HELP THE UO. HELP OREGON!

2011 session marked first steps in reform – Need to build on success to truly transform education in Oregon

1. Contact your legislator today to urge them to take next steps in reform in 2012. Click here to find the name and contact information of your state legislator. Any form of communication is good – but a letter sent to their State Capitol office with your return address is ideal.  Be brief (fewer than 100 words), always reference specific measures and include your return address so they know where to respond. Include what the UO and higher education has personally meant to you and why the next steps in bold reforms are critical this year. The website includes ample background information and articles on the New Partnership proposal.

URGE LEGISLATORS TO:

• Establish a new relationship with Oregon’s public universities: Today, the UO and other universities operate under a centralized management system in state government and without a dedicated board of directors to provide leadership and oversight. We need to decentralize management with publicly accountable governing boards for the UO and other schools. This plan already works effectively with Oregon’s community colleges and in other states like Washington and Ohio and will ensure university leaders are making the best financial and education decisions for their school and the state.
• Guarantee world class educational opportunities for all Oregonians: We need to make sure that a world class education is available to every prospective Oregon student regardless of background and socio-economic status. Our students must be prepared to compete with any anyone in the world anytime, anywhere. To achieve this goal, we need a new relationship with the state where we can collaborate on how we educate our students and the quality of that education. Local boards can focus on the day-to-day operational issues, such as keeping the lights on, running wires to a new computer lab or paving a parking lot – allowing the state to focus on the bigger policy issues.
• Control rising tuition costs: Tuition costs are rising at a rate that is unsustainable and pricing too many Oregonians out of a post-secondary education. We must reign tuition and create certainty for families about the cost of a higher education degree over their academic career. We need a tuition guarantee program that states what it will cost for a resident Oregonian to attend our universities for four years. We need to make a tuition promise to Oregonians: your costs will increase by only a set percentage each year, and your total cost for four years will be fixed.

2. Follow up your letter with an e-mail, phone call or personal meeting.

3. Visit your legislator face to face by requesting a 15 minute appointment at their Capitol office or in their district when they are home on weekends. You can also attend town-hall meetings. Most legislators have email lists where they advertise their town hall schedules.

4. Send a letter to the editor to your local newspaper. This can be done quickly, usually via email and should include the key messages above. Most letters to the editor should contain 50 or fewer words and include a request for a specific action your legislator can take. Click here to write and send a the editor.

5. Spread the word through email, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. Nothing is more powerful than friends sharing information with friends. Use the key messages above and contact your friends and acquaintances to urge them to get involved and contact their legislators.

WHY IT MATTERS:

• Right now only half of Oregon High School students enter college prepared for post-secondary math.
• The four year graduation rate at the UO is at 45% - taking most students five or six years or more to complete a bachelors degree.
• We’re falling behind in research grants and opportunities to prepare our students to compete in a global economy.
• Dedicated local governing boards promise more accountability in exchange for a stronger relationship with the state that focuses on student outcomes, not operational issues.
• Providing guaranteed tuition rates gives families and students certainty for their four year degree.

We can’t stop pushing for a world class education system in Oregon  – bold next steps are required.