Regents hope to curb CCSN student government funding

Jennifer Knight

Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 | 10:11 a.m.

A Board of Regents proposal to rein in spending at the Community College of Southern Nevada could remove about $330,000 annually from the student government budget.

The proposal is an effort to bring CCSN to the same level of student government funding as other community colleges in the state that receive 50 cents per credit hour from tuition. CCSN student government now receives $2 for every credit hour taken by full-time students.

CCSN in the past has come under scrutiny for spending student government funds on expensive meals, trips and parties. The current student government budget is about $580,000.

"I've said that I want equity in funding for all community colleges," said Regent Tom Kirkpatrick, who initiated the proposal. "Maybe they couldn't take off on those junkets if they didn't have so much money."

A $10,000 retreat by student government members in August has also raised officials' eyebrows.

Twenty-five people took the trip to Primm. It was a larger group than previously reported by student government president Calvin Hooks, who originally said 10 people had gone.

Regents in August promised to examine student government fees to determine whether the body is receiving too much money. Kirkpatrick said his proposal is an effort to fulfill that obligation.

If student government money is reduced from $2 to 50 cents per credit hour, the extra money would likely be placed into a general improvement fund controlled by CCSN President Ron Remington. The funds, however, must be used to benefit students, said Dan Morris, CCSN's director of business services.

"It seems to me that it makes perfectly reasonable sense to standardize these fees," said Regent Howard Rosenberg. "I cannot see anybody objecting to it."

A reduction in funding is likely to draw fire from students.

"It just really leaves a question in my mind as to whether we really have a student government," Hooks said. "If they want to reduce the student fees, that's fine. I'm 100 percent behind them returning those fees to the students."

Students currently pay $44 per credit hour to enroll in classes at CCSN.

Hook said a better option would be to, rather than putting the remaining money in a general improvement fund, reduce tuition to $42.50 per credit hour.

Regent Linda Howard believes the proposal may call for too large of a cut.

"I don't think that all campuses have the same needs, just like they don't have the same amount of students," Howard said. "This is something that I don't think that regents should be getting involved in. That should be between the president and the students to decide where that money goes."

Regents are expected to decide the issue during an upcoming meeting in Las Vegas on Dec. 6 and 7.