Student lobby’s ‘wish list’ unmet
ay uavia steinmetz
Of the EmtriM
The Oregon Student Lobby was effec
tive during the recent Oregon legislative
session, even though none of the four
bills introduced by OSL became law, ac
cording to Bob Watrus, OSL director.
Although the lobby’s “wish list” of bills
was unfulfilled, OSL dealt successfully
with other legislation of concern to
students, Watrus says.
The lobby’s success rate would have
been a lot higher if it had tried to pass
much more “palatable” legislation, as
some groups do, he says.
“How we decide what issues to take on
is not on the basis of how successful we
are likely to be, but on the basis of its in
terest to students. We’re pretty
idealistic," says Watrus. “And so we take
on tough issues, and our success rate
reflects that.”
But the lobby has been effective in
responding to issues that arose during
the session, Watrus says.
An example of this was the lobbying
done to make the tuition-freeze law.
Watrus says OSL successfully worked
with other groups, such as Associated
Oregon Faculties and the Department of
Higher Education, to pass the bill which
maintains state school tuition at 1982-83
levels for the next two years.
Compared to the 1981 Legislature,
education was “on the back burner” dur
ing the most recent session, with the
focus on property tax relief and balancing
the state’s budget. Most education issues
dealt with governance and education’s
high technology tie-in, Watrus says.
Although Watrus says he would
classify the tuition-freeze effort as a suc
cess, OSL must keep monitoring it. The
Department of Higher Education is pro
jecting enrollment to drop-off, and this
means legislators will try to increase tui
tion or look for programs to cut to make
up the difference in lost funds, he says.
The lobby was also effective in
defeating legislation it felt would be
detrimental to students.
Several bills setting deadlines for voter
registration up to 20 days before voting
day were introduced in the House, but
each was defeated, partially due to the ef
forts of the OSL, according to Watrus.
Watrus says OSL opposed such bills
because a survey found students would
be especially effected, since they tend to
register only about 10 to 20 days before
the voting day.
Additionally, Watrus says he has notic
ed the lobby’s crediblity is up.
Not only is OSL asking legislators to
help on legislation, but legislators are
coming to OSL and asking for support.
This increased credibility is due to the
longevity of the organization, which was
established in 1975, and the experienced
staffers, Watrus says.
The OSL is planning no policy changes,
but people involved in the group have
been focusing attention on the need to in
crease student voter registration and tur
nout and increasing the amount of infor
mation given to students about the OSL.
"You might call it PR,” Watrus says.
OSL’s failures during the recent ses
sion, exemplified by their four bills which
did not pass, actually had some positive
sides too, Watrus says.
For example, OSL pushed for a bill
allowing students to have more say in the
setting and allocating of incidental fees.
Although it failed to win legislative ap
proval — it passed through the House but
not the Senate — some provisions of the
bill may be adopted because the Senate
Education Committee told the state
system to work with the OSL to iron out
differences on incidental fees.
Although the OSL-Department of
Higher Education discussions should be
helpful, Watrus says he still expects the
subject to be brought up again at the 1985
Oregon legislative session.
A truth-in-testing bill that would have
required agencies who give standardized
higher education admisssions test to pro
vide more information about the tests
died in the House Education Committee
without a vote.
"Tactically, we did everything possible
to get that bill out of the committee, but
the odds were definitely not in our favor,”
Watrus says.
The powerful lobbying by the testing
companies was to blame, he says.
However, he was pleased with the
responses of students when OSL asked
for calls and letters supporting the bill.
OSL called ASUO and other student
organizations, told them which represen
tatives they were having problems with,
and the letters and calls came in and
changed votes.
"You need the folks out in the country
calling in to back up what we’re saying,"
Watrus says.
Fairgrounds hosts sporting goods sale
Your body temperature may
tell you it’s not the right
season to buy a parka, but
after you see some of the
deals at the fairgrounds this
weekend, you may find it
easier to pretend it’s snowing
outside.
And with the “summer”
weather Eugene has had so
far, a coat isn’t such a bad
idea.
Eugene Athletic, MacKenzie
Outfitters, Luby’s and Mattox
are collaborating to bring
Eugene some of the year’s
best buys in sporting goods
Friday through Sunday at the
Lane County Fairgrounds ex
hibit hall.
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Admission is free for the
free-for-all, which runs from
noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.
to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to
5 p.m. Sunday.
Parkas regularly sold for
$150 will go for $29.95. Gortex
rain pants will be discounted
from $100 to $29.95 and
sweaters that usually cost up
to $90 will sell for $19.99, ac
cording to Gloria Godfrey,
owner of Mackenzie
Outfitters.
This is the second year the
stores have held the bi-annual
sale, where they “slash prices
down and just dump that
stuff,” Godfrey says.
Because owners of the “lit
tle” stores don’t have huge
advertising budgets, they
decided to pool their
resources, and the idea has
paid off, she says.
Last year between 6,000 and
8,000 people showed up to
brouse and buy, she says.
But the slashed prices are
about the only luxury you’ll
find at the sale. There will not
be dressing rooms and the
merchandise is non
returnable, Godfrey says.
“Once it goes out the door,
it’s yours," she says.
Items that require fitting will
be available at the regular
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store outlets at marked down
prices. The four stores are par
ticipating in a sidewalk sale
sponsored by the Eugene
Downtown Association, God
frey says.
Shop carefully. Some —
although not all — of the mer
chandise is “as is.” An item
might have been returned
because of a missing button
or the size selection may be
“just shot” because the items
have been previously marked
down, Godfrey says.
The drawbacks, however,
are “usually something so
minor the prices more than
make up for it," she says.
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