One of the most universal topics of conversation for all Portland State students is the recent hike in tuition. On March 12th, 2015, The Portland State University Board of Trustees elected to raise the cost of tuition for all students by 4.2% in the coming years. The Oregonian reports that the tuition increase amounts to roughly $303 more per year for Oregon residents and $843 yearly increase for out-of-state students. The problem is that, while this may seem like an insignificant increase in tuition, many current students specifically chose to attend Portland State University because of the cost of attendance. As an out-of-state student myself, I am particularly worried about the effect that this increased cost of tuition will have on my ability to graduate in four years. And I know that I am not alone in this - many Portland State students must face the choice of taking less credits and graduating later, or taking out loans and facing the burden of student debt after graduation. This instability may threaten both future of both the city of Portland and of the entirety of Oregon, as Portland State is the largest university in the state of Oregon.
However, Portland State students are not allowing the tuition increase to occur without protest. There has been severe backlash on campus, from rallies in the Park Blocks to sit-ins during the Board meetings. Several student organizations have even invited local news teams to their rallies to generate more public support for this issue. There has been a collective attitude of anger and resentment towards the Portland State administration stemming directly from the increased awareness of the hike in tuition, particularly towards the President of the University, Wim Wievel. I have personally seen President Wiewel exclude the Disarm PSU, which is a student group dedicated towards disarming the campus security, and the Black Lives Matter students from certain meetings, and I have subsequently heard the outraged reactions of these students who truly feel as though he does not care about them. I have also heard stories about the ways in which he has evaded these protestors by filling up his office hours or refusing to meet with all but a few of the student protesters. In conjunction with all of the recent outrage surrounding the decision to arm the Campus Police at Portland State, the increase in tuition seems to many students to be just another way that the University is silencing student voices.
On a more intimate level, in one my classes, we were asked to design an experiment that would address an issue at Portland State University. I found it amazing that every single student individually chose to focus on the topic of funding. Every single student reported their anger and frustration with the lack of perceived transparency regarding the distribution of funding both the university as a whole and in specific departments. Several Biology students in my class reported that they had a lack of opportunities to participate in lab research that is so crucial to get into a graduate degree program. Several other students wanted an explanation as to why the administration will receive an increase in their salary in the coming years. It is heartening to witness such a unified front amongst Portland State students against the increasing privatization of our university, regardless of other personal differences. I am impressed that sheer number of students who refuse to stop questioning the administration and continue to raise awareness about the increase in tuition. For this reason, I am hopeful that the students of Portland State will continue to push against the administration and create a campus that fully represents the needs of the entire student population.
