A ra fa t'
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Education
Without knowing it was up for
sale, the Oregon Institute of
Technology has found a bidder.
n Corvallis, O SU Local 83 m em bers and
leaders w ere faced w ith budget short
falls, audit problem s and a complicated "rede
sign" of the university. As of now, some staff have been
laid off, bu t the "red esig n" has been halted and
budget problem s have largely been p ut off until
next year.
In K lam ath Falls, D ick Wendt, w ho has
successfully sponsored legislation to take p u b lic /
assistance checks aw ay from the individual due
them and give them to businesses w ho hire them ,
is now dangling $100 m illion in front o f O IT
officials if the state school w ill becom e a private
school. The school and the H igher Education
system has not decided whether, or under w hat
I
terms, to accept the offer Students, faculty, the
members and leaders Of O IT Local 090 and the
com m unity at large have offered considerable
constructive criticism of the proposal and w ill
coritinue to participate and to influence the
outcome.
SE IU Local 503, O PEU President K ath ie
Best, on leave from O IT 's business office w hile she
is statew ide president, said "A quality, affordable
higher education should be an im portant
priority of this state. Unfortunately, w e've
been m oving the opposite direction,
especially since the passage of Ballot
M easure 5.in 1990; it is becom ing m ore and
m ore difficult for m any qualified young
people and their fam ilies in Oregon to afford
a four-year college degree."
"T h e proposal from Dick Wendt, to
m ake O IT a~ private institution, takes us
further in the w rong direction, to judge by
the high tuition charged by private colleges
and u n iversities," she said.
O IT 's technical and liberal arts
curriculum has served the resid en ts o f Lake
and K lam ath counties, as w ell as the state,
w ell. It has contributed to the life of the
comm unity.
Before the Oregon U niversity System
g iv e s aw a y O IT , it sh o u ld b e m o re
forthcom ing about the details and the im pact
of the deal. So far, its has given the public,
students, staff and faculty alm ost none. It
should give the sam e consid eration to tire
public it is giving to one w ealthy individual.
Voter Education Project
Last December the streets of Oregon
were fall of more than Christmas
shoppers. Ballot initiative circulators
cruised the crowds for signatures. But
they weren't alone. Joining them this
year were members of the Voter -
Education Project.
The new project is a non-profit organiza
tion supported by SEIU Local 503, OPEU
and others and headed by political veteran
Jeannie Berg. After years of working on
initiatives, she says that paying signature
gatherers (or "dealers" as she calls them) by
the bounty system as some campaigns do
has had a corruptive effect on Oregon
politics.
"Think about it," she says. "A signature
dealer gets money every time you sign. That's a
high temptation for fraud."
Because of that and the harmful effect
many initiatives have on public policy and
public services, the Voter Education Project is
"Think Before You Ink."
r The Voter Education Project will be on the
streets through the signature-gathering season
that ends in July 2002.
Already this election, the Oregon Depart
ment of Justice has pursued two cases of
electionfraud committed by signature dealers,
thanks in part to complaints filed by Votejr
Education Project. The first resulted in the
prosecution of Paul Frankel, an Alabama man
who used a "bait and switch" technique to
entice signatures on initiatives that voters *
The public, all Oregonians, own OIT.
O th e r im p o rta n t q u estio n s need
answers before this deal goes any further:
• What is the impact of this deal to the
students, the faculty, the public in southern
Oregon and throughout the state? Will OIT's
students, who largely are working and middle
class and largely come from Klamath and Lake
counties, still be able to afford the tuition if the
institution becomes private?
• V alu ab le p u b lic p ro p erty is b ein g
p ro p o sed to b e tra n sfe rre d to p riv a te
ownership. Why? Under what conditions? Is
it a good business deal for the state?
• We haven't been told why it is necessary
for the school to become private to receive this
gift. Wealthy individuals and corporations have
for years made generous gifts to all the schools
in the state system without dictating the terms
to this extent.
• Is it appropriate for one wealthy citizen
to dictate public policy to such a great extent?
So many people have invested a great deal in
OIT over the years. Are their contributions
going to be cast aside to satisfy the demands of
one person?
A t Oregon State University in Corvallis,
m eanw hile, a plan for "red esign" has been
quietly closed.
O SU L o cal 83 m em b ers and lea d ers
repeatedly challenged the numerous problems
th ey fo u n d in t h e s c h o o l ' s b u d g e t a n d
"redesign." plans.
In October 2001, OSU announced a $19.1
million budget shortfall and plans to redesign
the university. Since then, 34 employees have
been laid off and 120 positions w ill rem ain
unfilled. Earlier this w inter it shelved the
"redesign" plans but m ust continue to w ork on
filling the budget hole. The 2002 shortfall was.
closed in part by moving some expenses to next
year where a $12.7 million problem awaits. •
hadn't even read. Frankel also forged the signa
ture of a Department of Justice investigator on
initiatives that were found in the office of Bill
Sizemore, executive director of Oregon Taxpay- ;
ers United.
In December the AG's office also issued a
warrant for the arrest of James Gurga, who
worked With Frankel.
"Elections law violations and the placing of
fraudulent signatures on petitions are very
personal violations of Oregon's democratic
process," says Attorney General Hardy Myers.
The Voter Education Project needs your help,"
When you see a paid signature dealer anywhere
in Oregon, call (800) 295-5597 so someone can be
sent to the scene.
For more information on how to protect yourself
from fraud, go to www.votereducationproject.org
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