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OSPIRG Jumps the Shark

OSPIRG continues its nasty little habit of claiming other people’s victories:

Stretching a bit? I’m not really sure what a lobbying group like OSPIRG has to do with student involvement in the civil rights movement, but there you go. By the way, I received this in an email titled “cultural appropriation at its worst.”

  1. Matt says:

    Oh, but what a screening it was!

  2. Gsim says:

    tedTheTiniestTurtle –

    If you are waiting for someone to report on good reasons for funding OSPRIG don’t hold your breath. The best OSPRIG could come up with during their funding hearings is that they held a screening of Sicko last year.

  3. Sakaki says:

    There are issues that can be dealt with in regards to all those things that OSPIRG champions. The main reason why sensible people want them defunded, like myself, is because they take people’s money and send it en masse off campus to a laundering house in Portland, where it is then sent through to subsidiaries, and comes out clean and paying for big shot lawyers.

    There are programs which cover some of the important issues. Campus Recycling handles a good portion of sustainability (God, how I hate that word) issues; Environmental speakers are trucked in by various groups including those involved with the Student Insurgent; Petitions for better textbook prices are dealt with outside of OSPIRG’s venue (as shown by Jonathan Rosenberg’s display 3 years ago.)

    There are organizations that could take little if any student money at all (two examples: CFACT and SOLV), and do all that has been put forth by the PIRG system in the past. That would be the best thing to happen.

  4. tedTheTiniestTurtle says:

    p.s. this blog needs to update its clock. its 1:56 not 12:56.

  5. tedTheTiniestTurtle says:

    @Cinnamon G
    IDK your “official” position at the Student Insurgent but,

    The Student Insurgent web site hurts my eyes. Just thought you should know. I think perhaps, they should put more of an effort into it. I currently comment on and consistently read the Oregon Commentators blog. It’s entirely because of their web site that they are the campus publication I read the most. The thing is, I think they’re all idiot “jesus would’ve wanted me to have an AK” mother fuckers. Occasionally though , I am influenced by their views.

    Recently during this OSPIRG thing I really have no idea what the counter arguments are to what the emerald and commentator are reporting. I honestly don’t think that OSPIRG should be funded. Yet I’m surprised, because I really believe in most of the issues that OSPIRG works on, yet am completely unaware of any argument for it to be funded. I told some petitioner this and they just got kinda angry and called me a republican, which is basically probably the only thing someone could say to me that I would be offended by, and also didn’t make me sympathetic to their cause either.

    I realize that the SI may not have an official position, but either way they should still have a more stable and consistent presence. I brought them up mostly as an example of a left leaning campus publication that should publish things such as this. And, OSPIRG should do more to be concise and to the point about the arguments against it. Saying it silences student voices or comparing it to the civil rights movement seems ridiculous, and not really confronting the issue directly.

    I sent a slightly different version of this to the SI email address as well.

  6. nike urbanism duk says:

    If I ever throw eggs at OSPIGG members I promise they will be from “free-range” hens.

  7. ThunderLove says:

    Who ever thought OSPRIG was worthless has yet to taste the overpriced free trade coffe in the EMU.

  8. Betz says:

    @ JMB: Spot on. At what point was the civil rights movement made possible by the allocation of student funds? This implicit claim that “the world would be a sad and lonely place without OSPIRG” would have much more merit if they had, you know …. facts, or events they made a difference at.

    O WAIT, that’s the problem … They can’t / won’t show you what impact their efforts (ie, your money) has done!

  9. Niedermeyer says:

    Whoever Thinks Young People Can’t Change The World Forgot To Tell:

    -the students that they would have to pay $120k/year for the privilege.

    -the students who became so sick of OSPIRG taking their student fees of campus that they defunded ’em.

    -them that they can do so without annual budget increases.

  10. Vincent says:

    /cheap shot

  11. JMB says:

    Did the civil rights movement require mandatory student funds to happen? If changing the world is such an important and worthwhile cause, why can’t it happen without stipends and paid staff?

  12. C.T. Behemoth says:

    “they have a right to use whatever posters they want”

    Agreed.

    However, what they are doing is immature, irresponsible, shady and…..stupid. I was somewhat sympathetic to OSPIRG, and I hoped that they might re-apply for a budget through normal channels and then SHOW where the money went. Now, I have ditched that last shred of sympathy. I’ve also been telling everyone I know who this “Student Voice” bullshit is all about.

  13. Cims G says:

    To address Sakaki,
    I believe their budget was closer to 120,000. Also the money of their contract will not go to groups, as it is in the contracts budget. The money would be simply unallocated (usually), which is not the case this year, where budget constraints of busses engulfed their contract.

  14. Vincent says:

    they have a right to use whatever posters they want

  15. Sakaki says:

    Cimmy:

    Sure, they can use whatever posters they wish. It’ll be all they have left after the RICO charges are brought forth.

    OSPIRG has no right to be on the U of O campus, considering it is not on any of the other campuses. $143,000 will be saved and go to other programs, like say possibly the Student Insurgent.

  16. Cims G says:

    Hey firstly, do you mind keeping personal attacks out?

    Secondly, I believe the point of the sign is to show that local groups can make a difference in their community. OSPIRG would conclude, that they themselves are trying to affect local and state communities and that is the comparison. I don’t believe the sign says that OSPIRG participated in the civil rights movement.

    Thirdly, they have a right to use whatever posters they want… that’s protected by the first amendment.

  17. Jesse Houff for Idiot of Year says:

    This guys a real jerk, I tell you what. Jesse that OSPIRG idiot is always trying to steal my grapefruit!

  18. Timothy says:

    That’s especially choice given that OSPIRG was founded in the late 70s.

  19. Tyler S says:

    If it wasn’t sad, it would be funny.

    ..
    ..
    lol

  20. Huh? says:

    “Forgot to Tell to the Civil Rights Movement”

    They need to lay off the weed, it’s really fukin up their brians

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