Document text
RCC cuts costs by shortening school year By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Rogue Community College students will find their school year one week shorter this fall. They will also find the campus closed on Fridays this summer as the school goes to a four-day week. As part of a series of cost-cutting moves, the fall term will be reduced from 12 weeks to 11 to help counter a $1.3 million shortfall and balance a $26 million budget. By cutting one week out of the fall term, RCC will save $70,000 next year. This shorter term will bring RCC in line with universities throughout the state, including Southern Oregon University, which already have an 11-week fall term. To save another $9,000 annually in reduced utility costs, RCC will offer four 10-hour days this summer quarter, closing its doors every Friday. RCC student leader Erica Rivero said most students appear to support the shorter fall term. "This keeps us in line with SOU," she said. Students who attend both SOU and RCC will begin and end the semester on the same dates. Rivero said students are more worried about continued cuts to their community college, which lopped off $3.4 million last year. "Budget cuts are always super frustrating for students," said Rivero. "It is really frustrating for us to sit on our hands while the Legislature decides whether they're going to fund us." At the beginning of this school year, students saw fewer teachers, larger classes and fewer class offerings. To protect class offerings, RCC officials asked students to support higher tuition in order to prevent further cuts to programs. The increases in tuition and fees give the school $400,000 in extra income next year, partially offsetting the shortfall. "Student tuitions will be 27 percent of our revenues," said Tom Bradbeer, dean of human resources. Students have to pay more because Bradbeer said $830,000 of the school's budget problem was brought on because the state will give community colleges less money than expected. The remainder of the shortfall comes from increased energy and liability costs, cost-of-living raises to faculty and staff, hikes in insurance and a slight increase in projected materials and services costs. In the near future, Bradbeer said RCC anticipates 30 percent of revenues will be derived from tuition. Besides tuition, RCC will save $450,000 through cuts in management positions, fewer hours for part-time employees and other savings. Bradbeer said the school also wants departments like truck driver training, aluminum welding and the dental assistant program to become more self-sufficient, yielding a potential $100,000 savings. "They will have to find ways to be more efficient in cutting costs and raising revenues," he said. RCC will also use up $100,000 from its ending fund balance from this year to help support next year's budget. RCC anticipates it will have a 2 percent enrollment growth next year, which should bring in another $150,000. If growth is less than expected, Bradbeer said the school will have to make adjustments. "We may have to make more cuts during the year if the growth is not realized," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.