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Legislature should invest in public universities

As I near the end of my third academic year at Southern Oregon University, I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had here, which is why I am urging the Legislature to fully fund Oregon’s public universities this year.

During my time at SOU, I conducted my own independent research on insecticides and pharmaceutical research. From these projects I have also obtained my first publications.

I also appreciate the support I received through the SOU Bridge Program, which helps first-year students transition to college by supporting their social, emotional, and academic strengths. Growing up in the small, rural community of Sams Valley, attending a four-year university after high school was certainly not the norm.

The Bridge Program, and other programs that have supported me during my time at SOU, helped me smoothly transition to life on campus so I can focus on making the most of my opportunity of higher education.

I have also had the experience to work as a student intern with SOU’s Office of Government Relations, which has exposed me to the importance of the Oregon Legislature’s decision process for funding public universities like mine. I recently traveled to Salem with other SOU students to ask legislators to consider fully funding our public universities in Oregon at $1.05 billion.

I hope legislators will remember the many student stories they’ve heard when making their funding decisions this spring and choose to continue to invest in Oregonian students by fully funding their public universities.

Chloe Fiveash / Medford

Book outlines all-too-real dangers of ‘The Real Wolf’

I just finished reading a very informative book, “The Real Wolf,” written by Ted B. Lyons and Will N. Graves. The authors, along with several subject matter experts, researched 100 years of data from around the world regarding wolves.

These people debunked the myths, lies and misinformation regarding efforts of re-introduction of wolves into the wilds of the West. It indicates misinformation from some state and federal wildlife biologists, who are wolf advocates, along with political manipulations.

It also discusses continued misuse and abuse of the Endangered Species Act and the Equal Access to Justice Act, costing U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, not the litigants.

Some issues verified in their research are as follows:

— Wolves do kill people and have been proven to stalk people including children.

— Wolves kill animals, large or small, healthy or weak, and do destroy game herd numbers.

— Advocates claim wolves bring economic boom to state and local areas. Research shows such claims false and with loss of game herds, revenues from hunters and licenses drop considerably for state game departments.

— Research shows there are few pure-blooded wolves and that most populations. are hybrid crosses with coyotes and domestic dogs. Such hybrids do not then meet the protection requirements of the Endangered Species Act.

— Worldwide scientific data show wolves do carry diseases harmful to man.

— Local residents of areas where wolves have been re-introduced have affected serious lifestyle changes costing millions of dollars to stockmen and rural communities across the West.

David Jones / Medford

Legislators should ‘walk out’ all the way to Idaho

An article about the latest GOP-led walkout in the Oregon Senate reminded me that Oregon is one of only four states that require two-thirds of legislators be present for quorum.

Most states require only a simple majority, probably because they’ve learned from our mistake — that requiring a supermajority isn’t an effective way to do business.

Most of the legislators involved in the walkout are probably from counties that voted to join Idaho. The people who think that’s a good idea would be doing us all a favor if they moved to Idaho rather than trying to move Idaho here.

Michael Steely / Medford