We learned recently that Portland State University’s innovative student-run publishing house, Ooligan Press, is being threatened because of state budget cuts. Ooligan director Dennis Stovall is retiring in December, and there might not be money to hire additional faculty. “With the proposed budget cuts, our program will be cut completely, meaning that instead of students learning how to run a press, they will learn how to dismantle one,” says an announcement on Ooligan’s site.
On the site, Stovall defends the press, saying it “covers its own costs while providing a rich laboratory without expense to PSU, which takes a percentage of every check.” Students and graduates offer their testimonials here.
The students in the publishing program have organized a letter-writing campaign to help save Ooligan, and they’ve been receiving an outpouring of support. If you’d like to help, email [email protected].