Oregon Student Association opposes Lariviere plan

1/19/2011: Not good news. From Stefan Verbano in the Emerald:

The Oregon Student Association board of directors voted unanimously last Saturday to combat the University’s New Partnership, arguing that excluding public officials from the school’s governance process threatens its accountability to the state.

… “There has been no mention of a tuition cap process in (Lariviere’s) plan,” said ASUO President Amelie Rousseau, who was present at the OSA meeting. “Legislators are accountable to voters, and they know students can’t afford tuition increases.”

“Both of these plans (OUS and Haas plans) have a more holistic view of higher education reform,” (ASUO President) Rousseau said. “(The University’s) plan just isn’t going to be in Oregon’s long-term best interests. That is very obvious.”

The infrequently updated OSA website is here. A commentor responds to the news:

Ah, more self-destructive output from the UO community, this time, the students.

Of course there isn’t going to be a tuition cap, whether under the Lariviere plan or any other plan, because costs will keep rising and the state will keep cutting its subsidy.

Perhaps the students think we should have larger classes at UO, or that the overpaid professors should make do with less, or that the facilities are too lavish — look at Columbia 150.

And of course, once the private donors get into the act, the dear faculty will find reason to undermine that.

I’ve often thought, starting back in 1999 with the WRC/Phil Knight fiasco, that UO had a death wish. I sort of thought that had passed, but maybe not.

The faculty hasn’t trusted the administration for a long time. Watch the furlough meeting on youtube if you are puzzled as to why. The student government doesn’t either. Lariviere has had plenty of time to work on both, but he hasn’t taken the problem seriously. Bellotti, parking, moving graduation, mysterious departure of Linton, ORSA screwups, lack of a coherent salary plan, hiring Geller and Denecke, and now the research park Senate meeting. The DPS plan to convert to a sworn and armed police force – with no coherent explanation to the students – was a particular blow. All these were opportunities to build some trust, and all of them have been botched.