OSU and OU presidents urge that 744 ad be taken off the air

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis and University of Oklahoma President David Boren jointly ask those running the ad campaign for State Question 744 in which the logos of the two universities are used without their authorization to take those ads off the air.  Both Presidents expressed concern that very large tuition increases will be necessary if the State Question passes.  They also expressed concern that the ad could cause some voters to mistakenly believe that the universities are supporting the proposal. In a joint statement, Presidents Boren and Hargis said:

“We urge those running the media campaign for State Question 744 to stop running an ad which could cause some voters to get the false impression that colleges and universities, including OU and OSU, are supporting the proposal.  This ad has not been authorized by either university.  In fact, passage of State Question 744 is likely to lead to multimillion dollar cuts in higher education and could force tuition and cost increases for our students and their families ranging from 15 to 20% per year for up to three years in a row.

“Passage could also lead to damaging cuts in courses and programs.  We strongly support improved funding for K through 12 education, however, State Question 744 provides no revenue sources to pay for its mandates.  Without new revenue sources, it would cause destructive cuts in other vital state services, like higher education, vocational-technical education, highways, law enforcement and medical services.  We do not recommend how anyone should vote, but we feel a responsibility to inform Oklahomans about the potential impact of this proposal.”