MHCC’S BOARD SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON CUTS

Mt. Hood Community College’s “academic revitalization” is off to a rough start. 

The initial plan by the college’s administration was to stick to a tight schedule and put the matter of – specifically, deciding to phase out seven current programs on campus, to start the process – to a final vote by the MHCC District Board of Education on Dec. 18. Despite the vigorous public (and school faculty) backlash evident at the board meeting on Nov. 20, Mt. Hood President Lisa Skari said in a Nov. 25 interview with The Advocate that it was unlikely for board members to postpone that decision.

However, following the board work session on Wednesday, Dec. 4, it seems more likely that the MHCC board will decide to postpone the vote, for now. 

For the good of the school and the community, we at The Advocate believe they should put off this crucial decision until better dialogue between the college and the community can truly assess all other options. 

This process has been a trying time for all parties involved. Staff and faculty are concerned for the security of their jobs and the health of the students and institution to which they have dedicated so much time and care. Students themselves are trying to understand the recommended program cuts, the reasoning, and how this change will impact their educational future at MHCC. The administration is trying to make this announcement less painful and to compensate for how poorly the news was delivered to the faculty and community members. 

This process was marketed to the public, the students, and the staff as “transparent” and “student driven.” However, it would have been wise for the administration to be more honest about the true driving force behind this proposal. The bottom line here is that the school is facing a gaping budget hole next year that will amount to roughly $3 million dollars. Almost everyone could see that the budget deficit was the primary factor behind this proposal, yet, most administrators insisted that the money had very little to do with these decisions.

That is, for lack of better phrase, just insulting.  

However, top administrators seem to have realized their mistake in the last couple of weeks and have opened to having a more honest dialogue with everyone. We appreciate the board and administration deciding to put more time into researching specifics of the recommended program cuts. Because the data used to analyze these programs has been pointed out as being incorrect, in many instances, and the transparency (i.e., lack of) of the initial process, the  Nov. 8 announcement of proposed cuts itself rubbed many in the college community the wrong way.  

This situation has been truly divisive to this campus. To push the vote forward without giving Saints the chance to brainstorm and pitch ideas would be a mistake. We have faculty members that have been here for 20 or more years who know the history of this school and have a good understanding of its highs and lows. We have new generations of brilliant and passionate students who have been taught how to problem solve and think critically by the amazing instructors of this school.

Cutting these seven programs would not even come close to solving the budget crisis. We would still have a deficit that presents a tremendous challenge for at least another couple years. Give us a chance to come together. If we still can’t figure something out, then at least we will know that we did the best we could, as a community and as an institution, to solve the problem.

As students, this affects us more than the administration seems to believe. And among Mt. Hood staff, this is harder than a “rough patch”; this is their livelihood at stake. In the words of longtime political science instructor Janet Campbell, imploring board members, “Let us help you.”