NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Saturday, February 20, 2021
Oregon bill would help college students access food, housing assistance
By MEERAH POWELL
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — Higher education
advocates are joining with a group
fi ghting hunger to support a bill in
the Oregon Legislature aimed at
helping relieve food and housing
insecurity for students.
The Oregon Student Associa-
tion, Oregon Community College
Association and Partners for a
Hunger-Free Oregon are pushing
lawmakers to pass House Bill 2835,
also known as the Benefi ts Naviga-
tor Bill.
That bill would create funding
for a full-time position at every
community college and public
university for a staff member who
could connect students to benefi ts,
such as SNAP, often informally
called food stamps, and also hous-
ing assistance.
The proposed legislation is the
result of months of discussions
with students and others in campus
communities to address needs
among college students.
Venus Barnes with Partners for a
Hunger-Free Oregon said the solu-
tion — HB 2835 — came out of a
“yearlong engagement process with
students” all over the state.
“We held a series of listening
circles to ask students about their
experiences with campus hunger
and what solutions they saw that
could help,” Barnes said in a state-
ment. “This bill is a product of that
conversation.”
In January and February 2020,
Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon,
with support from the Oregon
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
House Bill 2835 would fund a “benefi ts navigator” position at every community college, including Blue Moun-
tain Community College in Pendleton, and public universities in Oregon.
Student Association, conducted
a series of on-campus listening
sessions and online surveys —
hearing from nearly 200 students
across 11 public Oregon colleges
and universities.
About 70% of those students
said they had experienced food
insecurity in the last 12 months,
according to Partners for a Hunger-
Free Oregon. Twenty percent of
those students said they had expe-
rienced housing insecurity in the
same time frame.
“Students (are) worrying about
their money running out before rent
is due, having to skip meals, or not
being able to focus in class because
of hunger, or having to skip class
because they’re having to work
extra shifts,” a student from Port-
land Community College said in a
response to the survey.
“What we want from the admin-
istrators and the legislators is that
they listen and understand us and
Forecast for Pendleton Area
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take action,” said a student from
Western Oregon University in one
of the listening sessions.
Partners for a Hunger-Free
Oregon, the Oregon Students Asso-
ciation and the Oregon Community
College Association have partnered
for “Hunger-Free Campuses,” a
campaign focused on advocating
for state-level changes that address
student needs insecurities.
A benefi ts navigator position has
existed at Oregon State University
Oregon eager for grocery liquor sales
By ZANE SPARLING
Oregon Capital Bureau
A passing shower
this morning
An a.m. shower;
cloudy, breezy
39° 35°
45° 42°
Mostly cloudy and
windy
Winds subsiding
with some sun
Mostly sunny and
chilly
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
52° 35°
44° 32°
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HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
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OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
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PENDLETON
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Pullman
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Portland
Hermiston
50/43
The Dalles 45/39
Salem
Corvallis
50/40
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
38/31
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
50/41
44/31
38/27
Ontario
41/25
Caldwell
Burns
43°
26°
49°
29°
66° (1995) 9° (1936)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
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Albany
49/40
Trace
0.49"
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WINDS (in mph)
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2.01"
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2.16"
through 3 p.m. yest.
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TEMP.
Pendleton 34/25
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24 hours ending 3 p.m.
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HERMISTON
Enterprise
39/35
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39°
25°
48°
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68° (1930) 8° (2006)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
47/41
Aberdeen
32/30
40/32
Tacoma
Yesterday
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Spokane
Wenatchee
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Today
Sun.
Boardman WSW 8-16
Pendleton WSW 10-20
Medford
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as a pilot program for the past two
academic years, the Oregon Student
Association said in a news release.
Between 2018 and 2020, that
position at Oregon State was
responsible for bringing over
$875,000 dollars in SNAP benefi ts
and other resources to students, the
Oregon Student Association said.
“Our focus is on making sure
legislators understand that, at very
little cost to Oregon, we can make
a lasting impact on student success
while bringing more federal dollars
into the state,” said Miguel Arel-
lano Sanchez, OSU’s basic needs
navigator, in the news release.
“This bill is a win-win and we
really can’t afford not to implement
it if we want our college students
to be able to succeed during this
pandemic.”
Supporters of the bill say student
need-based insecurities have always
been around, but the pandemic has
only heightened them.
“Campus hunger was already
a crisis before COVID-19 and
the ensuing economic downturn.
