Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1987)
Vol. XXI, September 30, 1987 Clackamas Community C Oregon City, OR 97045 TODAY’S THOUGHT: Monday is a terrible way to spend one- seventh of your life. Tuition hike set for Clackamas by Sherri Michaels and Jodie Martini News Editor and Staff Writer A Chinese delegation, which is in the United States to study agricultural higher education in this coun try, was on campus, September 24, Clackamas was the only two year college visited by the delegation. photo by Julia Church election Nov.3 by Todd Beatty and E.A. Berg Staff Writers Campus based activities are in full swing for a Nov. 3 operating levy election. The College Board is seeking a two-year operating levy of $1.37 per $1000 of assessed value, an increase of 12 cents over the current rate. The cost to the average district residence, a home assessed at $65,000, will be $89 per year. College President John Keyser said, “Although the state share of funding has gone up by about five percent over the last two years, Clackamas has not had a tax increase in six years.” The cost of living in the Portland area has increased 17 percent during the same period, he added. Keyser would not offer a prediction on the election. However, he added that finan cial accountability to district residents is the key. The college has made several cutbacks to hold the line on taxes, according to Keyser. Since 1984, administrative and classified staff has been cut by 27 and 11 percent respectively. Four athletic programs also PRESIDENTIAL SUPPORT- College President John Keyser (1) and AS. G. President Neale Frothingham team up in support of the college operating levy. 1360,0 by B-,h Cof,,y have been eliminated. The College Board also recently implemented a $20 per term tuition increase beginning Summer Term 1988. Keyser added that the college is always aggressively seeking outside revenue such as grants. Last year, the college brought in over $7 million. “The college is the best educational investment the peo ple can make because it offers flexible, short term and long term vocational and transfer education. It’s the best bargain because we’ve kept our cost at à reasonable level,” Keyser add ed. Associated Student Govern ment President Neale Frothingham said student government is organizing an ag gressive letter writing and word- of-mouth campaign in support of the levy. The A.S.G. office has voter registration forms available to fill out, he said. “Two students sit on the col lege’s Election Steering Commit tee as well,” added Frothingham. The Clackamas Community College Association of Classified Employees and the Clackamas Community College Education Association, labor unions representing college staff, are sponsoring an advocacy mailing in support of the levy as well. No organized opposition to the levy is currently visible in the district. The levy will be on a special Nov. 3 mail-in ballot. To receive a ballot, district residents must be registered to vote by Oct. 13. The College Board has approv ed a tuition increase of $20 per term beginning Summer Term 1988, as proposed to them by Bill Ryan, Administrative Dean of college services. A proposal to increase the tui tion this year was rejected. Ryan asked for an increase due to the rising costs of college operations. At the present time Clackamas tution is the lowest in the state at $210 with Ump qua being the highest at $264 per term. The proposed increase would place Clackamas at one dollar per term or three dollars per year above the statewide average. The college is proposing a 9.6% property tax rate increase to the taxpayer which reflects a to 1988-89 tuition increase. The tuition increase will also affect tuition for non-resident students becoming $80 per credit hour, $800 for 10-19 credits and $80 per credit hour above 19 credit hours. It is Dean Ryan’s philosophy that Clackamas has to be at the statewide average to remain competitive. The statewide average is currently $229.15.Ryan also believed that the tuition should increase because Clackamas would still be in an extremely competitive rate and still be fair to the students. President John Keyser also commented “I don’t think it detracts from the educational bargain that Clackamas at tracts.” Neale Frothingham, ASG President, expressed a concern about the increased tuition for the students. Frothingham felt that there are a lot of things we can do without before we in crease tuition and they are things that would not be noticed in the classroom by students. ASG’s main concern is that while tuition increases financial aid remains the same or decreases. Many students are on the margin of being unable to afford community college with tuition increasing and financial aid decreasing. Frothingham also pointed out that since 1981 the property tax rate has not increased whereas student tuition has increased 10.5% since 1981. Thus the students will have had 11.5% increase over the tax payers 9.6% increase to date. In addition, many students have expressed disappointment in the board for having brought up and passed the tuition increase during the lowest student enrolle- ment time, summer term, where the students were unable to res pond or have the right to respond since many were unaware of the proposition. “Students and press should be able to respond to a tu tion increase before it happens, not after the fact,” commented Frothingham.