A 12 percent tuition increase for next year was announced to the ASPSU senate by Cathy Dyck, assistant vice president of finances and administration, at yesterday’s senate meeting.
Dyck told the senate that Portland State must present its tuition increase plans to the Oregon University System (OUS) by next week.
With the 12 percent tuition increase, Dyck said, the university will be removing the $120 surcharge.
She added that PSU is looking at ways to cut the budget and bring in more revenue, “besides the backs of students.”
Earlier in the meeting, the senate failed to pass a vote of no confidence toward ASPSU President Kristin Wallace, after the motion was brought to the floor by Sen. Dimitris Desyllas.
Desyllas and Sen. Caine Lowery brought their concerns about Wallace’s fulfillment of her duties before the senate in last Wednesday’s meeting.
Yesterday, Lowery said that he wants to make a clear message to the students and this year’s candidates that the sort of behavior he accused Wallace of was unacceptable.
Lowery also added that his first choice of action was to impeach Wallace, although reactions from other senators made it clear to him that impeachment was not a progressive option with her term coming to a close.
Several senators were uncomfortable with the idea of a no confidence vote toward Wallace.
“She’s being scapegoated,” Sen. Jesse Shapiro said, “for all aspects of ASPSU’s failure.”
Shapiro also added that, in his opinion, the students do not have any confidence in either Wallace or the ASPSU senate.
“We haven’t done a damn thing all year,” Sen. Kara MacKillop said, in agreement with Shapiro, “and we’re pointing fingers?”
Sen. Joshua Morris also agreed, citing several problems within the senate over the last year, particularly the controversy over the Oct. 4, 2002, meeting in which he and four other senators were unconstitutionally dismissed from their positions.
“Her inaction is just a reflection of your inaction,” Morris said to the senate.
The no-confidence vote failed 2 to 9, with seven abstentions.
In other business, Lowery made a motion to pass a resolution stating that the senate does not condone hate speech, intimidation or Daniel “Preacher Dan” Lee, or “Satan Dan,” as Lowery referred to him.
The motion was tabled until the senate’s meeting next week, when Lowery can present an official version of the resolution.
The Evaluation and Constitutional Review Committee (E&CR) presented its recent changes to the ASPSU constitution to the senate.
Annie Stewart, vice chair of the E&CR, said that most changes had been made because they “wanted it (the constitution) to be really clear.”
The two most significant changes Stewart mentioned dealt with the legitimacy of referendums and the structure of the student senate.
The senate did not vote to approve the revised constitution, however, because most senators felt they had not been given enough time to sufficiently review the document.
Also, the senate suspended its bylaws in order to confirm Sen. Pollyanne Birge as the chair of the Activities Committee.