I hope you’ve had a great spring term! My name is Hibah, I’m a third-year student at the University of Oregon and the new chair OSPIRG. I wanted to give you a quick update on what we’ve been working on this term – it’s been busy!
We kicked 2022 off right by winning our funding vote in the student government election with 75% of students voting to affirm our funding on campus – a huge thank you to everyone who voted!
This year, we’ve also worked on multiple campaigns, including 100% Renewable Energy, Indigenous Water Rights, and Hunger & Houselessess. We collected 2,000 petitions, fundraised thousands of dollars for local causes, and held a series of events including our 50 for 100% Renewable Energy display, featuring the 50 Oregon businesses that signed on to our clean energy campaign from 9 cities around the state!
2022 DEI Chair Addie Cooper with 50 business sign-ons for 100% Renewable Energy
Recently, we also celebrated Youth Earth Week with our fellow Ducks by helping students take action to protect our planet. Throughout Earth Week, we fundraised $1,000 for the Klamath Tribes’ water rights fund to defend their water sovereignty and ecosystems, collected dozens of postcards and petitions to send to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to bring sea otters back to the Oregon coast, and cleaned 11 trash bags worth of garbage from the Willamette River!
Left: students at the Save The Otters table during Youth Earth Week, Right: our trash haul from the Willamette River this Earth Day
This past week, we held our Hunger & Houselessness Days of Service, where we partnered with nonprofit The Way Home and student club Operation Period to distribute 200 care packages to houseless communities in Eugene. Throughout the year, we’ve organized over 150 volunteer hours at local gardens like the NAACP’s Annie Mims Garden and GrassRoots Gardens – so we’re excited to continue our direct service projects with new collaborations!
Students preparing and distributing 200 sandwiches & care packages for houseless Eugene communities
Last but not certainly least, two of our student leaders got to serve as panelists with Senator Jeff Merkley and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum – an OSPIRG alum – to discuss environmental protections and college affordability in Oregon.
We’re looking forward to continuing to organize opportunities for our campus communities to engage with issues they care about.
All the best,
Hibah Hammad
She/Her/Hers
Hunger & Houselessness Campaign Coordinator
OSPIRG Students
UO Class of ’23