Brewfest a success: lock, stock and barrel
Timbers settle for a draw in Toronto
ARTS & CULTURE: PAGE 8
SPORTS: PAGE 12
INDEX
NEWS............................ 2 OPINION.......................... 4 ARTS.............................. . 6 SPORTS.......................... 10
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Portland State University
Published since 1946
TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2011 • VOL. 66 NO. 6
Health fee up $40
Wiewel advocates for Pell Grant
Students on the basic plan will pay $230 this 2011–12 year school
Debt-reduction bill likely to pass, but Pell Grant fate still unclear as debates in D.C. swirl
Vinh Tran Vanguard staff
Portland State students attending classes this September can expect to pay a $230 student health fee, up $40 from last year’s amount. The fee goes toward a basic insurance plan with a maximum of $7,500 in coverage per accident and gives students access to the university’s Student Health and Counseling Center (SHAC). The $40 increase is the result of rising costs required to insure the approximately 28,000 students attending PSU, according to SHAC director Dana Tasson. At the same time that students assigned to SHAC’s basic plan will pay more, voluntary members of the supplemental insurance plan— which provides an additional
Peter Browning Vanguard staff
A
t a July 19 rally, Portland State President Wim Wiewel aligned with the U.S. Student Association and several other university presidents and chancellors to meet
with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and advocate for the Pell Grant. As of press time, the D.C. office of Rep. Earl Blumeneur (D-Ore) confirmed that the unnumbered debt-reduction bill drafted in the Senate by majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) is expected to pass Monday night through Congress, putting $17 billion toward Pell Grants over the next two years. However, Pell Grants are under fire and are just one
program in the hot seat: the debate in Washington surrounding the debt ceiling has divided party lines on many issues, from defense spending to entitlements. Leaders of many programs are unsure where the axe will fall. Eight and a half million undergraduates nationally received federal Pell Grants last year, many from families with incomes under $30,000 a year. At PSU, more than 8,600 students rely on financial aid to enroll.
Many of the ralliers in Washington hailed from universities with high Hispanic and African—American populations communities likely to be hit hard by a blow to Pell funds, said Wiewel. Victor Sanchez, a recent graduate of the University of California–Santa Cruz and the vice president of the U.S. Student Association, told lawmakers what Pell Grants mean to minority students. “For many it’s the beacon of hope; it’s what we have to
Using tubes, rafts, kayaks and other human-powered vessels, a crowd sallied across the Willamette River last Sunday, July 31 in the first ever Big Float. The crossing was hosted by nonprofit Willamette Riverkeeper, an organization dedicated to the restoration of this once-clean body of water. Registration—$5—was open to all ages.
Government conference coming this fall
Ryan Deming Vanguard Staff
The 2nd annual International Conference on Government Performance, Management and Leadership: Toward Sustainable Solutions will be held at Portland State this Oct. 1–2. The first conference happened two years ago at Lanzhou University in China, according to Ron Tammen, the director of the Urban and Public Affairs department in the School of Government. People from all over the world came to the conference with the goal of examining ideas of SEE CONFERENCE ON PAGE 3
SEE PELL GRANTS ON PAGE 3
Floating for change
SEE HEALTH FEES ON PAGE 9
Second annual international conference will be held at PSU Oct. 1–2
stay in school, it’s what we have to keep us going and it’s what we have to make sure we reach that end goal,” said Sanchez. But many House freshmen liken Pell Grants to welfare. Rep. Denny Rehberg (RMont) told Blog Talk Radio this April, “So you can go to college on Pell Grants—maybe I should not be telling anybody this because it’s turning out to be the welfare of the
Nearly 2,000 participants “took out” from the east side of the Hawthorne Bridge in celebration of the river and its future while the last day of the Oregon Brewers Festival proceeded across the way at Waterfront Park. The Big Float after-party included food carts, exhibits, live music and a beer garden.
saria dy/VANGUARD STAFF
Tom Potiowsky announces return to PSU Oregon economist and PSU leader will leave state post this September and resume campus career Vanguard staff
Oregon state economist Tom Potiowsky has decided to resign mid-September and return to Portland State, where he’ll serve as the chair of the department of economics and director of the Northwest In-
stitute of Applied Economics. Potiowsky’s 2007–11 term was preceded by his initial term as state economist from 1999 to 2006 when he was on leave from his job at PSU as economics chair. Between 2006 and his second term,
he served at PSU again for fifteen months. “I’m excited by how I’ve seen changes at Portland State occur and also the prospects of a newly formed applied-economics research center,” Potiowsky said when he announced his decision last Wednesday, July 27. “It’s kind of getting back to my home base.” He added that he expects he’ll continue to be involved in the state’s economy through the advising function of the Northwest Institute.
PHOTOGRAPHER/VANGUARD STAFF
Tom Potiowsky Governor Kitzhaber issued a statement shortly after Potiowsky’s announcement.
“We appreciate Tom’s years of service. We will miss him,” he said. “Tom brought exceptional expertise, integrity and authority to his job, which has been particularly valuable in navigating our state’s recovery.” Oregon’s Department of Administrative Services will begin the process of searching for Potiowski’s this August. Oregon Education Association senior economist Mark McMullen will serve as the interim state economist when Potiowsky leaves Sept. 15. ■