We got some great news from Salem this week! On Monday, the State Legislature met in a special session and approved $35 million in bonding authority for the OSU Arts and Education Complex. This marks the culmination of the three years of advocacy and it wouldn’t have happened without your support! This complex will serve every student on campus, make OSU more competitive in the race for top STEM students, and allow us to continue to deliver arts programing to tens of thousands of K-12 students from every community in the state.
Thank you for making phone calls, sending emails, and meeting with legislators to get this project over the finish line. We appreciate your support for OSU!
You can share the news here.
Other highlights from the Special Session:
- Preservation of the Public University Support Fund (PUSF): The legislature safeguarded vital operating funds for OSU through the preservation of the PUSF. The PUSF includes the state funding for instruction, research, and operations of the seven public universities and represents the largest share of state support for public universities.
- Funding reductions to Statewides Public Service Programs less than anticipated: It was anticipated that OSU Statewides Public Service Programs, Extension Services, Agricultural Experiment Stations and Forest Research Labs would face a significant budget cut, but instead received only a 2.5% reduction to their operating budget.
While we want to celebrate these victories, our work isn’t done yet. During the 2021 Legislative Session we will advocate for bonding authority for the Student Success Center on the OSU Cascades Campus.
This facility will house vital programs designed to help students graduate on time and find employment once they have earned their degree. The center will also provide student activity and counseling services, including the veteran services program that supports OSU-Cascades large student veteran population.
In the lead up to the 2021 session will be working to build on the important advocacy work of the Beaver Caucus and we need your help!
Urge a friend to join the Beaver Caucus today!
With your help and support we will celebrate more legislative victories in 2021.
Go Beavs!
Sincerely,
Bill Perry
President
