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Founded in 1975, OSA is a coalition of student governments dedicated to the representation, service, and protection of the collective interests of over 100,000 students in postsecondary education.

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Internet Digest

April 25, 2007

Zero-Funded: Two key access programs denied funding in Co-chairs' budget

While the cuts to funding for postsecondary education in the Co-chairs’ budget have made headlines, students are also very concerned about two less discussed cuts to ASPIRE (Access to Student assistance Programs In Reach of Everyone) and the Student Child Care Program (SCCP).  While both ASPIRE and the Student Child Care Program were funded in the Governor’s budget, the Co-chairs of the Ways and Means Committee denied funding for each of these programs in their budget released on March 22nd. 

ASPIRE
ASPIRE, a high school mentoring program that provides students with information about financial aid and colleges, found state commitment for the first time when the Governor included $1.4 million for the program in his recommended budget.  Currently funded through private sources, state funding is necessary for this successful program to expand to more Oregon high schools.  OSA is advocating for $2.6 million for ASPIRE so that all Oregon children, no matter what their location in the state, have access to the tools to get to college.  But despite very well-received testimony in support of state funding for ASPIRE, the Co-chairs declined to allocate any state funding for the program in their budget. 

Said OSA Board member Patrick Beisell, a former ASPIRE student at Grant High School, “Without ASPIRE, I wouldn’t have had the resources or courage to attend college.  Now I am a PSU student, on track to build Oregon’s economy and become a leader in my community.  But what about those who weren’t so lucky to have ASPIRE in their high school?  What about those whose parents didn’t attend college, and thus have very little access to the information they need to make it to a college campus?  Our state needs to invest in the students that will determine our state’s future.”

Student Child Care Program
Also missing in the Co-chairs’ budget was all funding for the Student Child Care Program, effectively eliminating this program created in 2001 that assists low-income student parents with childcare costs while in school.  As childcare costs are even higher than the cost of tuition, many student parents face extreme barriers to a college degree. 

Currently funded at $1 million, the program services 230 families in Oregon’s colleges and universities, with an additional 1,000+ student parents on the waiting list. 

“This program is the only thing that provides access specifically to student parents, and it is already only filling a fraction of the need,” said OSA Board member and EOU Student Body President Sadie Isley.  “When our state budget has risen by 20 percent, why are we cutting successful programs that have existed for several years?  Students can’t help but feel like we are being held hostage in a political game when a small, established program for student parents has been eliminated from the Co-chairs’ budget.”

The highest predictor of a child’s chances for earning a college degree is their parents’ educational attainment level.  UO student parent and SCCP grant recipient Rachael Latimer is finishing her undergraduate chemistry degree the same year that her son is beginning Kindergarten.  Said Latimer, “By helping me to attain a college degree, you are also helping my son to follow in my footsteps, and his potential children beyond that.  So you’re not just educating one Oregonian, in effect you’re educating generations to come.”

Without the program, student parents often feel as though their only option is to remain in the workforce and receive state welfare.  The Student Child Care Program helps students to get a college education so that they can go on to earn a decent living for their families. 

“Without this program, we’re only perpetuating the cycle of poverty,” said Lane Community College student Darla Hicks.  A student parent, Hicks is number 2,296 on the waiting list for the grant, meaning there are 1,271 families before her.  “I am one tuition increase away from having to drop out of college.  The Student Child Care Program could help me in my struggle to earn a degree to provide for my own family.”

OSA is collecting “helping hands” cards from student parents and their children across the state to deliver to legislators.  The cards feature stories from student parents about how this program helps or would help their lives and tracings of their and their children’s hands.  Students are also testifying before the legislature in support of SCCP. 

Said Latimer, “This program is an investment in the whole family—the parents and the children.  And it’s an investment in our state’s future.  I urge Oregon legislators to make our state stronger by continuing to fund this well-needed program.”

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