Issue of governance boards raises concerns

Deven Baremore

Eastern’s student government seeks changes to Oregon House Bill 4061 

Should Oregon’s state universities have their own governing boards?

The state will take a close look at this question if a bill the Legislature now is considering is approved.

House Bill 4061 would create a task force to look at the feasibility of establishing additional governance boards, including ones for state universities.

The task force would have many options, including recommending that state universities be given the choice of having their own governance boards.

EOU’s student government is concerned about HB 4061.

Deven Baremore, vice president for public affairs for Eastern’s student government, explained why following a noon higher education rally Tuesday at Loso Hall put on by EOU’s student government. 

Baremore said student leaders are worried that the proposed state task force would make recommendations that would direct the Legislature to create governing boards at Oregon’s state universities. Baremore said this would be bad for Eastern.

“It could lead to the privatization of state universities,’’ Baremore said.

Eastern government representatives are encouraging changes to be made to House Bill 4061 which would give task force members more leeway for deciding whether to support or oppose governance boards for state universities.

Baremore said that the Oregon Student Association, a coalition of student governments, is also concerned about HB 4061. Baremore said the organization wants wording in HB 4061 to be changed so that there is a guarantee that some of the members of the task force are college students.

Baremore added that if governance boards are eventually created, he hopes there is a requirement that their members have to be approved by the Legislature.

Eastern President Bob Davies, who also spoke at the rally, said afterward that he has an open mind about HB 4061 and local governance boards. 

“It is a great step to look at but there are a lot moving parts,’’ Davies said, noting that many details would have to be addressed before governance boards could be created. 

The Eastern president added that the task force HB 4061 would create would have a “white canvas’’ to paint when creating the picture of what governance boards would be.

Davies said that a lot of what the task force would recommend likely would be influenced by the roles the new Oregon Education Investment Board will have. This board, created by the legislature in 2011, will change how all education is directed in Oregon. The precise role the Oregon Education Investment Board will have is now being determined by the Legislature.

A lot of what the task force would recommend would depend on how the “educational landscape’’ looks after the role of the Oregon Education Investment Board is determined, Davies said.

Davies was one of about a half dozen people who spoke at the rally.

Individuals who also gave addresses included Robert Strope, city manager of La Grande.

Strope spoke of the economic benefits Eastern provides and praised its faculty, staff and students for how they have stepped forward in volunteer roles to help the city of La Grande.

Those he named included Colleen Johnson, an Eastern economics professor. Johnson served on the La Grande city council from 1993 to 2010 and was mayor for 14 of those years. Johnson was one of a number of people from EOU Strope named.

“EOU can be proud of the contributions of these and the countless other volunteers who have given back to their community,’’ Strope said.

Strope said the sense of responsibility and civic duty that members of the “EOU family’’ have demonstrated through their actions and willingness to give back to the community is, in a sense, priceless.

“This can’t be measured in dollars and cents, but I can assure you that the investment is significant and the rewards are real.’’

Union County Commissioner Bill Rosholt praised Davies and his administration for its efforts to develop a positive working relationship with the region.

Rosholt said this makes people of the region believe in Eastern.

He said this relationship is one reason why he believes Eastern, Union County and the region have a “bright future with many success stories yet to be written.’’