OSPIRG deserves funding

Southern Oregon University's student group OSPIRG (Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group) has been denied funding for the 2008-2009 school year.

OSPIRG is a campus group that focuses on taking action regarding multiple issues on campus and in our communities. OSPIRG is not an SOU-based group, but consists of active chapters on the campuses of Oregon schools as well as schools across the nation. For example, "CalPIRG" exists on campuses in California and "WashPIRG" is in Washington.

Some of the projects the "PIRG's" are working on are not only beneficial to us but to future generations.

The nationwide Campus Climate Challenge, which includes participation from more than 300 other universities and high schools across the U.S. and Canada, is "working to enable us to provide all of our electricity from clean sources like wind and solar power, transforming the way our dorms and classrooms use energy, and educating ourselves and our fellow students about real solutions to global warming," according to the group's Web site.

The student groups also have a Campaign against Hunger and Homelessness where students volunteer at shelters, raise money for food banks and participate in educational events on campus.

Other activities include the New Voters Project, where OSPIRG recruits students to vote. The different PIRG groups registered 75,000 students to vote in 2006.

Because students spend an average of $900 a year on textbooks, OSPIRG as well as the different PIRGS have come up with a plan to make textbooks cheaper for students on campuses around the country.

OSPIRG also helped pass the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which increases students' federal Pell Grants (an amount issued by the government depending upon income) and decreases the rate at which we have to pay back our student loans.

Recently, the group made a "student debt yearbook" that shows photos of students layed out in a yearbook style with the amount of money they owe from paying for education. The yearbook was presented to Senators in Washington, D.C.

OSPIRG also supports the Campaign for a Healthy Oregon, trying to help the one-quarter of all Oregonians who have inadequate or no health insurance, which includes 100,000 children.

It is unfortunate that a group composed of such committed students would be denied funding from their peers.

Our chapter of OSPIRG has made some serious differences on campus, which don't just affect them, but the entire student body and students across the state.

Though OSPIRG is student run, student directed and student funded, they ask for more funding than many groups because they engage the help of professionals as well as students in order to effectively make positive changes happen.

Right now, SOU's chapter of OSPIRG is searching for emergency funding in order to stay active next year.

When asked about the future of OSPIRG if they don't receive funding, Heidi Spero, a sophomore on campus who has been involved with the group since fall of last year said, "We'll still petition the same issues, we just wont be an official chapter."

Because all students are experiencing an increase in all costs on campus, including books and tuition, students are less likely to vote to spend more money for clubs and organizations, which directly affects groups like OSPIRG.

"For me personally, the funding aspect is frustrating because what I care about are the issues — funding isn't what I want to be having to focus on," Spero said. "I want to focus on things like health care and opportunities to really make a difference."

It is unclear whether SOU's OSPIRG chapter will receive the funding it needs to stay intact for next year.

It is up to the students, since we are the ones funding these programs.

It is important for students to learn about the clubs and organizations on campus in order to make a well-informed decision about where their money really goes.

The majority of students are not personally working on the very relevant and pertinent issues to our society which OSPIRG is tackling. The least we can all do is to support a group that keeps students' best interests in mind and takes a stand for all of us.

To learn more about OSPIRG, check out www.ospirgstudents.org.

Ashley Olive is a student at Southern Oregon University studying communication, video production and creative writing. You can learn more about her at www.previouslyinaudible.com