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Photo by Andy Atkinson Dr. Wolfgang McAninch-Ruenzi discusses Rogue Community College's tuition increase with one of his literature-poetry classes Wednesday afternoon at the Medford campus. Tuition boost worries some at RCC 12.5 percent hike starts this summer By SUSAN JAY Sitting in her literature class, Tanya Pugh, 19, started wondering about her finances. "I don't want it to happen again," she said of Rogue Community College's decision Tuesday to raise tuition by $5 per credit. It "affects everything" in her budget, she said. Serena Willis, 18, of Talent, plans to look into financial aid when the tuition hike kicks in this summer. On the other hand, Sean Meyer, 30, of Talent, said the tuition increase costs the same as a cup of coffee and a bagel, and "won't kill me." The college's board Tuesday approved a 12.5 percent increase for the 1999-2000 school year. Students now pay $40 per credit -- $38 in tuition and $2 in fees. The new total will be $45, which covers credits and fees. A student taking 12 credits will pay $60 more in tuition, an increase from $480 to $540. Board members were reluctant to take the step because of the hardship such increases impose on students. But they are wrestling with a projected $350,000 shortfall in the college's $23 million budget for the 1999-2000 school year. Tuition is the only revenue source the board controls. The other two are local property taxes and state funding. The board will search for other ways to make up the shortfall. The state funding formula doesn't reflect the college's unexpected 22 percent jump in enrollment, and the college receives no state money for facilities. At the same time, costs are rising, said Tom Bradbeer, dean of human resources and college development. "The number of students has risen faster than our reimbursement," Bradbeer said. "It should reflect where we actually are with enrollment, rather than three years ago." RCC would receive an estimated $9 million under the state's traditional funding formula for community colleges, which is a weighted, three-year, rolling average. For this funding cycle, it is based on the average enrollment in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99. But 1996-97 was before RCC physically moved into Jackson County, and was the year voters approved annexation of Jackson County into the college district. If the formula considered this year's enrollment, RCC's income from the state would be more than 22 percent higher, Bradbeer said. RCC officials are working with the State Board of Education on possible adjustments to the funding formula, but nothing is certain. They also said RCC's tuition falls in the midrange of community college tuition statewide. After RCC's tuition hike, a full-time student would pay $440 at Linn-Benton, $540 at RCC and $584 at Chemeketa. RCC's $1,440 annual full-time tuition in 1998-99 also lags behind the national average, which in 1998 was $1,633. The 1998 average tuition for a four-year public college or university was $3,243. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA