substantial nudity, compelled ingestion of any
substance, wearing or carrying obscene or physically
burdensome articles, physical assaults or offensive
physical contacts, participation in boxing matches or
other physical contests, transportaion and abandonment,
confinement to unreasonably small, unventilated, un
sanitary or unlighted areas, assignment of pranks or com
pelled servitude.
University fraternities have indicated their support for
the bill, although the members of the University Interfrater
nity Council have said they do not think fraternities and
sororities should be identified specifically in the bill.
freeze mandate amounts to
bill language such as
"Chancellor Davis provided
the subcommittee with the
strongest possible
assurances...” but stops
short of functioning as law, a
step which, in the words of
Deputy Fiscal Officer Bill Bar
rows would have had the in
flexible affect of “burning
bridges.”
The higher education
budget now goes to the House
floor where, if passed, it will
be considered by the Senate.
There has been no date set for
a house vote, but Barrows said
Friday he'd “be surprised if it
doesn’t come up next week.”
Barrows also said he “knows
of no organized opposition” to
the bill.
The budget bill calls for
general fund spending of
$351.1 million and total spen
ding of $561.1 million for the
primary academic category in
higher education, “education
and general services.”
Of the $21 million cut from
the Atiyeh budget, $12.7 was
slotted for future academic
salary and for fringe benefit
adjustments, which the
legislature is putting off for all
EMCI
Food
Van
Mon.-Thurs.
9:45 am-2 pm
The Food Van is located
outside the library in the
turnaround. It offers bagels,
yogurt, drinks and juices,
fresh fruit and sandwiches to
help you get through the
day.
state employees.
The budget does include,
however an across the board 2
percent salary increase total
ing roughly $5 million, ad
justed from almost $13 million
originally promised by higher
education officials.
Of the remaining $8.3
million cut from the Atiyeh
budget, $4 million was
recovered from reduced
energy cost estimates and
another $4 million was taken
from instructional programs
throughout the system. What
programs are affected is
beyond the jurisdiction of the
legislature.
Unfortunately, the approx
imately 17 percent increase
over the current biennium may
not prevent program and per
sonnel reductions, since near
ly all of that increase has been
specifically allocated by the
bill. About $20 million is in
tended to counteract the
speculative revenue losses
created by the tuition freeze,
$24 million is slated to cover
estimated inflation, $3 million
goes towards building repair
(adjusted from the approx
imately $16 million requested
by higher education officials),
$2.7 million is earmarked for
high tech programs and $1
million will help libraries keep
pace with rising periodical and
other acquisitions costs.
A small amount of the $50
million increase, $200,000, is
set aside as a discretionary
salary fund to be used by
Davis to retain or attract
stellar faculty.
About $230,000 of the in
crease will be applied towards
establishing the International
Trade and Commerce Institute
at Portland State University.
Portland State will match state
funds with a reallocation of
$250,000, which will in turn be
matched by $250,000 from
private sources for a total of
$730,000.
In his closing remarks to the
full Joint Committee, Subcom
mittee Chairman Wayne
Fawbush praised Davis’s par
ticipation in the budget
writing process as con
tributing towards “an entirely
different atmosphere” from
“what we’ve had in the past,”
the past being former
Chancellor Roy Lieuallen, with
whom the committee ap
parently had somewhat of a
trust-gap.
ooncert to benetit tartn hirst
Summer school budget got you down?
Spending too much time and money on educa
tional pursuits and not enough on pure self
enjoyment?
How about some fun in the sun — FREE.
If you’re interested be at Skinners Butte on
Sunday June 26 for a free concert beginning at
3 p.m. No admission will be charged, but dona
tions will be appreciated said Marcy Willow,
one of the organizers of the event and a
spokesperson for Earth First, the environmen
tal group that will be asking for money at the
concert.
Scheduled to appear are five musical
groups and one circus troupe, all local enter
tainers. The groups have agreed to donate their
time, making the concert possible, Willow said.
Whatever your musical taste, one of these
groups should appeal to you. Two bands,
Arousing Spirit and The Burners, play reggae
according to Willow; while Cecilia Ostrow is a
singer, David and Windsong is a folk group and
Richard Crandell plays a 12-string and
acoustical guitar.
The Gallileos will entertain by juggling and
performing skits.
Any proceeds collected will go for the
legal defense of 36 people that have been ar
rested for blocking Forest Service attempts to
destroy timber growth in the Kalmiopsis
Wilderness of southern Oregon, Willow said.
Food Services
The Fishbowl Deli
Mon.-Thurs. 11 am-6 pm
Fridays 11 am-3 pm
Cool off this summer with
made-to-order sandwiches and
specialty salads. We offer a wide
variety of meats and cheeses so
that you can order up a different
creation every day. We'll also
have great fixings for vegetarian
sandwiches.
The
Soda
Bar
Mon.-Thurs. 9 am-6 pm
Fridays 9 am-3 pm
We've got what you're
looking for in cold drinks
and snacks. Soft drinks, fruit
juices, yogurt, coffee,
cookies, croissants and more
Fountain Court Cafe
Open for Breakfast: 7 am-10:30 am
Open for Lunch: 10:30 am-2:30 pm
From donuts, to yogurt, to full bacon and egg
plates, we’ll have breakfast ready for you
in just minutes.
Our luncheon cafeteria
features daily specials,
Mexican food specialties,
salad and soup bars and
a selection of desserts.
Join us in the outdoor
environment of the
Fountain Court.
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