Associated Students of PSU

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIpDwMusgGE)

It’s irks me when diversity and sustainability get pigeonholed as “special interest” projects. Quite the contrary. Sustainability and Diversity are not pet causes, not luxury items, not ‘special’ interests, or ornamental conversation pieces. They are essential. They are lifestyle. Reality is simply “not” designed in a way where humanity is all one race, one cookie cutter person repeated ad nauseum. We are diverse. And in the coming decades, our diverse humanity is facing peak oil, peak water, peak population, and of course, global warming. Nonetheless, there are a wide variety of amazing sustainable solutions we can apply to this! Ultimately, this is our Planet, state, city, and School. Denying diversity and denying sustainability is denying our reality.

Arguably, no one marries the visions of sustainability and diversity better than Van Jones. As an African American lawyer from Oakland California he founded ‘Green For All,’ an organization that advocates for local, state and federal commitment to job creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities in sustainability – especially for people from disadvantaged communities. Green For All fights both poverty and pollution at the same time. While Al Gore has become known as the first to define sustainability as a non-partisan, ‘moral’ cause, Van Jones is takes it a step further:

“The chief moral obligation of the 21st Century is to build a green economy that is strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Those communities that were locked out of the last century’s pollution-based economy must be locked into the new, clean and renewable economy.
Our youth need green-collar jobs, not jails.”
- Van Jones

This is not just talk. Last year in 2007, Van worked successfully in 2007 with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), U.S. Rep. John Tierney (D-MASS) to pass the Green Jobs Act of 2007. That path-breaking, historic legislation authorized $125 million in funding to train 35,000 people a year in “green-collar jobs.”

This is just a sampling of his efforts. But at the same time, he is also the Co-founder of the Ella Baker Baker for Human Rights, is a Board Member of the Apollo Alliance, is a founding board member of 1Sky, a national coalition working to avert catastrophic climate change, etc. etc. etc (really)… that’s a lot for just one blog.

Here’s the best intro to Van Jones available:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIpDwMusgGE)

Again, sustainability and diversity — One Movement

~Brendan Castricano

i just got an email from healthy democracy oregon saying that they have selected measure 58 for citizen review. so there will be a panel of those for an against to present it to the public in a peer review system of both the initiative and the voter information system as a whole:

Healthy Democracy Oregon has selected Measure 58 for the September demonstration of its Citizens’ Initiative Review (CIR) process. On Sept. 21, a panel of 24 registered voters from across the state will gather in Salem for five days in a comprehensive, public review of Measure 58 that will provide a peer-based analysis of the initiative to voters across Oregon prior to the Nov. 4 election.

“The demonstration will give Oregonians a chance to see how our historic initiative process can be returned to its original intent,” said Elliot Shuford, co-director of Healthy Democracy Oregon, the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization coordinating the September event. “Voters need complete, balanced and trustworthy information about ballot measures, and the Citizens’ Initiative Review will help provide that.”

The CIR will have participation from both supporters and opponents of Measure 58—the initiative to prohibit teaching public school students in a language other than English for more than two years. “The more people learn about the measure and the failure of the current system,” says Bill Sizemore, author of the initiative, “the more willing they will be to support the reform. I look forward to some healthy personal interaction with the group.”

Presenting the case in opposition to Measure 58 will be representatives from the Parents and Teachers Know Better Coalition.

The Citizens’ Initiative Review will run from Sept. 21 through Sept. 25. The panel of 24 Oregonians—randomly selected to represent the demographic and geographic makeup of voters in the state—will participate in hearings where advocates, opponents and experts present background data and the pros and cons surrounding Measure 58. Following the hearings, panelists will develop a written statement indicating how many of them support the measure, how many oppose it, and their particular reasons. This “citizens’ statement” – which will also highlight areas of general agreement among panelists—will be widely distributed to the voting public prior to the November election.

“Nowadays, most of the information voters receive about politics comes from paid campaign advertising,” said Shuford. “There is very little opportunity for everyday citizens to engage in reasoned debate of ballot measures. The goal of the CIR is to enhance the quality of information available to voters, and to encourage greater citizen participation in Oregon‘s initiative process.”

