Agora
THE
www.mcccagora.com
June 8, 2012 Vol. 56, Issue 10
Graduation Pg. 4-5
College struggles to balance budget Child care threatened
Tuition raised $7 per hour
Taylor Pinson
Agora Staff
Agora staff
MCCC is considering reducing or cutting the child care services it offers to students. Officials tasked with balancing the 2012-2013 budget face a gap between revenue and expenses. The most recent revenue projection for 2012-2013 was $26.8 million. The initial budget request was $28 million. Rising costs, three years of shrinking property tax revenue, and six consecutive semesters of declining enrollment are taking their toll on MCCC’s finances. Even after several years of wage freezes, deferred maintenance costs, tuition increases and cuts to smaller programs such as MCCC’s former radio station, additional cuts are likely for the upcoming 2012-2013 budget. One potential program that could face cuts is MCCC’s child care services. “The savings will be dependent on the final decision made regarding the operation of the Child Care Center,” said Vice President of Administration Sue Wetzel. “If MCCC were to discontinue operating the Child Care Center as an auxiliary service of the college, the savings would be approximately $80,000 per year,” she said. Child Care Center Coordinator Diana Cramer declined to comment. Randy Daniels, MCCC’s Vice President of Student and Information Services was examining the situation and is expected to present his recommendation at the June 25 Board of Trustees meeting.
Photo by Mandi Davis On a recent afternoon, children begin to wake up from their nap in the Child Care Services facility in the Health building.
Trustees may close Whitman during Spring and Summer By Taylor Pinson Agora staff
The Whitman Center could be closed for spring and summer semesters starting next year. The possibility of closing the center was addressed at a special meeting held by MCCC’s Board of Trustees on May 21 to discuss cuts for next year’s budget. “I’ve been here since 1990, and this is probably the worst scenario I’ve ever seen,” said MCCC Board of Trustees member Mary
Kay Thayer. Sandy Kosyma, Director of the Whitman Center, declined to comment on the proposed closure. MCCC faces a gap between revenue and expenses with its 2012-2013 budget. As of May 21, MCCC’s projected revenue for 2012-2013 was about $26.8 million, more than $1 million less than initial budget requests for the upcoming year. “The original general fund budget requests totaled over $28 million, not including the requests for new and/or upgraded positions,”
said Vice President of Administration Sue Wetzel. Declining enrollment and property taxes have been two major sources of MCCC’s revenue challenges. Income generated from property taxes has been declining for at least three years, and MCCC has had six consecutive semesters of declining enrollment. An additional 3 percent decline is expected for Fall 2012. “The budget is tight. It’s very tight,” Wetzel said. Spring and summer enroll-
ment at the Whitman Center has been declining for two years, with this year’s spring semester setting a five-year low of 93 students. Closing the center during the spring and summer semesters would save MCCC an estimated $25,000 a month, according to officials. Dr. Grace Yackee, MCCC’s Vice President of Instruction, issued a statement on the closure: “A thorough review of the current budget in relation to enrollment and activities taking place during the Spring and Summer
Photo by Mandi Davis
The Career Technology Center is currently under construction between the Life Science building and the Health building.
Campus News.........................2 Graduation..........................4,5 Features..............................3 A&E..................................6
Check out The Agora online at
www.mcccagora.com “Like” us on
Follow us on
Semesters at Whitman, coupled with the fact that students will continue to have access to classes and services otherwise offered at Whitman in Monroe during those semesters, led the budget preparation team to conclude it is a fiscally sound and responsible decision to close the Whitman Center during the spring and summer semesters starting spring 2013.” The proposal to close the center for two months will be formally presented at the June 25 meeting of MCCC’s Board of Trustees as part of the 2012-2013 budget.
Construction brings walls to CTC center Agora Staff
Inside:
MCCC’s Board of Trustees approved a $7 tuition rate increase at its April meeting for students who live in Monroe County. Beginning Fall semester, students will pay $84 per contact hour, compared to the $77 this school year. Larger tuition increases were approved for students from outside Monroe County. Michigan residents who live outside of Monroe County will pay $144, up from $132. Out-of-state students will pay $160, up from of $147. The student technology fee also was increased, from $6 to $10 per billable contact hour. With a full course load of 30 credit hours, the average in-district student will pay about $330 more a year. That will increase MCCC tuition to about $2,880 per year for a typical student, which also includes the $30 registration fee assessed per semester.
The walls and roof of the new Career Technology Center at MCCC are expected to be up by July 1. The formal groundbreaking for the new $17 million building was held Friday, May 4. Paul W. Smith, a Monroe native and morning anchor for Detroit’s WJR-AM radio station was the master of ceremonies for the groundbreaking. Smith also hosted a special edition of his morning news and talk show live from the college. The groundbreaking took place in front of the site of the 60,000-square foot facility, which will be between the L and H buildings on campus. The Career Technology Center is designed to provide stateof-the-art classrooms and lab space for tech programs aimed at helping students secure highgrowth, high-demand and highpaying jobs, MCCC President Dr. David Nixon said. Others speakers included U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Dearborn), state Sen. Randy Rich-
Bookstore Hours: Mon: 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tues - Thurs: 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fri: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
LAL/Writing Center:
Mon: 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tues - Thurs: 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fri: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Serving Monroe County Community College since 1968
ardville (R-Monroe), state Rep. Dale Zorn (R-Ida), MCCC Board Chairman William J. Bacarella Jr., and Michael R. Meyer, chairman of The Foundation at MCCC and a college trustee. The new center will allow several existing programs now housed in the East and West Technology buildings to be updated. Included are nuclear engineering, welding, construction, computer-aided drafting and manufacturing, electronics, mechanical engineering and automation, quality assurance, and automotive engineering and service with an emphasis on hybrid and battery technology. The center also is designed to enhance the development of programs in renewable energies such as wind, solar and fuel cell technology, and sustainable and green technologies. The state of Michigan will finance half the cost of construction. The college has committed to fund the other half through existing funds and a capital campaign.
Library Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs: 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Wed: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fri: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Fitness Center Hours:
Mon, Wed: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tues, Thurs: 10 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Fri: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sat: 9 a.m., - 1 p.m.