The Oregon Student Association was rumored to be dissolving during an Associated Students of Oregon State University Senate meeting on Oct. 8. The next day, it was announced publicly and made official.
“The dissolvement of the org was mentioned, that is something that, you know, the appropriate folks were told not to mention publicly until we were ready to mention that publicly,” said Angelo Arrendondo, former OSA legislative chair and member of the OSA Board. “I don’t think this was done, you know, in a malicious way. But, they were just told to keep it under wraps.”
The OSA, according to their website, is a student-run, student-led advocacy and organizing non-profit organization that sought to represent and advocate the “shared interests” of Oregon’s college and university students alike, representing large schools such as Oregon State University as well as smaller schools like Linn-Benton Community College.
The OSA has worked for decades to ensure that the voices and rights of students were being heard at every level of decision-making, but is closing their doors after several years of failing funding mechanisms, the loss of a staff member, and the critical injury of their Executive Director in a car accident back in July 2024.
“It’s been one of the most difficult decisions I’ll ever make in my life. It’s been really hard. We just had to be realistic about all the challenges that the organization has faced and be reasonable about if we’re even able to sustain this and we’ve come to the conclusion that we aren’t,” said Nick Keough, legislative director for the OSA. “It was a risk to be funded just by student fees, but we did that on purpose because we knew it would mean we’re only beholden to the interests of Oregon students and no one else,” Keough said.
In 2019, OSU stopped paying its dues to the OSA because of many factors, including reports of the OSA ostracizing OSU students during board meetings, leading to both organizations harboring an environment of discontent toward one another.
“It wasn’t until last year that ASOSU rejoined OSA as a non-fee paying member, with an eye on possibly becoming a fee-paying member again in the future,” said ASOSU President Audrey Schlotter. “I would say the dissolution of OSA affects students within the state of Oregon more than it directly affects ASOSU as an organization; OSA has always done so much work for students across the state, both for those who are paying dues and those who are not.”
Though the quiet exit of the OSA may not have an immense impact on the ASOSU or student governments across the state for that matter, it does happen to have an immense impact on the students of Oregon, especially regarding the ways in which student voices can be heard.
As the OSA continues to finalize its dissolution and the effects begin to be felt, it appears that student governments across the state will have to pick up the slack left behind by the OSA, working in a somewhat fragmented style of bureaucracy.
“The dissolution of OSA means that student governments across the state will need to do more facilitation of student legislative advocacy and rely on each other and their respective university government relation offices in order to ensure student voices are heard,” Schlotter said.
In OSA’s dissolution, the hole it once filled is empty in a time of turbulence for many college students. Rising tuition costs and escalating student debt across the state are making it more difficult than ever for students to access and complete college education.
“I think this closure is … a reflection of the broader challenges that exist within the higher education landscape in Oregon today,” Keough said.
The OSA’s decision to dissolve comes at a time when the accessibility of higher education appears to be coming toward a screeching halt.
“Despite this happening, the need for collective student advocacy remains as important as ever. We’re really trying to have hope and confidence that students will continue to come together and build towards a better future … and continue to fight for a world where higher education is a right for all and not just a privilege for the few,” Keough said.
Though the end of the OSA is a bitter one for many, Keough is not alone in their sentiments of hope for the future and the future of student advocacy.
“I am hopeful that with the many folks who are in our network, a new OSA can arise, but at this moment I just don’t know,” Arrendondo said. “People are having open conversations and saying ‘Hey, what’s next?’… and you know, I’m hopeful for the future.”