Healthy Democracy Oregon is currently assembling the witnesses—policy experts, Measure 58 advocates and Measure 58 opponents—who will testify before the CIR panel in September. “Our top priority is to ensure that all sides of Measure 58 are fairly and equally represented before the panel,” said Tyrone Reitman, co-director with Shuford of Healthy Democracy Oregon.

The Citizens’ Initiative Review demonstration will take place at the Chemeketa Eola Conference Center in Salem. The event will provide voters statewide with the opportunity to observe how the process works. “Our long-term objective is to make the CIR an ongoing part of the initiative process in our state,” said Reitman. “Oregonians are ready for a stronger, more deliberate voice in politics, and the September demonstration will showcase how the CIR can help amplify that voice in future elections.”

personally i think if it passes we might as well just give these kids permanent failing grades as soon as they enter school, becasue that is about the effort and expectations we seem to be showing them with these kind of ballot measures. children should be allowed all the tools they need to learn all their subjects, math science, english, whatever. if another language is a tool to learn those skills then let them use that skill. just becasue it isnt a tool we every person needs doesnt make it any less legitimate.

in anycase, hopefully we all are staying informed about what is going on locally as well as nationally (the portland mercury has a nice little section about the initiatives up for vote this coming election, so check that out if you need). VOTE!!!

Voter disenfranchisement is as American as apple pie. Whether through gerrymandering, incorrect purging of voter rolls, or downright intimidation (documented as recently as the 2004 and 2006 elections), it has been around forever. It’s not legal, but it is what it is. This year, a new method has been found.

There was an Op/Ed piece in the New York Times last week by Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut’s Secretary of State, regarding a recent decision made by the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs. You may have heard about the decision to bar nonpartisan voter registration at veterans’ facilities.

Here is some of what she has to say:

WHAT is the secretary of Veterans Affairs thinking? On May 5, the department led by James B. Peake issued a directive that bans nonpartisan voter registration drives at federally financed nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and shelters for homeless veterans. As a result, too many of our most patriotic American citizens — our injured and ill military veterans — may not be able to vote this November.

Also:

The department offers two reasons to justify its decision. First, it claims that voter registration drives are disruptive to the care of its patients. This is nonsense. Veterans can fill out a voter registration card in about 90 seconds.
Second, the department claims that its employees cannot help patients register to vote because the Hatch Act forbids federal workers from engaging in partisan political activities. But this interpretation of the Hatch Act is erroneous. Registering people to vote is not partisan activity.

If the department does not want to burden its staff, there are several national organizations with a long history of nonpartisan advocacy for veterans and their right to vote that are eager to help, as are elected officials like me.

The department has placed an illegitimate obstacle in the way of election officials across the country and, more important, in the way of veterans who want to vote. A group of 21 secretaries of state — Republicans and Democrats throughout the country, led by me and my counterpart in Washington State, Sam Reed — has asked Secretary Peake to lift his department’s ridiculous ban on voter registration drives.

Bills that would require the department to repeal the ban have been filed in both houses of Congress. They need to be signed into law no later than Oct. 1, so that veterans in V.A. care don’t miss their states’ deadlines to register to vote in the fall elections.

But federal legislation shouldn’t be needed for the Department of Veterans Affairs to lift the ban on voter registration drives by state and local election officials and nonpartisan groups.

So why is this important to students? I see two really big reasons. First, we have ALOT of students who are returning veterans and/or reservists. Second, think about it. If nonpartisan voter registration can be banned (legally or not) by an entity like the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, risking the ability of thousands of eligible voters, it’s not a big leap or out of the question that the same thing could happen on college campuses. All it takes is a state’s Board of Higher Ed, or even the Federal Department of Education releasing a similar edict, and poof, thousands of students would be put at risk for missing registration deadlines, or worse yet, lose access to registration, to begin with. It doesn’t matter if it’s a legal move or not. All it takes is one election cycle, while things are fought out in court, for the damage to be done.

