OhioPIRG to petition for student support this fall

Group needs approval of two-thirds of students for fee increase

The petition calls for an increases in fee from $4.50 to $6 each semester. It would be the first fee increase since 1982.

Currently, OhioPIRG receives 89 percent of its chapter funding from its waivable fee which is charged as part of student term bills.

The petition system requires OhioPIRG to get signatures of half the student body in support of the organization and the fee structure every two years. In order to raise the fee, two-thirds of students must sign the petition.

Thus, 1,917 students must sign the petition by the end of the semester in order for OhioPIRG to continue receiving funding in this way. "Two-thirds is an extraordinary level of support," Michael Talbott, campus organizer and OhioPIRG staffer, said.

If OhioPIRG is unable to get two-thirds of the student body to sign the petition, it will be forced to request funding through the Student Finance Committee. Talbott said, however, that without the fee structure, OhioPIRG would effectively not exist.

The fee system, on average, generates $24,000 dollars each year for OhioPIRG. With the additional money from the fee increase, an approximate $7,950, OhioPIRG plans to hire an additional part-time employee.

Students are able to waive the fee through filling out a fee waiver card at enrollment. This fall, 7.4 percent of students requested a waiver.

The current fee structure was formed in 1994 after a long and controversial debate about the way OhioPIRG received funds from students. Before 1994, students wishing to waive the fee had to fill out a series of cards, and bring one to the OhioPIRG office. "It was kind of intimidating," Talbott said.

Talbott said that he does not expect a fee fight like the one that happened in 1994. He said that the reform generated by the OhioPIRG task force on 1994 eliminated many structures that students had found objectionable.

The reforms also clearly stated that OhioPIRG must reaffirm student support every two years, instead of every one to four years as had been articulated before.

Lastly, through the reform, other student groups became able to move to a similar fee structure if they followed the same procedures as OhioPIRG.

"I'd love to help any group that wanted to start [a similar fee structure]," Talbott said.

Student Senate is overseeing the reaffirmations process, and in this week's meeting they approved the language of the petition. The task force in 1994 also required Senate to oversee all stages in the process.

OhioPIRG plans to begin the campaign in early November, and complete it in three days. "We want to do it as absolutely quickly as possible," Talbott said.

Talbott said that he thinks OhioPIRG's success in the reaffirmation campaign rests on educating students about the fee system and the activities of OhioPIRG. He said that the group plans to coordinate an education campaign about the process and structure of the fee system and activities of OhioPIRG.

OhioPIRG is an affiliate of the national PIRG group, which has chapters on college campuses throughout the country. Other schools use similar fee structures, while others use a non-waivable fee and some a pledge system.

OhioPIRG's income supports the salary of Talbott, who runs the OhioPIRG office and coordinates the chapter's programs, the groups field programs and its dues to USPIRG.

This year OhioPIRG is working on four major campaigns: toxic waste legislation, volunteering at the Haven Center, a homeless shelter in Lorain, Voter registration and education and tenants' rights. It also participates in nationwide campaigns organized by USPIRG.