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VO L. 65 NO. 11
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New initiative aims to support Latino students
List of concerns drafted, formal stance to come
Éxito program intended to provide pathway for Latino success
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CORIE CHARNLEY VANGUARD STAFF
“They’re not even open to discussing it,” he said. Jessica Cole, associate director of SHAC, spoke to McCann this week. She likened the health fee, $190 per term, to other charges built into tuition by necessity at universities. His money helped fund the Academic and Student Recreation Center, for example, which his daughter might or might not use. However, McCann felt that the health fee was different. “This is a separate thing; this is individual health care for
To discuss the student stance on the potential restructuring of the Oregon University System, the Oregon Student Association met on Sept. 24 at Mount Hood Community College to voice its concerns. According to a draft released last year by the Office of the President of Portland State, state funding for higher education has been steadily decreasing for 20 years. During this time, OUS institutions have lost 40 percent of their funding. For PSU, this means that only 16 percent of its annual operating budget is covered by state funds. “Restructuring is necessary,” said ASPSU President Katie Markey. “The state of Oregon has for the past 20 years continually allocated less and less money to higher education, which in turn means substantial tuition increases.” Markey attended the OSA meeting and was able to provide insight as to what went on there. OSA, a statewide non-profit concerned with advocacy, is led by students from around the state. The current member campuses are Eastern Oregon University, Lane Community College, Mount Hood Community College, Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon State University, PSU, Southern Oregon University, University of Oregon and Western Oregon University. Since 1975, the OSA has aimed to “represent, serve and protect the collective interests of students” in higher education in Oregon," according to its website. “OSA’s mission is to advocate for and represent the needs of the students in Oregon,” Markey said. “In the case of restructuring, we are working on making sure that student voices and interests are not only heard, but protected as well.” According to Markey, 50 to 60 students showed up for the meeting, and the goal was to let as many students speak as possible. “PSU students have been leading the discussion for the most part,” she said. “However,
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ortland State President Wim Wiewel on Monday anounced a new program, known as Éxito, to recruit, support and graduate Latino students, who currently make up 5 percent of the student body at PSU. In 2009, Wiewel assembled a task force in order to increase the number of Latino students in higher education. Last June, it released a report outlining key recommendations to achieve this goal, including creating a Latina/o Alumni Association and holding college information sessions for Latino youth and their families. HEATHER NODDINGS/VANGUARD STAFF
“It really struck me how few Latino/ Latina students Portland State had compared to the proportion of the population in the greater Portland area." WIM WIEWEL As of now, four of the 10 recommendations have been prioritized. Those recommendations are: increasing funding for Latino students, increasing the number of Latino faculty and staff, creating
Raising the bar: President Wim Wiewel announces the university's efforts to recruit, support and graduate Latino students.
a Latino cultural center on campus and recruiting Latino students to Oregon’s colleges and universities. “When I came to Portland two years ago...it really struck me how few Latino/Latina students Portland State had compared to the proportion of the population in the greater Portland area,” Wiewel said. Currently, about 10 percent of the Portland population is Latino. However, in the region’s elementary schools, Latino students make up 30 percent of the population.
Wiewel pointed out that, as these students in the younger grades enter high school and graduate, they will need to be informed about higher education. Therefore, he believes it is important to implement a program that will recruit and graduate more Latino students from higher education. Éxito—which translates to “success” in Spanish—aims to eliminate the cultural barriers Latinos face so that they can enroll in college and obtain a degree. In addition, the program will support students post-graduation, whether that
means helping them to enter the job market or to enroll in a graduate program. According to Wiewel, the university is committing $350,000 to the initiative, $250,000 of which will come from the university’s funds. The other $100,000 will come from the PSU Foundation. “Some people will ask how can you do this in a time of constrained resources,” he said. “One, it is our job...it has always been Portland State’s job to serve the community, and [Latinos] are a very important part of the population of our
community that we have not been paying attention to.” In addition, Wiewel said that the implementation of the program is in the university’s interest. As the Latino population is one of the fastest-growing populations in Oregon, it is key that a majority of them obtain college degrees. Otherwise, Wiewel said, they will not get well-paying jobs, nor attract businesses that will “make Portland successful economically.” “[Éxito] is absolutely necessary,” said Mayor Sam Adams.
ÉXITO ON PAGE 4
New health care law leads to double coverage Some students on both university insurance and parents’ plan oppose unnecessary fees ALISON BARNWELL VANGUARD STAFF
Last March, President Obama signed the landmark Affordable Care Act into law, beginning a major national health care reform. On Sept. 23, the six-month anniversary of the signing, the White House implemented the Patient’s Bill of
Oregon Student Association discusses OUS restructuring
Rights, an important series of consumer protections defined by the new law. Under the new provisions, young adults without employerissued health insurance will now be able to remain on their parents’ plan until the age of 26. The reform law changes the lives of many students at Portland State, and the Student Health and Counseling Center is responding to new concerns from parents and students who seek to opt out of PSU's mandatory health insurance. Karyn Schwartz, senior policy analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation, predicts that
700,000 to 2.1 million young adults in America will now take advantage of parental coverage. Referring to a September census report, she said that one third of young adults from the ages 19 to 25 are currently uninsured, making them the group with the highest lack of coverage. At the Oregon Health Authority’s recent board meeting, presenters concluded that the majority of Oregonians have or will get insurance privately, whether individually or through employers. The many parents who are paying high premiums for private coverage
are vocal in their opposition to PSU’s requirement that students taking five or more credits per term purchase health insurance through the university. Marty McCann is one such parent. The father of a PSU freshman, he said that he found out through his sisterin-law about the mandatory health fee that exists at all of the public Oregon universities. Though she was able to opt out of the insurance plan that Oregon State University provided for her son, McCann found that the requirement is non-negotiable at PSU.