OSU students let loose at campus Gripe Fest

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Erin Frybarger has a beef or two about the food on the Oregon State University campus: There isn’t much variety. The only healthy fare is overpriced rabbit grub like salads and carrots. And students can’t use their meal plans anymore at some restaurants in the Memorial Union.

Welcome to Gripe Fest ‘08.

The complaints of the 25-year-old English and education student from Albany came out this week in an event organized by the Associated Students of OSU.

Some students bemoaned a lack of parking or expensive textbooks.

There was grousing: Not enough recycling bins, my credits didn’t transfer to Oregon State.

There was even an objection to the atmosphere among patrons of the rec center – it’s stifling if you’re not already fit and athletic.

“My main issue is out-of-state tuition,” griped Jessica Armstrong, 20, of Boise. She pays triple the in-state rate despite living in the state for three years.

Karla Meyer, 21, a senior in public health, said her major got no respect.

The university’s provost, Sabah Randhawa, attended. He said most of the Gripe Fest concerns were typical and might not have immediate solutions. But, he said, administrators could look into concerns about credit transfers from other schools.

The event’s organizers promoted it by writing messages in chalk on campus sidewalks and buildings.

Even that prompted a gripe: “Stop treating campus like your own personal chalkboard,” said Kenyon Solecki, a senior in environmental sciences.