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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2007)
First copy FREE; additional copies 1$ IClackamas Print ¡4 n independent, student - run naqKamas Community College, Oregon City, OR Bringing beauty to campus See Page 5 newspaper Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 Volume 40, Issue 2 “Everything in the universe hæ rhythm. Ewrything dances. —I ............................................................................. .............................................................................................................. . ............... .... v Beginning and Intermediate Ballet students practice their form in class Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007. „..... B Alexandria Vatlelunga Clackamas Print, I ^Fall enrollment drops, B Clackamas steps up to retain fundins Megan Koler The Clackamas Print The statistics are in: ¡Clackamas’ full-time enroll- gnent is down by 5 percent, ¡and that means less fending. Last Wednesday, the Clackamas Community College Board of Education as presented with an enroll- ent report including sta- istics for the 2006-2007 Ischool year and early Fall perm highlights. ! For the last three years, Ifull-time enrol lment has been ■diminishing, and according Ito Dean of Enrollment Diane I Drebin, the trend continues. Unfortunately, the money ■ Clackamas receives from the ■ state is based on full-time ■equivalency (FTE) points. “The FTE is a formula ■ that the state department has ■created,” said Drebin. One FTE is equal to a ■student who has been at the ■college for the equivalent ■ of 510 hours spread over a r ■year’s time. “That’s how we get fend- ■ ed from the state,” she added. ■ “We get tuition, and we get ■ fees, and then we get this ■ funding based on our FTE.” The overall headcount, ■ which includes fell-time, ■ part-time and non-credit stu- ■ dents, is up by 23 percent. “The economy has ■improved in our district, and ■that usually means that more ■students have less time for ■school because of work,” ■said Drebin. One of the goals of the ’■college has been to improve J ■retention and encourage fac- l ■ ulty to be directly in contact ■with students. “We expect that the facul- 1 ty are staying connected with »Please see ENROLLMENT, Page 2 • ■L.------------------ --------------------------------------- Educational erosion hits home Schrader’s outlook on future com tuition and carry the college on the munity college funding is low. The backs of students.” The legislative budget for 2007 money set aside during economic went up, raising the amount of money expansion, known as the Rainy Day that community colleges would receive Fund, has been reduced to nothing. by almost 18 percent. Students in the This is a bad indication for community low-income bracket had their financial colleges that lack funding already. “Funding and enrollment is down,” aid funding double* Though the increase helped some said Schrader, “and that’s obviously a students, part-timers and individuals bad sign.” Lydia E. Bashaw Oregon tuition is already much from a higher income class were left News Editor hanging. Most grants are only avail higher than in most states. According Community college successes are able for full-time students below a to Statemaster.com, an online database being put into the spotlight once again, certain level of income. Tuition for of over 1,000 state government statis but this time the outcome will affect this year went up as well, raising the tics, Oregon is ranked 15th nationwide for tuition costs. We also have a low overall price of school. legislative budgeting. Lussier shared that, even though amount of aid and scholarship help for In a Board of Education meet higher education. ing Wednesday, Oct. 10, Sen. Kurt This leaves Oregon on the Schrader laid the future educational lowest rungs of education in the budget outlook on the table. United States. Schrader’s goals for 2008 are the Clackamas itself is predicting same as last year, and he is aware having to raise tuition $2 a year to that community colleges need fund keep the college at a functioning ing. However, there is hesitation con level. The price of a higher edu cerning how to judge the outcomes cation is going up while the gov of community college programs. ernment puts community college “Everyone should be able to grad funding on the backburner. uate from a community college with “I think we need to increase out debt,” said Schrader. “Only 13 the [state’s] college budget,” said to 14 percent of community college Lussier, “so we can keep tuition students transfer, and only 24 per low ... we need to stop this unsus cent are completing their associate tainable raising of our tuition. [degree].” Why is our college forecasting Clackamas is growing in numbers, raising tuition ... every year for with more people entering as part- the next three years?” time students, yet the number of In comparison to other commu full-timers is going down. Between nity colleges, Clackamas has the full-time losses and the number of lowest tuition statewide, ranking individuals entering non-associ- several dollars below the others. ate-degree programs, colleges must However, with tuition increases on reevaluate how they assess perfor- the college’s horizon, Clackamas mance. students can look forward to less “We need results,” said Schrader. government help and higher prices “We need to fix these programs. for school. The statistics most often used to “Oregon does not get a good evaluate success have been those grade,” said Schrader, “both in the related to degree and transfer pro post-secondary schooling levels grams. A large number of Clackamas’ SCHRADER and on a lower level.” population is enrolled in certificate Many questions are left on the and other training classes, which is often ignored when it comes to statis last year’s budget went up, there are table for legislature, which begins its session in February. The biggest still holes in our funding. tics. “I think that what we got last year concern for students is where the Associated Student Government President Tim Lussier shared his con- is probably going to be the best we’ve tuition increases will stop and funding gotten in awhile,” said Lussier. “I increases will begin/ cerns with the funding outlook. For’ now, college funding and stu “It’s frustrating to work so hard think our colleges still need to get the for a good amount of funding,” said full $529 million that we asked for dent-cost ride the legislative teeter- totter. Lussier, “[and] then still have to raise from the start.” Sen. Kurt Schrader asks community colleges to show program achievements to justify legislative budget spending
