Do you know the potential solution to a pressing student issue in Oregon? In order for OSA to take on a student’s issue as an organizational priority, students will need to complete an OSA Issue Brief template to concisely articulate and persuade their fellow students of the problem, solution, and action.

After collecting issues briefs, OSA's Council of Legislative Advocates initiates a collaborative process to pinpoint 10 key issues for inclusion in the OSA Statewide Survey. During this deliberation, the council uses a policy rubric as a guiding tool in selecting issues that align with OSA's mission and values.

The OSA Statewide Student Survey asks students to rank issues from least pressing to most pressing. By understanding how students prioritize these issues, OSA gains a better understanding of what matters most to the students.

The results of this survey are highly influential to setting OSA’s policy agenda for long legislative sessions in Oregon. Distribution tactics include email campaigns, social media outreach, campus outreach efforts in collaboration with student governments and organizations, and on-campus fieldwork led by the Student Organizer Coalition.

While issue briefs and survey results serve as a crucial tool in shaping OSA’s legislative advocacy, it's important to note that the process doesn't guarantee that each issue will translate into legislation. Rather, the process informs OSA about the key issues affecting students, enabling OSA to strategize and assess whether legislative action is feasible and necessary in the future.

The decision to pursue legislative action is contingent on the legislative landscape. If and when conditions are favorable, OSA strategically leverages the issue choosing process to support and drive legislative initiatives that align with student interests.