Portland State Magazine Winter 1991

I AROUND THE PARK BLOCKS I Letters Recognizing the di sabled Congratul ations on the Fall 1990 issue. was particul arl y interested in the article on Laurie Schwartz-Knee by John Kirkland. As an abl e bodied person who lives with a di sabled woman, I find it a mode l of enlightened writing regarding the li ves and probl ems of di sabl ed people. There are two little points with which 1 would quibble: Kirkland says Laurie is never "blinded to her condition." I be lieve in retrospect he might say " unaware," and thus avo id a sli ghtl y negati ve connotation regarding a different di sability. Regarding the article's conclusion, I wish the "stronger enabling force" referred to would have been the will power of all disabled peopl e "to reach for the best in life." These re lati vely minor points as ide, I was impressed with the writing, with the accompli shments of the subject, and with the State of Oregon for having established the program in which Schwartz-Knee is invo lved. The seemingly more wealthy State of Cali forni a in which I li ve has nothing of thi s sort, at least on a realistic scale which would have any effect on public po licy. Disability acti vists here were forced to picket and engage in hunger strikes at the Governor's offi ce to save the home health care budget. James R. Stehn ('64 BS) Venice, Cali fo rnia Impact of Measure 5 not yet known State funded schools and agencies across Oregon are foc used on budgets in anticipation of the implementation of Ballot Measure 5. At Portl and State efforts are under way to develop guidelines for rev iewing program needs and fo r PSU 2 evaluating any budget adjustments that may be required. "We do not expect to rece ive any clear signals about how the Governor or the Leg islature intend to handle the impact of Ballot Measure 5 until early winter term," said Pres ident Judith Ramaley in a message to fac ulty and staff. " If we must make adjustments in our budget, they will be made thoughtfull y and fa irl y and with full consultation with members of the Uni versity community and our advisory groups in the greater Portl and area." Measure 5, passed by Oregon voters on Nov. 6, amends the state constitution to limit property taxes for public schools (K- 12), and fo r non-school government operations. Higher education in Oregon is not fin anced through property taxes but will be affected by Measure 5 because the measure requires the Leg islature to repl ace any revenue lost by schools. It is assumed that general funds, which do fin ance higher education and other state programs, would repl ace some of thi s lost school funding. Helping Middle Eastern students Reprinted ji·om The Oregonian newspaper, Editorial, September 24, 1990. For as long as college students have been away at college, college students have been writing home with one simple message: " Send money." But what happens when an undergraduate or graduate student 's home is the center of international crisis or military confl ict? More than 100 students are asking just thi s question these days at Portl and State University . Far from home and fea ring for their families and the ir own uncerta in futures, students from Kuwait and Iraq have had the ir normal sources of fin ancial support cut down or c ut off altogether. How will they pay fo r the ir tuiti on, books, rent and food? Fortunately for these Portl and area refugees of the Persian Gul f crisis, Portland State University and PSU President Judith Ramaley are offering wise and humane answers. For those students especia lly in need, the uni versity will defer tuition payments and make sma ll emergency loans. It will also help these students find on-campu s work (Immigration and Naturali zati on Service regulation s make off-campus employment almost imposs ible). In addition, PSU has established a spec ial account at the PSU Foundation for anyone who would like to make a contribution to he lp these students meet the bas ic needs of life until the Persian Gul f cri sis end s. Th rough such civilized initiatives, Ramaley and Portland State have made the present a littl e more certain for students whose futures are uncertain enough. Student parents suc– ceeding despite stress It 's long been said that be ing a parent is one of the most difficult and challenging things a person can do. Add to parenting other vari abl es, such as work and school, and li fe becomes not so much a challenge as an endurance test. PSU ' s Regional Research Institute for Human Se rvices (RRI) completed a study thi s fa ll of how fi nancial-aid applicants who are student parents at PSU balance schoo ls, jobs, child care and family life. The study- sponsored by RRI, Helen Gordon Child Development Center, Office of Student Financial Aid, and Student Parent Services-<letail s a picture of mothers and fathers severely stressed, carrying heavy academic loads, yet overcoming it all to get an education. The Winter 1990 survey found that PSU student parents are older than the genera l student population; nearly half of them are age 30 or over and li ving alone. More than half have more than one child, and majority of those children (92 percent) are under the age of 12. The parents are employed– most working 20 hours or more a week, and taking a full load of classes- 12 credit hours or more which is slightly above the institutional average. Even with the heavy credit-hour loads, almost half said they were taking fewer credits than they would like, most • • •