ASOSU - Associated Students of Oregon State University

Dear OSU Campus, 

We are heartbroken and angered to hear about the tragedy in Colorado Springs Saturday night, Nov. 19, where five people were murdered and 25 others injured in a senseless act of hate. Our hearts are with the families of the five precious lives taken and the countless other individuals who have been affected by this act of violence. We would like to take a moment to honor the lives of Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, Raymond Green Vance, Derrick Rump, and Daniel Aston. We want to acknowledge the strength and resilience of the survivors and civilians who put themselves in harm's way to put an end to the violent attack Saturday night. It is a solemn reminder that, in the absence of adequate response and protection by authorities in power, we are the ones who protect each other.

Every person deserves the right to feel safe and protected in their communities. This recent act of terror is, unfortunately, not an outlier. Acts of hate against LGBTQ+  community have only increased in recent years, as hate and fear-mongering of these groups become more widespread. This shooting comes during Transgender Awareness Week and just at the start of the Transgender Day of Remembrance when events worldwide are held to mourn and remember the many transgender people lost to violence. We condemn all hateful rhetoric and discriminatory policies, and we call upon all OSU students and community members to stand with our LGBTQ+ neighbors and against those who seek to oppress them.

It is moments like these that remind us we have become comfortable with a system that cares so little about the lives and safety of queer individuals. Let us be reminded that “thoughts and prayers” will not create change. Your voice has power and your actions hold meaning. We ask that you do not simply stand by as our community is attacked on a regular basis and put a stop to the hate created by others.  

If you witness or hear about any acts of hate in our community, please report them to the appropriate people/departments. The OSU Bias Incident Response Hotline is a resource staffed by providers with expertise in bias 24 hours a day and can be reached at 541-737-1731. Reports and questions can also be directed to OSU’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Access.

We would also like to encourage you all now more than ever to find safety and care in our community. We have multiple systems of support such as CAPS and The Pride Center which are excellent places to visit if you need assistance. We must protect each other. Solidarity forever.  

Dear OSU Students,

We write to you today to express our support for all students currently being affected by the violence in Iran, as students, women, and young people are protesting for a more open, just, and free Iranian society. We stand with you in the struggle for freedom of expression and the expansion of fundamental human rights.

We have heard from a significant number of international students that this violence is negatively impacting them deeply. We wanted to let you know of some student support resources that ASOSU is offering at this time that could be of help.

he ASOSU International lounge will be located in MU 115 (The room to the left of the main lounge area). The hope is that during this pilot year we will be able to gather student usage and needs by doing programming, recording attendance, and sending out surveys from this space. We are in the process of hiring student workers to staff this lounge, but it is currently open and will remain an open lounge during the Memorial Union’s hours of operation. This space will serve as a gathering area for the international community on campus.

In conjunction with this, ASOSU is also launching a pilot program for a Disabled student cultural lounge, we do not currently have a dedicated space to run this out of, but will be hiring workers to specifically advocate and push for the addressing of this groups needs. If you are interested in learning more you can keep an eye on our website (asosu.oregonstate.edu) as well as our social media (@asosugov).

There will be a demonstration in solidarity with the Iranian People on Monday October 17 from 2-3 pm at the MU steps, if you wish to express your support for this community and impacted Students and community members, please feel free to join!

If you have any questions about the International lounge or Disabled Students lounge, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us at asosu@oregonstate.edu

We in the ASOSU Executive Branch were excited to hear President Biden’s plan for student loan forgiveness. The plan outlines the intent to forgive up to $10,000 in federal student loans, with forgiveness for up to $20,000 for students who attended college on a Pell Grant. As many experts have said, forgiving student loan debt can be a major boost to the economy, and we believe that the overall impact of this decision will be positive. Student debt is one of the primary concerns of students at Oregon State University, and with the exponentially increasing costs of tuition, this forgiveness will benefit many students greatly, especially those overwhelmed by the burden of student debt.

However, we also acknowledge that a one-time forgiveness of student debt is not a permanent solution. Without further steps to reduce tuition costs or reduce the debt burden on students, this decision will have a limited impact long term. Additionally, we disagree with the resumption of required interest payments in January. While inflation has increased recently and has been cited as an argument against pausing payments, the effect that it has had on overall inflation is negligible. When students and college graduates have more money to invest into the economy, it benefits everyone. High student loan payments serve as yet another barrier to prevent young professionals from flourishing and boosting our economy.

While we wish for greater action from the Federal Government on the student debt crisis, we are pleased to hear that  action is being taken. We are hopeful that this represents a first step towards longer-term actions to combat the dramatically rising costs of higher education. We will continue to support and lobby for efforts to make higher education more accessible to people of all backgrounds.