I am not saying that this will happen, but the precedent has now been set. Considering how much voter registration and turnout has increased among young people over the last 18 months, don’t be surprised if students and college campuses become the next targets.

For folks who might have missed it, Congress recently passed the Higher Education Act reauthorization, something that has taken years to do.

Highlights of the Act include:-

• Making Pell Grants available year round and increases grants from $4,800 to $6,000 for 2009; $8,000 in 2014
• Simplifying the FAFSA application process
• Establishing new grant programs for Master’s programs at historically black institutions
• Requiring textbook publishers to “unbundled” materials such as CDs and workbooks (About time!)
• Requiring colleges to list prices of required and recommended textbooks for each course online (Nice)
• Providing support for veterans as well as students with disabilities to attend college (will be interesting to see what that support will be-folks gotta be able to actually get into the building first!)
• Expanding college access for low-income and minority students
• Cracking down on diploma mills
• Requiring better consumer disclosures and protections on private student loans
• Improving campus safety and help schools recover after a disaster
• Ensuring equal college opportunities and fair learning environments for disabled students Strengthening college readiness programs such as TRIO and GEAR UP
• Encouraging energy-efficiency and sustainability programs

Now we just have to make sure they actually fund the Act!

Every now and then, members of government are faced with choices where there is an absolute right and an absolute wrong. Over the past few days, I’ve been able to lobby future and present members of the Oregon Legislature about an issue that is very close to my activist heart, one that presents a problem with a very solid solution. Did you know that, in this day and age, it is possible to attend an Oregon high school, graduate from an Oregon high school, be accepted into an Oregon University, and still have to pay out of state tuition rates due to documentation status? (To put this in context, out of state tuition at PSU is $4,851.50 for 12 credits, compared to $1,659.50 for residents). Sound absurd to you? Me too. Which is why for the past three legislative sessions, members of your student government, in conjunction with the Oregon Students of Color Coalition, have been lobbying representatives to pass a policy called Tuition Equity. This policy would allow for students to receive in-state tuition rates, regardless of documentation status, if they attended and graduated from an Oregon high school and have begun the process of obtaining permanent status. At least 10 states have already passed this critical legislation, therefore making a commitment to their students about prioritizing access to higher education. You might wonder what the response has been from Oregon legislators? Mostly, it’s been positive. Once the issue has been explained, it would be pretty hard to deny that these students who have been Oregonians for much of their lives deserve the same access to university that their peers receive. The major roadblock that presents itself, however, is that legislators are afraid to publicly support a policy that their constituents might oppose. Their hesitation is not unfounded, I think we can all agree that the immigration debate in this country has been riddled with misinformation, ignorance, and prejudice. What needs to be made VERY clear about Tuition Equity when it is presented to the public, is that the immigration debate has no bearing on this issue; Tuition Equity is about creating access to the education Oregonians need to help move this state forward. Don’t believe me? Here’s a true story, my family’s story:

My parents are South African citizens who moved to the United States more than 20 years ago, after my father was asked to attend Fordham University in New York to complete his dissertation and teach courses. After a period of living, studying, and welcoming the birth of their first son in France, they came to the U.S. and my father took up his post in New York. Over the next 20 years, they had 5 more children, including myself, who are all United States citizens. We are now all in high school or college, and living life in this country we love. What about the first son, the one who was born in France, you might ask? From infancy through the age of 21, he was raised in the U.S., a veritable American boy, with a New York accent and a sideways Yankees cap. After my family moved from New York to Oregon, he attended and graduated from Century High School in Hillsboro. Here’s an important thing to note- my parents and brother have always maintained what the government recognizes as “Legal” status (I personally believe that NO human is illegal), and after 20-plus years of visas and lawyers’ fees, my parents have finally received their green cards. My brother is not so lucky, for him it will take even more years and he’s been studying in France, just waiting it out. My main point here, however, is that from the age of 18 to until he left the States at age 21, he could not attend an Oregon university and receive in-state tuition rates. Despite that fact that he grew up here. Despite that fact that he went to school here. Despite the fact that he and I had always planned to attend college together. And because he is already ineligible for financial aid due to his nationality, the exorbitant, non-resident rates were just too high.

