OSPIRG to seek funding via ballot measure
OSPIRG President Charles Denson
The ASUO Constitutional Court decided to approve a ballot initiative allowing OSPIRG to refund themselves through popular election this Spring. What that means is that if the ballot passes, it acts as a “mentionable” note to the ASUO–essentially the same as a Senate resolution. It would be non-binding, meaning the ASUO doesn’t actually have to fund OSPIRG.
Still, it’s rather scary how OSPIRG is essentially trying to slip in through the back door, funding-wise. Our elected student government, for two years, has refused to fund the organization on the basis that too much student money goes off campus. In case you missed it, here’s a breakdown of where your money would go if OSPIRG returned to campus:
Budget requested: $117,000
Amount of budget to go off campus: $103,579
The scary part of the whole ordeal is the reckless attitude the OSPIRG members have towards student funds. The scariest part of a meeting Guy Simmons and I attended in October was when one OSPIRG staffer said of the organization’s funding, “It’s only like, a $1.66 to every student on campus. I mean, $1.66 isn’t that much.”
Above is a picture of OSPIRG chapter president Charles Denson. He’s around the EMU a lot. I encourage you to ask him for $1.66 every time you see him. Then we’ll see how much $1.66 is to him.
The OSPIRG initiative asks the question, “Should the ASUO fund the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) at a level that allows OSPIRG to hire professional staff to advocate on behalf of students locally, statewide, and nationally in places like the State Legislature and Congress?”
The answer is no.
