Protest grows on student funding inequity

Thursday, Feb. 11, 1999 | 11:23 a.m.

The executive committee of Community College of Southern Nevada's Faculty Senate added its voice Wednesday to the crescendo of protests over the disparity in funding of northern and southern colleges and universities.

A three-part resolution unanimously passed by the committee Wednesday evening asking for an end to the inequitable funding practices will be sent today to regents and presented to the full Faculty Senate Feb. 19 for its approval.

The resolution says the organization supports the efforts of four Southern Nevada regents who have made the funding differences a hot issue at the onset of this legislative session.

"We have some regents who represent a growing Las Vegas and who recognize the impact of funding disparity," Faculty Senate President Al Balboni said at the conclusion of Wednesday's meeting.

The regents who were singled out for their efforts include Steve Sisolak, Mark Alden, Tom Wiesner and Thomas Kirkpatrick.

The committee compared Community College of Southern Nevada funding to the state's other three community colleges, noting that the local college has been shortchanged about $8 million while the other three are almost fully funded or receive an excessive amount of funding.

Balboni said the chasm has been widening since the Legislature approved a funding formula in 1986.

The Faculty Senate resolution recommends:

The actual fall enrollments at the four community colleges compared to the enrollment figure the governor recommends is a sore point with the executive committee, which says the funding disparity hurts students.

While the local community college is scrambling for ways to meet the needs of almost 1,000 students who were not included in the governor's funding recommendation, the other community colleges are funded either near or above their actual fall 1998 enrollment figures:

The executive committee noted shortfalls in several funding areas, including almost $3.5 million in academic support services, which includes such things as learning centers, computing services, library operation, international programs and continuing education.

There is a shortfall of more than $2.8 million in student support services, which includes such things as human resources, business services and security.

And there is a $500,000 shortfall in institutional support, which includes such things as human resources, business services and security.

The funding issue is expected to be a hot topic at the Feb. 25-26 regent's meeting, to be held on the Charleston Campus of the Community College of Southern Nevada.

According to figures gathered by the local community college, it receives $3,964 per full-time equivalent student; UNLV receives $7,310; Reno receives $10,378; Truckee receives $5,059; Western Nevada, $6,579 and Great Basin, $7,156 -- almost on par with UNLV.

Full-time equivalency is the number of students enrolled full-time with a course load of at least 15 hours.