BY RACHEL CHEESEMAN

PORTLAND- Yesterday, Oregon’s Rep. David Wu (D-01) introduced the Urban University Renaissance Act of the 21^st Century.

“While we face many challenges in Oregon and around the nation, none is more urgent right now than the recovery of our economy and getting people back to work,” Wu said in a press release.

The goal of the legislation is to help universities in urban centers, like Portland State University, better serve their local communities.

Wu’s spokesperson, Julia Krahe, said that on a practical level, these goals would be realized through a number of different grant programs.

“It’s hard to say what the federal commitment would be,” Krahe said. “The actual monetary amount would come in consultation with the appropriation process.”

She said that some examples might include supporting public health research to reduce health care disparities in urban communities or supporting research on environmental issues that face low-income neighborhoods.

The legislation also mentions training teachers specifically for teaching in urban schools to improve the quality of K-12 education.

“It’s a whole variety of different things that essentially come down to helping urban universities work even more strongly with their communities,” Krahe said.

Portland State University President Wim Wiewel said, “Congressman Wu understands that it is only by supporting partnerships with local business, nonprofits and K-12 that universities like Portland State can achieve their mission.”

Andrew Weelin, spokesman for Rep. Greg Walden (R-02), said the legislation was too new for comment.

Krahe added that it was too early in the legislative process to speculate as to the support the bill would receive in the House.

While Krahe acknowledged the economic difficulties of implementing such legislation at this point in time, she felt it would be a wise investment for urban communities.

“It’s this sort of investment that leads to the long-term to sustainable growth that our communities need,” she said.