Portland State Magazine Fall 2013

FALL 2013 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 5 Pay it forward RISING STUDENT DEBT has become a national crisis, but a senior-year Capstone class taught by Mary King and Barbara Dudley has found a possible solution. Nicknamed “Pay it Forward,” it would allow students to attend college for free and have a small percentage of their future income placed in a fund to pay for the next generation of college students. Students from the class, including Kevin Rack- ham and Sarah Johnston (right), lobbied the Oregon Leg- islature to turn the idea into law. Legislators liked the idea and passed a bill to study its viability. If it looks promising, a pilot program is on the agenda for the 2015 session. PA R K B L O C K S Keeping veterans employed 4% 2012 2010 2008 2006 2004 8% 12% Oregon and United States veterans’ average annual unemployment rates MAKING SURE that military veterans have the best chance possible to stay employed in Oregon is the goal of a new $5 million, five-year grant. The U.S. Department of Defense awarded the grant to psychology professor Leslie Hammer and a research team from the Portland VA Medical Center and Oregon Health & Science University. They will conduct the first research project in the United States to train supervisors in ways to accommodate veterans by being sensitive to their wartime experiences, decreasing the stress level of jobs and making work schedules more flexible. Source: Current Population Survey