A recent letter made me raise my eyebrows (“Sacrifice one university to save the rest,” May 27). Letter writer Raymond Saul argues that the state should “sacrifice” Western Oregon University in order to “save” our university system from financial collapse. His polemic ignores the facts and targets those less privileged.
First of all, Oregon ranks 46th in the nation for per-student funding for our universities. That’s pathetic. Closing a school won’t “save” our university system. Our crisis exists because we refuse to fund higher education anywhere near the national average.
Further, if the goal is to save money, why target WOU, whose operating expenses per student are the third lowest in the state? WOU is the oldest public university on the west coast and Oregon’s first university to become a Hispanic Serving Institution? Part of its purpose is to educate our state’s most financially vulnerable students…