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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Person suffers smoke inhalation in Ashland house fire Should the Plaza get yet another makeover? Ashland Runs on Volunteers: OLLI classes pay dividends in joy of teaching, learning Police Reports Ashland Rotary plans Easter egg hunt Education Ashland Runs on Volunteers: OLLI classes pay dividends in joy of teaching, learning New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Cars We Remember: ‘Topper’ movie car most memorable Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Snow hopes dashed, Mt. Ashland Ski Area hosts season-ending party Saturday Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Test Drive: 2015 Honda Accord Politics and elections Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices Alicia Applegate Hardy Death Notices Rosalind Dee Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Blazers clinch playoff spot Thompson-Siporen second in decathlon Documentary about Southern Oregon University football's national championship team to screen for free Fantasy Sports: Reds’ Chapman opens list of top closers Bill Ballou: Pace-of-game rules are a good start to improving baseball High school Thompson-Siporen second in decathlon Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Southern Oregon University Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Voices Latest Stories Landgren cartoon: European travel essentials Our View: One for the books Council Corner: Ashland’s climate plan Wry & Ginger: Daylight saving and our hour of need Letters to the Editor, March 30 Editorial Our View: One for the books Our View: Build it; they will play Our View: How it should work Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Letters Letters to the Editor, March 30 Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Columns Council Corner: Ashland’s climate plan Chris Honoré: Some political and social observations Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Ashland High grad performs at OSF's Hip Hop Open Mic Top 5 things to do this week Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright Theater Ticket Availability Review: From past into present in OSF's 'Long Day's Journey' Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Music Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: In ‘Danny Collins,’ Pacino helps us imagine a Lennon story Noah Baumbach talks Ben Stiller, adult comedies and more In 'Timbuktu,' lust for power disturbs peace Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Garden Cameos: Planning for a fragrant garden year round Book Notes: America’s Test Kitchen takes a detailed look at vegetarian cooking Food for Thought: Plan the perfect alfresco gathering Shayne Looper: Don't shrink-wrap the truth Improving the lives of women is the focus for Soroptimists in Ashland Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Person suffers smoke inhalation in Ashland house fire ... Should the Plaza get yet another makeover? ... Police Reports ... Person suffers smoke inhalation in Ashland house fire ... Should the Plaza get yet another makeover? ... Police Reports ... SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Tuition at Ashland campus remains among lowest in state system Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 27, 2015 at 8:45 PM Updated Mar 27, 2015 at 8:46 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 27, 2015 at 8:45 PM Updated Mar 27, 2015 at 8:46 PM What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter. » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter . » Social News As one of its first acts, the newly minted Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees Friday voted to endorse a tuition hike of almost 5 percent.  The new self-governing body, comprised of community luminaries, including former Congressman Les AuCoin, will have a big role in shaping the school’s direction with minimal influence from the state Board of Higher Education.  Friday's decision, shaped by a commission of SOU students, faculty and staff, now goes to the Oregon University System board in Eugene, where it's expected to be approved in a June meeting.  There was only one vote against the higher tuition, that of trustee Judy Shih, the co-president of the American Association of University Women of Ashland.  It brings the tab for one credit for resident undergraduates to $147 or an annual bill of $6,615 for three terms of 15 credit loads.  The new Board of Trustees doesn't officially takes power July 1; its votes now will not take effect until then. An educational review of SOU’s three-year retrenchment policy — carried out in the face of staggering state cutbacks in the Great Recession — pronounced that all targets had been reached or exceeded in cost-savings, better enrollment and retention, reduced faculty, cutting of low-interest classes, increases in class size and building of the fund balance.  The fall 2014 enrollment target was 4,262, but the actual enrollment was 4,356 full-time equivalents, 2.2 percent over the target. Retention of students, said Chris Stanek, director of institutional research, was “phenomenal, the best in 10 or 15 years.” SOU emerges as the second most affordable of the seven-university state system, causing board chairman Bill Thorndike to say, “It boggles the mind why students pay $1,000 more a term at Oregon State University to sit in a class of 300, led by a teaching assistant.”  OSU’s new tuition is $189 per resident undergraduate credit — the highest of all public universities. The new board did a lot of boning up on and reviews of program history, including studies of how to make any budget cuts no lower than 3 percent and increases no higher than 11.5 percent, a scenario that ends up treating all schools about the same. The study also examined an “outcome based funding model” which weights a school’s needs based on undergraduate resident degrees (people who stick around and make their lives after graduation), with bonuses for Pell Eligible (low income), first generation of their family ever to go to college, minorities, veterans, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degrees, bilingual education and health degrees. After listening to the potential inequites of various schools’ budgets, SOU President Roy Saigo commented, “We can’t lay down and say ‘give us what you will, like good soldiers.’ We need to put on constant pressure ... water should raise all the boats or it’s not good administration.”  Trustees gave a nod and much discussion to the volatile proposal to bring biomass on campus to replace natural gas for electricity. AuCoin mentioned his metaphorical “scar tissue” from dealing with the issue in Congress, while Thorndike warned, “We’re in the middle of the city of Ashland ... and it’s a city were democracy does work.”  SOU engineers working on the plan had to emphasize that only slash, no trees, would be hauled in for burning and that there will always be more slash to burn. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 27, 2015 at 8:45 PM Updated Mar 27, 2015 at 8:46 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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