Faculty, students fight cuts in talent grants

Sam Krause & Adam Elwell

the advocate

 

A group of protesters clad in graduation robes, other concerned students and instructors aired grievances to the Mt Hood Community College District board of education on Wednesday when the board took public comments on the college’s proposed budget for 2015-16.

Proposed tuition increases, and reduction of funding for student tuition waivers and talent grants were a large topic of conversation.

Students dressed in graduation robes and others held signs decrying proposed changes in the budget, and faculty members were there to support and advocate for students, too.

Skye Troy, Associated Student Government director of state and federal affairs, told the packed boardroom that tuition money paid by Oregon community college students now exceeds annual funding from the Oregon Legislature and local property taxes.

She summed up the plight of students, saying, “This is the first time in history that students have had to pay more for their education than local and state dollars combined. Do you know what I call this? An S.O.S.: ‘Save our Students.’ ”

Troy continued saying that U.S. student debt now exceeds $1 trillion and that a proposed $3.50-per-credit hour tuition increase will affect students if the board doesn’t make a change in the budget plan.

The Mt. Hood forensics team, many of whom receive talent grants and tuition waivers, sent three of their members to testify, as well as team adviser Shannon Valdivia. The proposed budget includes an $85,000 reduction in student tuition waivers (talent grants).

Valdivia described the difficulties at-risk students and those with little confidence have when coming to Mt. Hood, and the benefits that scholarships and talent grants provide them. She noted a national NCAA report indicating higher graduation and retention rates for student-athletes who receive scholarships.

“I’ve seen this. I have had students who were at-risk when they walked in my door, and, yeah, they had a rough first quarter,” said Valdivia. “But now they’re strong, they’re going to class, they’re getting great grades, and they’re performing well” in part because of participation in activities such as forensics, she said.

“The college keeps preaching about retention. Your retention mechanism are these activities,” she said.

Much of the testimony on Wednesday called for decreasing tuition or making talent grants more available, but other testimony was about how the college can rectify the situation and avoid the budget issues.

“There are multiple revenue sources for this college,” said Dr. Wayne Machuca, a full-time instructor in computer education. “Consider how we can create new revenue sources in the future by proactive, intelligent and forward thinking hiring of new faculty who can take us into directions that no other college can go.”

Machuca said that if the board looks at education from a business perspective, then they should focus on increasing customers, and not prices.

Sarah Williams, a full-time instructor in the math department, wants the board to look into other ways to fund the Aquatic Center.

“I am a personal supporter of the pool; my children swim there, one of my sons is on the Mt. Hood aquatic team. I swim there,” Williams said, pointing out that $275,000 of the college’s general fund goes to the Aquatic Center. “I think that’s way too much,” she said.

Mt. Hood political science department head Janet Campbell has experience with the state of Washington auditing its educational institutions. She said Mt. Hood needs to look for more efficiencies and look at outcomes from measures taken to generate revenue or save money.

“It could be that we do need to increase tuition, but I wouldn’t want to do that before that sort of process happens.” said Campbell.

She said that she hasn’t seen an audit like that in her 13 years with the college.

“Even if we’re in top financial position, we’re an institution with taxpayers’ money, (and) we should make sure that our budget is pretty freaking solid,” Campbell said.

The board is due to make a final decision on the budget plan at 5 p.m. on Wednesday (May 13), prior to its regular monthly meeting.