Portland State Magazine, Spring 2021

inbox be placed in the front garden of the Simon Benson House, headquarters of the Alumni Association.Te marker has been designed and will be installed under the direction of noted memorial fabricator John Laursen. — Prof. David A. Horowitz, faculty coordinator for the May 11th Committee OREGONIAN PUBLISHING CO. UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES at PSU, beginning in 1961.Ten convert into today’s dollars the cost of rent for four years in the Park Blocks area, beginning in the fall of 1961.Ten compare the fall 1961 through spring 1965 budgets to the most recent bud- gets. Search for the areas where costs have increased much more than justifed by infation and growth. Cut tuition and fees, as well as housing costs, so they are comparable with the 1961–65 era, adjusted for infation, of course. Should you adopt this modest proposal, please let me know. It’s about time that the wealth at PSU was redistributed. — Jef Watkins ’66 MA ’70 THE HIGH PRICE OF TEXTBOOKS Across the country people are choosing between meals and text books, just like I did my frst year at PSU. Textbook prices are out of hand, and renting, buy- backs, and fnancial aid aren’t efectively addressing the problem. Te average price of a science textbook is $250, and has risen by 800% in the last 30 years. When students try to use a buyback program, they often get little to nothing back and can’t aford This photo by Viking Yearbook photographer Dan the next term’s books. When students chose Long ’69 appeared in the Oregonian in September to rent books, any small damage can make 1967 with the caption: “‘$331…$332…$333…and it so that on top of the renting fee, they also that’s my tuition for the fall quarter at Portland State College,’ quips Alan Cherney, undergradu- have to buy the book.Tis has caused 65% ate student from California. Cherney paid tuition of students to opt out of getting a required in $1 bills during Friday registration at the college.” textbook for a class [according to a report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group]. We need grants and support systems for teachers to allow them to switch to open resource WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! textbooks, so that everyone has access to Send your letters and comments to psumag@ education no matter their fnancial status. pdx.edu . We reserve the right to determine Portland State needs to expand its Open the suitability of letters for publication and to Education Initiative. —Kai O’Dell, student edit them for clarity, accuracy and length. CORRECTIONS All of the students mentioned in the story “First Cohort of Students With Intellectual Disabilities Graduates” have intellectual disabilities, but only Rachel Esteve has Down syndrome. In “Robots, Reimagined,” the correct source of Alex Hunt’s grant is the National Science Foundation. The story “From Portland State to Public Ofice” neglected to include Brandee Dudzic ’16 MS ’19, who lost her bid for Columbia County Board of Commissioners, position 1; and Zach Hudson MEd ’05, who now represents District 49 in the Oregon House of Representatives. THE INSPIRING MIRIAM MCKEE Martin Ross’ letter (“Te Diference One Instructor Can Make”) really sent me back with a food of memories. I was an 18-year- old freshman in 1968 and had no idea of what I wanted to major in. I signed up for Tom Benson’s Geology 101 class and, like Martin, ended up in Miriam McKee’s lab. Living with my parents and commuting to PSC, the College was a lonely place for me. Mimi made me feel right at home. She was my frst teacher that treated me as an adult. Always telling great adventurous stories of her career in exploration geology, she was always positive, humorous, friendly, unpreten- tious and supportive. She also often invited us students to her home for Friday night social gatherings. Because of her, I became a geology major, went on to get a master’s in economic geology from the University of Idaho School of Mines, and had a career in the mining industry. —Glen Kirkpatrick ’72 IMAGINING A MORE AFFORDABLE EDUCATION Tere can be no social justice without an afordable university education. I know this goal can be met because I graduated from PSU with a bachelor’s degree in 1966 without any debt and without scholarships. Here’s an example of how it can be done: Convert into today’s dollars the cost of tuition and fees for an undergraduate degree // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 4