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About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1982)
Foundation in danger of losing exempt status The College Foundation may lose its non-profit tax ex empt status and have to pay back taxes and penalties on nearly $100,000. As reported in the February 12 edition of The Enterprise Courier, the Foundation violated Internal Revenue Service regulation because of its relationship with a steering committee formed in 1978 to promote passage of a college serial levy. The Foundation is in trou ble with the IRS because its ex ecutive director, William An ton, a College administrator, was involved with placing money raised by the citizens steering committee in the Foundation’s commercial checking account i Staff Photos by Duane .Hiersche MAX PETERSON CHIEF of the United States Forest Service met briefly with representatives of the timber in dustry last Friday. He answered questions and talked with the group, most of the discussion concerned Oregon’s slumping timber industry. The Courier reported that the IRS recommended lif ting the Foundation’s tax ex empt status following a 1979 audit. No official action has been taken since the recom mendation was made. The issue is that a College employee was managing cam paign funds at public expense. The College, as a publicly funded organization, cannot use public funds to wage cam paigns for more tax money. Campaign expenditures must be taken "out of private dona tions. Anton was contacted by The Print but he had no com ment and referred The Print to the Foundation’s lawyer, Vincent Cacciottolie, who also had no comment “because an. appeal has been made to the IRS and the case was pending,” he said. However, in the Courier article, Anton said that it “ap pears that we violated the law.” He also said in the article that the Foundation did not have any way to raise funds to pay back taxe.s or penalties. think it was because they were unaware that anything was wrong.” Hargadine said there was still hope that the IRS would not force the Foundation to pay penalties or back taxes. “It’s not really a big thing,” Hargadine said, “It’s not like we were absconding with funds.” The Foundation has been aware that it was in trouble with the IRS for some time Hargadine said, “Naturally we didn’t go out of our way to publicize it.” He said the Foun dation did not act as banker in the most recent election, the 81 campaign. Anton said in the Courier “Our mistake was acting as The Foundation was form bankers for the steering com ed in 1970 to help support or mittee.” In the article he denied supplement College programs that any member of the board that could not be funded out of of directors took an active role the College’s other revenue in the steering committee, sources. Anton said in the other than hearing an occa Courier, the Foundation has sional report on the donations pending that may be committee’s activities, the arti lost as result of the IRS audit. cle stated. Anton also said in William Hargadine, the Courier, “We’re willing to associate dean of community say we’re sorry and we won’t services, told The Print, “I do. do if again,” Anton added that not know exactly why the he hoped the IRS would “just Foundation acted as banker. I drop the whole thing.” Federal refugee cuts hurt College students By J. Dana Haynes Of The Print Sen. Mark Hatfield, R-Oregon, requested „ a postponement until March 1, Refugees who have been to enable Congress to research living in the United States for the bill. “Despite the delay, I 18 months or more may find anticipate that the change will their Medicare and welfare eventually go through,” funds cut off, said Lee Fawcett, Fawcett said. assistant dean of student aid. By law, any refugee who There are as many as 160 does not speak English fluently refugees students at the Col and who is on welfare must lege. Currently, any refugee take English courses. The CoL living in this country can lege offers a program called receive welfare money for 36 Survival English, along with months. The new federal law, Lane, Chemeketa and Linn limiting the eligibility time to 18 Benton Community Colleges. months, was originally to be in All are subcontracted under the Adult and Family Services. acted as of February 1, 1982. who is contracted by the State Department of Education to provide language training for the refugees. “I think we have a good program here,” Kay Davis, chairperson of the English as a Second Language (ESL) pro gram, said, “Our focus has always been on ESL and the students always seem to learn the language.” * The Survival English pro gram is divided into five levels, based on the student’s understanding of the language. If a student is enrolled in levels one or two, then that student must take the ESL class and no ‘No Ties’ hits campus for dance Pages 6-7 ■:entimeters other courses. Students from many dif ferent countries are currently enrolled in the program, but approximately 80 percent of the students are from Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam. Other students are from Korea, Mex ico, Iran, India, Poland (see story, page 4 ) and one Old Believer (Russian) from Wood bum, Oregon/ The program started at the College in 1975 and was fund ed via the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) until 1977. That was the year that Davis joined the staff. The other full-time in structor is Molly Williams, a Spanish major. Davis is an English major, with an ESL minor. There are also five part- time personnel in the program. Within the major cultural group at the College, Laosians, Cambodians and Vietnamese, there are five separate ethnic groups. Among both the Viet namese and Cambodians are members of the Hmong and Mien cultures. There are representatives, from all five groupszat the College. At this time, no one knows exactly how many students would be affected by the pro posed welfare cuts. Joe Meek officially welcomed Page 10
