Oregon Student Association Closes After 49 Years Amid Financial and Organizational Issues

After struggling with financial and organizational issues, the Oregon Student Association (OSA) this month (October) stopped operating after 49 years.

OSA was unable any longer to finance its campaigns to improve conditions for Oregon students, according to former legislative director, Nick Keough.

During its existence, OSA has fought issues still relevant today – freezing tuition fees, access to childcare, and financial aid.

OSA Secured Billions of Dollars in State Aid

Keough said OSA secured billions of dollars in state investments for Oregon colleges and universities. Its most recent success in 2023 was securing $1 billion to support Oregon’s seven public universities.

Keough said one of the biggest challenges facing students today was the ‘incredibly high’ cost of tuition fees and OSA’s unending battle to source income streams to alleviate financial pressure.

He said the death of a staff member and serious injuries to the association’s executive director in an accident earlier this year prompted the difficult decision to stop operations. He said it had been difficult to figure out a way forward after the traumatic event.

Oregon Has Some of the Most Expensive Tuition Fees in the Country

Oregon has some of the most expensive tuition fees in the country as students statewide continue to fend off increasing student debt. The question now is without OSA, who will fight for their rights?

Keough says the state is not investing sufficient funds in higher education, resulting in students struggling to meet tuition fees, and to afford food and housing.

He said while he was proud of what OSA had achieved in its 49 years, there was still a lot of work to be done in Oregon. He hoped that in the absence of OSA, ‘something new’ and powerful would emerge to provide meaningful support to students.

Former Campus Organizer is Shocked by Closure of OSA

Expressing shock at the closure of the student organization was Joelle Lester, a former campus organizer for OSA at the University of Oregon.

Lester said it was common for OSA to have a member constantly at the state capitol in Salem and for the organization to lobby for improved student policies. She said closing OSA was a loss to student protection policies and ‘the leadership pipeline it created.’

She referred to people in state-held leadership positions who had previous ties with the Oregon Student Association – people like Aimee Kotek Wilson, first spouse of Oregon, who Lester worked with when she was a campus organizer for OSA.