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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University and the Oregon University System have become integral partners in a pioneering new effort to bring the unfiltered world of Oregon politics into living rooms across the state, giving citizens a real-world view of their local democracy at work.

This spring, the evolving Oregon Public Affairs Network, or OPAN, will for the first time undertake comprehensive coverage of the state legislature and other meetings, providing a state equivalent to the "C-SPAN" concept that has had a major impact on the American political process.

"For OSU and the state system of higher education, it's an opportunity to provide both student education and public service while helping OPAN develop in its formative years," said Richard Jarvis, chancellor of the Oregon University System.

OPAN, with OSU's help, can become a solid force for public education and let people really see and better understand what is happening in Oregon's political process, said Curt Pederson, OSU vice provost for information services.

"At OSU, we think of the state of Oregon as our campus, so this is a very appropriate initiative for us to be involved in - it's a natural fit with our educational mission," Pederson said. "OPAN can help take the mystery out of how our laws get made.

"But for the average citizen, they're going to see the political process more up close and personal than ever before, observing their legislators and other citizens at work," Pederson said. "They will see passion, humor, sometimes even anger as people engage in intense debate on issues they feel very strongly about. It's really quite fascinating."

The assistance of OSU, the university system, and the Oregon Wireless Instructional Network has been instrumental in OPAN's expanded coverage plans, officials say. Most states support televised nonpartisan political coverage such as this through their legislature. But OPAN is being operated with private donations as a nonprofit corporation, and the assistance of the state's public universities has been critical to its survival and operation.

OSU undergraduate students will do much of the hands-on production of programs, university officials say, taking advantage of OSU's technology and broad expertise in transmitting educational programs to a remote audience. The university's expenses will be covered by the arrangement with other OPAN partners. And the students will get involved in video production and editing, as well as future on-camera commentary and reporting as OPAN expands its program offerings.

"This is really a good way for our university to provide a valuable public service while students get some wonderful educational opportunities, especially from such areas as our new media and political science programs," said Larry Pribyl, director of instructional media at OSU. "We're going to help the state put together a very high quality program of political coverage on a minimal budget."

OPAN will focus its efforts this spring on the state legislative sessions, committee hearings and coverage of public affairs lectures, but will eventually include coverage of the Oregon Supreme Court, state commission hearings, and political debates. OPAN is partnering with the Oregon legislative media services to provide coverage of the legislature, and is working with city clubs and universities to provide access to public affairs lectures and seminars.

Supporters of the OPAN initiative include many of Oregon's leading state and federal political figures, prominent journalists and commentators, private companies, cable television systems, and others.

"Many people may not fully appreciate the impact of state issues, laws and regulations on their lives," said John Greydanus, director of the Oregon Wireless Instructional Network, which is a consortium of community colleges and state universities that coordinates the delivery of an array of instructional and public affairs services.

"The reality is that state and local issues often have an effect on our lives as much or more than national issues," Greydanus said. "In the legislative session that is just beginning, for instance, political leaders will be debating issues that are enormously important to many Oregonians."

Coverage of these topics through the news media can be uneven, unpredictable, limited and by definition "filtered" through the eyes of a journalist, Greydanus said. The type of direct coverage that OPAN offers will provide the public an unrestricted view of many political debates and allow people to better form their own opinions after observing all viewpoints on an issue.

Different types of coverage will be available on local public access cable channels, officials say. Some will offer a complete, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the legislative sessions, and many areas will also have a two-hour evening summary, often from 6-8 p.m. And eventually much of this coverage should also be available to the public via streaming video on the Internet. More information and details about OPAN's latest offerings can be obtained at its web site, at www.opan.org. "A lot of this is still evolving, and people should view or contact their local access cable channels to find out what will be offered in their areas," Pribyl said. According to Greydanus, programming should be available this spring in the Portland metro area, Salem, Eugene, Albany, Corvallis, Springfield, Lebanon, Bend, and other parts of the state.

Programming may also be brought into appropriate classes in Oregon's K-12 school system, officials say, offering younger students in government, civics or history classes a chance to see and better understand how their local political processes function.