Self-Defense | 3
SOCCER | 6
october 24, 2013
L A N E C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E ’ S I N D E P E N D E N T, S T U D E N T- R U N N E W S PA P E R | V O L U M E 51 E D I T I O N 4 | E U G E N E , O R E G O N
Lane earns honors
STEPHANIE ORNDORFF // PRODUCTION MANAGER
for energy programs JEFF CRAMER // REPORTER KEONI CONLU // REPORTER Lane placed 45th on a list of the top 50 colleges and universities in the country committed to saving the planet. The College Database, an organization that intends to inform students about colleges based on a variety criteria, recognized Lane in September for its energy management and renewable energy degree programs.
Despite colleges across the country touting the prestige of a ranking from the College Database, little is actually known about the website. Its methodology page is vague and does not clarify whether or not they used algorithms or qualitative methods to determine their ranking. There are only two visible employees, Wes Ricketts, the College Database’s vice president, and Douglas A. Jones. Neither could be reached for comment. A search of the IRS database for nonprofits named College Database showed nothing.
Lane is the only community college listed. The rest of the list consist of major universities such as Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, Duke University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “These 50 colleges and universities not only host students in the lecture hall, they put them to work in research laboratories where scholars practice real-time, ecological heroism,” according to The College Database, which posted the list to its website, onlinecollegesdatabase.org. see GREEN | 5
State legislature increases funding for community colleges MohammEd Alkhadher // NEWS EDITOR The Oregon Legislature will send more money to the state’s colleges and universities after a special session that closed Oct. 2, but Lane’s share won’t be enough to close this school year’s budget deficit or another shortfall predicted next school year. In the special session, the legislature
approved $40 million for Oregon universities and community colleges to hold down tuition increases, according to a news release issued by Oregon House Democrats Communications Director Lindsay O’Brien. Lane will receive approximately $1.8 million of the $40 million increase over the next biennium. “As part of that grand-bargain money,” said Brian Kelly, Lane vice president of college services, “we’re not going to see
any of that this year. It’s all going to come next year.” Falling enrollment this year has led to an approximate $2 million deficit in Lane’s $102.9 million 2013-14 general fund budget. “The additional funds will help mitigate the tuition lost from declining enrollment, which is at about 11 percent less than Fall 2012 but it will not fully close the gap in our budget caused by enrollment decline,” Lane President
Mary Spilde wrote in an email to staff this month. “Just as we increased our part-time budgets significantly over the last four years to deal with the enrollment surge, less demand is causing us to build smaller class schedules, affecting part-time faculty and staff ... I believe we will be able to balance this year’s budget without reductions in contracted staff.” Administrators are currently predicting a $6.8 million shortfall next school year, Kelly said. see FUNDING | 5