EDITORIAL
EMU board needs
freedom from IFC
The Incidental Fee Committee and the F.MU Board of
Directors have dashed repeatedly during the past two
years. At issue is the method the IFC uses to allocate stu
dent funds to the EMU.
Right now. the IFC leadership is trying to exercise
increased control over the operations of the EMI' board.
Rather than simply distribute money based on the EMU
budget committee’s recommendations, which is what
tin; University administration originally intended sever
al years ago. some IFC committee momlxirs want to have
veto power over individual items within the budget.
In other words, if the IFC doesn’t believe Oregon Club
Sports or the FIMI) Craft Center is using student money
effectively, il would restrict the program’s use of student
money without asking the EMU board. In essence, the
IFC would use Its budget authority to control EMU pro
grams. The EMU board would be unnecessary.
Lost week. University President Myles Brand'pro
posed restructuring the relationship between the IFC and
the EMIL Essentially. Ho wants to bypass the IFC’s role
in the EMU budget. Instead of submitting a budget for
IFC Chairman Stove Masat and friends to review, the
EMU board would send its budget directly to the ASI JO
Executive, which would then send it to Brand.
The solution is a good one — it puts the IFC back in its
proper place and keeps EMU authority intact.
The IFC was never meant to be the sole governing
body of student government, which is what Masat seems
to be pushing for. He argues that the IFC best represents
student interests, and the EMU board allows adminis
trators to unjustly influence control of student money.
His argument would have merit if the EMU board
entirely comprised faculty or staff. However, the board
contains only four faculty fnembers, none of whom will
bo allowed to vote on budget items. The remaining 11
members of the board are students — including 1FC
members Manat and Lydia Lerma. As Vice Provost Ger
ard Moseley said. "This is a transfer of authority of stu
dent fees from one student group to another.”
By trying to control the EMU's use of student money,
the IFC leadership is guilty of petty political posturing
and power-grabbing. The EMy board is more familiar
with EMU operations than the IFC, and thus is more
qualified to distribute money among EMU programs.
The IFC. simply because it has the authority to allocate
student funds, does not have the right to micro manage
groups, including the EMU board, the athletic depart
ment or campus publications.
This was made explicit in Brand's memo. He said the
IFC may not exercise control over the affairs of the EMU
board, and "it should not seek to do so under any form
of subterfuge or by intimidation Quito simply, that
would give too much power to one group on campus.
Certainly students should have power over the use of
student fees, but allowing one group to have all of the
power is excessive.
Brand's plan would send a message to future IFC lead
ers that the group must work within the student gov
ernment system, not rise above it.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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COMMENTARY
Make your voice heard in Salem
By Ryan P Decker t
I just arrived hack in Kugene. 1 spent my time
away speaking with members of the Oregon
Legislature about funding for the University. 1
concluded from my conversations that for higher
education to In* onui a valued investment in Ore
denied the chance ui furthering their educations.
Oregon is making a grave public policy decision to
mortgage its future, and for what? What do we gain
by denying our voung the chance of n better
future? Students from other states might be able to
take up some of the slack, but at what cost to Ore
gon7
gon s intrastrui lure, som* atti
iu<li», on? going to have to change
Higher education is being
looked ot as a luxury that the
stale can do without. Our state
leaders, our neighbors, parents,
teachers and friends need to sup
port higher education for the liest
possible future Higher education
is vitally important to the econo
my's development.
Oregon is going through an
eccmotnii transition. Between
1 oho and the sear 2001), more
than 150.000 new jobs that
require college-level skills are
being created in Oregon. A col
lege graduate has a much greater
earning power than even a com
munity college graduate This
strengthens the economy, sup
ports a stronger tax base and
reduces our need for state ser
vices.
Through direct infusions ol
community and research dollars,
higher education brings millions
to Oregon's economy Higher
education provides direct assis
tance to businesses and commu
nities throughout Oregon.
In the coming years, Oregoni
ans will need even mom access to
higher education. Nearly 40 per
cent more students will graduate
from Oregon's high schools by
the year 2000 than graduated last
year, which means there will lie a
dramatic increase in the number
of students seeking a college edu
cation
Kven at the current levels of
enrollment, Oregon will need
HO.000 students enrolled in the
higher education system by the
year 2000. Oregon will not meet
that need. We now have the abil
ity to serve about 56.000 stu
dents. and that ability is shrink
ing. Our decisions today have
grave implications for the future.
Oregon is losing its ability to
retrain its older-lhan-average col
lege students. Unless thoughtful
decisions are made. Oregon soon
will not have room for the tradi
tional-age student. But suppose
we had the room. It is still unlike
ly the numbers of Oregonians
able to pay the soaring tuition
costs of the state system would be
able to keep up with economic
demands.
Thus it is the poor and middle
class students who are being
To faculty
Wednesday, March 3,
•he ASUQ, in collabora
tion with the Oregon Stu
dent Lobby, will be spon
soring a lobby day in
Salem with the goal of
informing legislators of
the need for tax reform
and enlightening them to
the value of higher educa
tion.
Students will be meet
ing with individual legis
lators. observing commit
tee hearings and
attending a rally. For
many students, this will
lie their first experience
directly participating in
our representational gov
ernment.
Some of the students
who ere interested in
attending may face the
difficult choice between
this opportunity to direct
ly participate in the leg
islative process and miss
ing an important class.
Under the serious budget
crisis we are all living
with, we urge you to pro
vide some flexibility for
these students in the
assignments or class
activities scheduled for
Wednesday.
We fully appreciate the
importance of our class
room experience in our
education. If we didn't
value this, we wouldn't
be fighting so hard in
Salem.
We urge you to take all
of this into consideration
in planning your class
room activities Wednes
day so those students par
ticipating in the Lobby
Day will not face the
dilemma of jeopardizing
their academic status in
your class as a result of
working to preserve the
University as a whole.
Thank you for your
support.
Bobby Lee
ASUO President
support Oregon's higher educa
tion system. Seventy-one percent
of Oregonians polled by the LL
Stewart Foundation this past
November opposed reducing
state funding support for colleges
and universities. Seventy-five
percent of business responding
to the Oregon business poll rated
graduates of Oregon's higher
education systems as either
"above average" or "very high
quality."
However, 43.5 percent of busi
nesses said they had to recruit
out of state for graduate-level
positions last year because there
are not enough Oregon graduates
available.
I urge .ill students lo lake own- *
ership of this problem. Students
can make a difference. We are
58.000 strong, and now we are .
allied with students of Oregon's
community colleges, who make
us more than 458,000 strong
That kind of electoral power will
not he ignored if we speak out.
Your options are clear. Write a
letter to your elected representa
tives. Addresses can lie found in
your local newspaper, library or
the ASUO office. Call your law
makers: loll them your personal
story about how the cuts In high
er education have affected you
and your friends
Schedule a personal visit with
our state leaders. Go in a small
group and ask them directly
what they plan to do for Oregon's
future, join ASUO and help orga
nize other students; help them lo
find their voice.
The Oregon Student Lobby
and the student governments of
the state's community colleges
are organizing a statewide stu
dent lobby day Wednesday. Mar.
3. I would like to see you there
Gov. Barbara Roberts, statewide
student leaders and legislators
will participate in this unprece
dented event. We will provide
transportation to the capitol.
leaving campus at 10:30 a m.
You provide a voice for Oregon's
future.
Ryan P Deckert is a political
science major who works for
ASUO state affairs and is a
member of the Oregon Student
Lobby Board of Directors