Sam Dunaway | News Editor
On Oct. 4, members of ASWOU and the Oregon Student Association could be found on campus sidewalks engaging with students about important issues that many college students face. This was part of a statewide survey campaign to get input from college students regarding what issues they want to see addressed on campus and in the state legislature.
The Oregon Student Association, or OSA, is a student-led non-partisan organization that works to advocate for student issues and concerns in Oregon. OSA represents schools ranging from Portland State University to Central Oregon Community College and serves over 110,000 individuals in postsecondary education.
“As we know, there are big differences in issues that impact students from a regional university like Western to a big university,” commented OSA Communications Director Devin Hutchings on the importance of representing a wide variety of institutions. “That’s why having a board is really important and to make sure that students from all different types of public higher education in Oregon are at the table and making decisions together.”
Every two years, OSA goes through a process of choosing which issues they will prioritize and work on in the coming years. OSA leadership students present and debate several proposals, and ultimately all students in OSA represented schools can vote on which topics they’d like to see addressed.
OSA partnered with ASWOU to bring the statewide student survey to Western’s campus and allow students to vote on the 10 proposed issues. At Western, 845 individuals gave their input and 17,081 students statewide participated in the survey.
According to the survey, the top five issues that students want to see addressed are tuition and textbook affordability, affordable and stable housing, increase mental health resources for students, student control over tuition setting and college governance and food assistance for food insecure Oregonians.
Focusing and working on these issues has led to changes in the legislature in the past. In 2015, one of the issues that OSA staff members focused on was sexual violence prevention and reform. Senate Bill 762, which exempts victims of sexual assault from prosecution for offenses related to the possession of alcohol by a person under the age of 21, was brought forward by the Oregon Student Association.
This bill was passed and signed into law this past summer.
“That is a victory that impacts quite a few students and was brought forward by students, was worked on a lobbied for, students went to the capital, and was eventually passed and is now a law,” Hutchings commented. “It was student-led the whole way.”
“We’re thankful for the students that participated in the survey and we really appreciate it,” commented Annie Broussard, ASWOU Director of State and Federal Affairs.
To find out more information on OSA, visit orstudents.org.
Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu
