Portland State Magazine Winter 2017

WINTER 2017 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 5 P A R K B L O C K S STUDENTS convened an impassioned Speak Out more than a year ago to discuss the racial and cultural challenges they face on campus. As a result, two new cultural centers were recently opened in Smith Memorial Student Union: the Pan-African Commons and the Pacific Islander, Asian & Asian American Student Center. They take their place alongside the Multicultural and La Casa Latina student centers in Smith and the Native American Student and Community Center on Southwest Jackson Street. Students are using the centers, which hosted more than 400 events and recorded approximately 64,000 unique visits last year. In addition to offering events and special programs, all the centers provide computer labs, lounges and study spaces for students of any culture or race. FREE COLLEGE? The answer is “yes” for incoming fall 2017 freshmen meeting qualifications under a new program called Four Years Free, which PSU unveiled in October. Four Years Free will pay tuition and mandatory fees for Oregon students who have a 3.4 grade point average and apply for federal student aid. Students must be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant for low-income families and apply for and accept federal and state grants. The program is made possible by combining the grants and money provided by PSU. “There are so many costs associated with going to college,” says Shannon Carr, PSU’s executive director of admissions and new student programs. “We want to make it more affordable and attainable for Oregon residents.” A place for every student Four years free