Tuition Equity would have helped my family. It will probably help the family of someone you know. And it will definitely help Oregon. Thanks for reading, if you have any questions about Tuition Equity, or would like to be a part of our lobby team, please contact me or any member of the ASPSU Executive Staff.

Is leadership something that comes natural to people? Or is it a learned skill? Combination of? I don’t actually know. What I do know, is that one of the key ingredients to being able to lead is giving permission to yourself to do so. Traditionally, women have not been given permission to be leaders, nor have they granted it to themselves. There are always exceptions; Truth, Chisolm, Paul, Anthony, Stanton, Clinton…and more. However, the vast majority of women are socialized to be supporters, to not stand in the spotlight, to not take the responsibility-or the credit, for leading and making change. Even if I haven’t consciously believed it, I know that I was raised that way. I can feel it now, when I still feel weird telling people about something that I do. I find it really difficult to take credit for my accomplishments, often deferring to someone else, who may or may not have been instrumental in getting something done. The vast majority of women that I know, young and old, are similar to me in this way, downplaying themselves, in the same way. I was in class the other day, and a young woman (mid-twenties, at the most) was sharing that she was being published in a peer-reviewed journal because of some break-through (My word, not hers) work she had been doing in her medical program. Accomplishing something like this is what academics and professionals live and die for, but she had a lot of trouble accepting what she (a twenty-something undergrad) had accomplished, saying “It’s no big deal.” It IS a big deal. Women accomplish big deals everyday, but we aren’t allowed to be proud, or to “brag” because it is seen as unseemly, or worse yet, unwomanly. We can pretend all we want that society has gotten past that, but those messages are reinforced every single day by the media, our educational system, and our social institutions. Men are expected to accomplish boatloads of stuff, and to brag about it. Women are not.
That’s why a program like NEW Leadership Oregon, a six-day residential leadership program for college women, based here at PSU, is incredibly important. It wasn’t until after going through the program that I gave myself permission to believe that I could actually contribute and accomplish something. And I have accomplished..alot. Am I bragging? Damn skippy. Should women like Hannah Fisher and Aimeera Flint, who also went through the program, brag about what they are doing? Darn tootin. Does it make them stuck on themselves, or make them feel better than others? Not a chance, nor does it me. We gave ourselves permission to step up and lead because we know we can do it. If there is something you want to see happen, or want to change, or accomplish, than you have every right to work toward it. If you want to lead, or feel that you can, give yourself permission to do so. And be proud of your ability to do so. You’ve earned it.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman once said, “It is the duty of youth to bring its fresh new powers to bear on social progress. Each generation of young people should be to the world like a vast reserve to a tired army. They should lift the world forward. That is what they are for.” I work for the Associated Students of Portland State University because I believe this to be true. I’m here working every day on issues of accessibility, sustainability, and diversity because it would be irresponsible of me to assume that anyone else is going to take my place in the battle for social and economical justice. For these few years, while I am a student, while I have little obligation to anyone but myself, I choose to help move the world, and especially Portland State, forward. As Chief of Staff, most important to me is that the Associated Students of Portland State University recruit and maintain a dedicated and passionate staff to effectively organize around issues that affect our unique make-up of constituents. I am pleased to inform you that we have positions available for like-minded individuals who believe in the power of the student voice. If you are interested in media work, the written word, design, and can plan events, consider applying for our Communications Director position. If you are passionate about issues that affect diverse communities, and have experience within any of our many dedicated, multicultural student groups on campus, consider applying for our Multicultural Affairs Director position. If you have a solid understanding of the way the local and national governments have very much to do with access to higher education, consider applying for our Federal Affairs Director position. Or, if you’re looking for something with more flexibility, become a volunteer or intern. The time for action is now and we could really use your help.