By: TK Layman Staff Writer
The 2016 Election has come to an end after a tumultuous campaign. President-elect Donald J. Trump will assume his role in the Oval Office come January. The US Senate and House will have a Republican majority, giving the party control of both the legislative and executive branches. Citizens in nine states voted on ballot initiatives to legalize marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes and voted yes in all states except Arizona.
As President Obama counts down his final days in office, Trump will begin to prepare for his role as president. He has a plan to reduce college costs for students by “making a good faith effort … in exchange for federal tax breaks and tax dollars,” according to his campaign site.
Along with reducing costs, Trump’s website states that he wants to make it easier for students to attend a two or four-year college. He also proposes to create an additional 25 million jobs over 10 years and increase the economy by creating 1.2 million new jobs for every 1 percent growth in national GDP.
Oregon’s gubernatorial election is making national headlines with incumbent Kate Brown, who took office after the previous governor John Kitzhaber resigned, becoming the first openly-LGBTQ governor in national history. Brown’s website lists her accomplishments since taking her place as Oregon’s governor: she has passed a plan to increase Oregon’s minimum wage in relation to local population, expanded the Oregon Opportunity Grant, and created the Oregon Promise Grant which allows low-income students to attend community college for as low as $50 a semester. By creating an affordable education, Brown hopes to create an educated workforce that can earn a livable wage.
Oregon also passed several ballots measures that affect students. Measure 98 passed with a 65 percent vote. The measure is set to help Oregon students prepare for higher education by helping reduce the dropout rate and create college preparedness courses. The Oregon Voter’s Pamphlet details that Oregon has one of the worst graduation rates in the nation, with 10,000 failing to graduate each year.
Almost 75 percent of high school graduates who do seek higher education will be placed into remedial courses. The measure claims that it will invest no less than $800 per student within the state of Oregon, based on attendance, to improve graduation rates and offer more college-level courses for students to be better prepared for higher education.
In our Nov. 2 issue, news editor Jade Rayner wrote about measure 95, a ballot measure allowing public universities to reinvest their equities to reduce financial impact on students. Measure 95 passed with a 70 percent “yes” majority.
The campaign has come to an end and there is still much more to come. The midterm election of 2018 is just two years away. Students hoping to get involved are encouraged to contact their party’s headquarters for more information.
Contact the author at tlayman16@wou.edu
