L A NE COMMUNIT Y COLLE G E ’ S INDE P ENDENT, S TUDENT- RUN NE W S P A P ER
december 5, 2013
HARD IN THE PAINT
PLAYS REPLAYED
Men, women split first tournaments
Students revisit Bard’s best
PAGE 7
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volume 50, edition 8
EU G ENE , ORE G ON
Tuition will increase $2 per credit next school year Board passes motion 4-1
Taya Alami Reporter CHARLENE HOUWELING // PRODUCTION MANAGER
Work will begin on a $35 million remodel Dec. 16.
Step by step, new center BUILDING TAKES SHAPE Fifty-year-old building will receive modern updates
story on pages 4 AND 5 BY ANNA TATUM INFOGRAPHIC BY BYRON HUGHEY SOURCE: CENTER FOR LEARNING AND STUDENT SUCCESS FAQ
Project Total: $35.1m
$21.3M from municipal bonds $8M from state construction bonds $5.8M from Lane Foundation
Direct Construction Cost: $26m Indirect construction costs include: • design fees • testing services • building permits • contingency • furniture
Indirect Construction Cost: $9m
106,222 sq. ft. Floor space that will be built or remodeled in the construction
For the 12th time in 13 years, Lane’s Board of Education has decided to increase tuition, and a $2 per-credit inflationary increase will bring Lane’s tuition to $95 per credit starting July 1. The motion passed at the Dec. 3 board meeting 4-1, with Board Chairwoman Rosie Pryor abstaining from the vote because she pays the full-time tuition as a Lane student. Board member Robert Ackerman cast the single dissenting vote. “It kind of stinks, but it’s reality,” board member Matthew Keating said. The board also voted to raise non-resident tuition, by $4, to $231 per credit hour during fall, winter and spring terms. “We’re looking at a lot of strategies right now to fill that hole,” board member Pat Albright said. “This is just one part of that.” Lane will implement the increase to help the college keep pace with inflation. It would not address other budgetary concerns — like falling tuition revenue from declining enrollment. “I will hold my nose and vote yes,” Keating said, “but I want to make it very clear that the closer we get to $100
per credit hour, we are pricing students out of an opportunity to come to Lane Community College and get an education.” According to a 2002 board policy, Lane’s Board of Education must adjust the price of tuition to stay current with inflation during its December meetings. During its meeting last month, the board unanimously selected the Higher Education Price Index, a tool used to measure inflation at colleges and universities, to guide them when considering a tuition increase for the 201415 school year. HEPI is a compiled average showing the national rate of change for the costs of goods and services most commonly purchased by colleges and universities. It’s compiled and maintained by The Commonfund Institute, a nonprofit organization that monitors college and university endowments. The costs of goods and services calculated by HEPI include salaries for personnel, benefits and the costs of miscellaneous materials. The last recorded rate for HEPI measured a decrease in spending power of 1.7 percent in 2012. The board recommended using the same rate for the 2014-15 school year.
PER-CREDIT TUITION RATES, BY YEAR, AT LANE
2014-15 Proposed 2013-14
$93
$95
2012-13
$90
2010-11
$83
2009-10
$78
2011-12
$83
21.8 percent increase since 2009