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