Academic Gadfly

Portland State’s enrollment plan needs to protect the people who teach

Portland State University plans to spend $10.8 million to bring in more students while cutting the people who teach them.

8 hrs ago • Ramin Farahmandpur

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Before the Next Crisis

A resolution for Oregon’s Iranian American and other Middle Eastern public employees

Oct 11 • Ramin Farahmandpur

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Paradise Lost, Again

Portland is poised to adopt participatory budgeting as the cities that pioneered it turn away.

Oct 6 • Ramin Farahmandpur

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Your Two Cents, Their Million

A $16 million measure backed by DSA-aligned councilors and the groups positioned to manage it, opposed by organized labor.

Oct 2 • Ramin Farahmandpur

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September 2026

Everything Looks Great

What a February email, a March meeting, and a District Attorney’s order show about Portland State’s retrenchment

Sep 25 • Ramin Farahmandpur

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The First Estimate Is Never the Final Cost

Last week, Portland City Council faced a major decision about the future of large-scale performing arts, one presented without a price tag.

Sep 14 • Ramin Farahmandpur

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August 2026

Correcting the Competition

Ann Cudd and the Limits of Liberal-Institutionalism

Aug 30 • Ramin Farahmandpur

The Principal’s Office

Kathleen Saadat, 85, needed just three minutes to turn Portland City Council chambers into a principal’s office.

Aug 8 • Ramin Farahmandpur

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A Flurry of Hope

for Zuki

Aug 6 • Ramin Farahmandpur

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At the Seam Between Captivity and Freedom

A Tribute to Bruce Leimsidor, 1943–2023

Aug 3 • Ramin Farahmandpur

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July 2026

The Tulsa Precedent

A university does not ordinarily launch a $750 million capital campaign in the same year it books a $31 million deficit, cuts $20 million from its…

Jul 31 • Ramin Farahmandpur

The Settlement and the Statute

A rock through a dormitory window, a policy overhaul, and a bill Congress will not move

Jul 28 • Ramin Farahmandpur

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