Students can’t succeed in school
and earn valuable degrees when
they’re struggling to keep a roof
over their head or fi nd their next
meal,” Odalis Aguilar Aguilar,
an Oregon Students Association
board member and an offi cial with
the University of Oregon’s student
government, said in a statement.
“What we hope legislators
understand is that if Oregon’s
economy is going to recover from
the pandemic, that just can’t be
done without addressing statewide
campus hunger this session.”
SALEM — Hands off
that gas pump.
The quirks of life in the
Beaver State might bemuse
outsiders, but surely true-
blue Oregonians cherish
our time-honored idiosyn-
crasies, right?
It’s just not so, according
to a new survey.
A poll by the Oregon
Values and Beliefs Center,
a project of DHM Research,
found that a majority of
state residents are ready to
pump their own gas and buy
a bottle of spirits at the local
supermarket.
Just don’t expect them
to vote in a sales tax, which
three out of four here
oppose.
“ Su p p o r t t e n d s t o
increase among higher-in-
come Oregonians, but
no demographic groups
reach 30% support for this
policy change,” according
to a DHM policy brief on a
potential sales tax.
Here are the key fi ndings:
• Nearly two-thirds of
Oregonians (63%) are in
favor of allowing motorists
to pump their own gas, rather
than relying on an attendant.
Demographics showing the
strongest support include
those making more than
$100,000 per year (73%)
and political conservatives
(71%). Support is lowest
among political moderates,
pegged at 55%.
• Even more unifying is
the proposal to allow hard
alcohol sales in grocery
stores, instead of restricting
them to state-licensed liquor
stores. Roughly two-thirds
(65%) support such an idea,
including 70% of Demo-
crats and 69% of those living
outside the metro area and
Willamette Valley. Those
aged 65 and up registered
the least support, with just
57% in favor.
• Oregonians overwhelm-
ingly gave the thumbs down
to creating a new statewide
sales tax, with 75% of resi-
dents in opposition. Demo-
graphics that most strongly
rejected the idea include
those without school-age
children (79%), those earn-
ing less than $50,000 per
year (73%), conservatives
(79%) and those living in
the outer suburbs (88%).
Those making more than
$100,000 per year were
most in favor, but only 26%
offered support.
• The idea of paying
a tax at the cash register
became slightly more palat-
able when paired with a
proposed reduction in the
state income tax, with half
opposed, one-third in favor
and the remainder unsure.
Opposition was strongest
among those aged 65 and
up (67%), while those with
college education evinced
the most support (40%).
DHM su r veyed 603
Oregon adults in January,
using respondents from a
professional panel who were
selected to be representative
of state demographics. The
margin of error for the poll
is 2.4% to 4%.
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
41/24
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
6:49 a.m.
5:29 p.m.
11:02 a.m.
1:55 a.m.
Full
Last
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NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 90° in Titusville, Fla. Low -21° in International Falls, Minn.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
IN BRIEF
Krebs elected region
vice president
WASHINGTON — Skye Krebs, a native
of Ione, was elected to the Region V vice
president for policy for
the National Cattlemen’s
Beef Association during its
regional caucus.
Throughout their three-
year terms, NCBA regional
vice presidents serve as chair
of their regional membership
committee. Regional vice
Krebs
presidents play a critical role
in coordinating regional member activities.
They also coordinate regional activities and
communications with the Federation Division
Regional vice presidents from their respec-
tive regions.
“After serving on the Public Lands Coun-
cil Executive Board for many years, I have
come to know several of the affi liated state
executives, offi cers, and producers,” Krebs
said. “I feel like I can hit the ground running
and I have a bit of fuel left in my tank to serve
the beef industry. I’m excited to get started.”
Krebs was born and raised in Ione. He
received his Bachelor of Science in general
agriculture from Oregon State University.
Krebs’ roots in the cattle industry run deep,
as his family has been ranching in Eastern
Oregon for more than 100 years. He and his
wife, Penny, own and operate Krebs Sheep
Company, where they raise both sheep and
cattle in Ione and Wallowa.
Krebs is a member of the Oregon Cattle-
men’s Association, where he currently serves
as the Public Lands Council endowment
protector chairman, a position he has held
since 2011. He also serves as the Wallowa
County Animal Damage Control District
secretary. In addition, Krebs is involved in
the Oregon Sheep Growers Association and
the Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni Board.
— EO Media Group
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