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.