The Clackamas print., March 15, 2017, Page 4, Image 4

BY KRISTEN WOHLERS
It’ s official. Tuition is going up for the next school
year, and it doesn’t stop there. It will likely continue
its climb over the next five years.
The Clackam as Com m unity C o llege Board o f
Education voted unanimously to increase tuition
at its March 8 m eetin g,
Tuition w ill go up by $3 per credit for the 2017-
2018 school year, taking it from $90 to $93 per
credit. There will also be a per credit increase in the
general student fee from $2 currently to $2.50 and
in the student technology fee from $4.50 to $5.50.
“ I don’ t w ant to pay m ore m oney for school,
so I don’t want it to go up,” said student Mason
Gorman. “ It means I have less money to do stuff,
like rent, gas.”
Over the last 15 years, the college has seen the
per credit tuition rise by $50, from $40 per credit
in 2001-2002; over the next five years, it’s likely to
shoot up by $15 more, according to Vice President
o f College Services A lissa M ahar, brin gin g the
projected cost to $105 per credit in the 2021-2022
academic year.
Even with the increases, Clackamas has remained
affo rd ab le w h en com pared to o th e r O regon
community colleges. Portland Community College
inform ed students that tuition w ill go up by as
m uch as 7 percent fo r the n ext academ ic year,
according to* the Oregonian. Clackam as has the
second lowest tuition and fees in the state, w ith
Chemeketa Community College being the lowest.
Still, the increase m eans the cost o f going to
Clackamas full-tim e with 12 credits will cost $1,235
beginning this summer before individual class fees
and books.
School board m em ber Ron Adam s ¡questioned
the rising tuition at the board meeting on March 8.
“What if we were actively trying to lower tuitions,
rather than staying within the competition?” Adams
said. “ When does it sim ply drive away students?”
To keep up w ith inflation and expenses, such as
the rising cost of the Public Employees Retirement
System, the college is looking at a five-year financial
plan, according to Mahar.
“ We would be in really bad shape if we just looked
at one year at a time and didn’t think about the long
range,” Mahar said.
She expects that tuition will increase by $3 per
credit each year over the next five years.
A fter w aivers are paid to students in various
program s, the projected net am ount o f revenue
from student tuition for the 2016-2017 academic
year is $14.6 million.
The $3 increase Would generate approximately
$460,000 m ote for the 2017-2018 school year.
But even w ith th is revenue as w ell as funds
from the 2014 $90 million bond, President Joanne
Truesdell projects a budget deficit in the upcoming
year.
“ Our gap for next year, even w ith this tuition
increase,, is still at $1 m illion,” Truesdell said at
the Feb. 8 board meeting.
There are many reasons for rising costs, including
decreases in state funding, Title IX m andates,
increasing healthcare costs and PERS costs. PERS
cost escalation is a statewide problem.
“ They’re looking at ways to mitigate those PERS
costs as much as they can,” Mahar said. “ There’s, m aking sure that textbooks get reduced, then
a number of legislative bills that are on the table th a t’ s overall w here m y concern w ould b e ,”
Rodriguez said. >
to try to mitigate that.”
The college is working to keep expenses down
The greatest relief in PERS costs will only occur
w hen h ig h -lev el paym ents no longer have to for students and to prevent tuition spikes, despite
rising costs, and this effort includes looking for
be made.
But a new exp en se th at th e college m ust Ways to reduce the cost o f textbooks.
“ Forty percent of our books are either free or
consider is the price o f operation and upkeep
on new construction built w ith bond m oney. reduced,” Mahar said at the Feb. 8 meeting. And
These buildings come w ith expenses such as IT they’re hoping to get that percentage up.
The college is also prin tin g less paper and
support, custodial staff and bigger power bills.
“ The cost o f livin g ihcreases, so there ate is seekin g a gran t, w h ich w ould am ount to
important things that are necessary for thé school som ew here betw een $2-2.5 m illion. Overall,
to consider, like the Costs o f operating,” sâid Mahar’ s focus is on efficiency.
student Brandon Minnis. “ So it’ s unfortunate I ;“ I have a son who is in community college, so
that w e hâve to pay more in tuition, but it ’ s this kind of stuff matters a lot to me,” Mahar said,
Mahar also said that she would love to hear back
probably also necessary.”
Like Minnis, Jairo Rodriguez, the Associated from more students w ith any ideas or concerns
Student Governm ent president, expressed at they may have.
“ Em ail m e ,” M ahar said. “ E ven if i t ’ s
the Feb. 8 board m eeting that he understands
subjective, it’ s their experience, I’d love to hear
the need for the increase.
“ As long as the college puts a strong effort in about it.”
“ What i f we were
actively trying to lower
tuitions, rather than
staying within the
competition? When does
it simply drive away
students?”
-R o n Adams
CCC Board Member
graphic by Cheisea Pagan
COLLEGE PRESIDENT
JOANNE TRUESDELL
RETIRING JULY 2018
College President Joanne Truesdell announced at th e March
8 Board of Education m eeting that she w ill be retiring in July
o f 2018.
With a strong board and finances, Truesdell felt it was the
right time to leave. She is the eighth presidentof the college.
Truesdell became the college president in 2007, more than
30 years after first attending Clackamas in the 80s. She has
earned degrees at Portland State University, the University
of Portland, and a doctorate i | education from Oregon State
University,
The m om ent o f her announcem ent w as very em otional.
While Truesdell read her prepared letter to the board, several
members started crying.
The college w ill hire a firm to help decide who w ill be the
next president o f the college;
. '— Elizabeth Kessel and Blake Swan
4 Clackamas Print MARCH 15,2017 theclackamasprint.com
photo by Megan McCoy
Joanne Truesdell opens the time
capsule at CCC’s 50th anniversary
celebration on May 21, 2016.
Clackamas Print MARCH 15.2017 thedackamasprlntcom 5