WE NEED THE LOCAL YOUTH VOICE TO SPEAK UP!!! Colorado House Bill 10-1067
Animas SDS
Please read this email and take action in order to prevent this House
Bill
from passing! We want to make sure that Native students can continue
to
come to Fort Lewis with the same, or better, reimbursement policy that
they
already have!!!!!
DYC
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Yen, Tse Chi C. (TCYEN) <TC...@fortlewis.edu>
Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 5:28 PM
Subject: FW: Colorado House Bill 10-1067
*From:* Bison, Julie A. (JABISON)
*Sent:* Thursday, January 21, 2010 5:01 PM
*Subject:* Colorado House Bill 10-1067
*Importance:* High
*The students at Fort Lewis College are cordially requesting that you
read
the following formatted letter attached information. We respectfully
request that you educate yourself regarding the recent situation that
has
evolved concerning the Colorado reimbursement policy for the Native
American
Tuition Waiver.*
Legislation was recently introduced in the State of Colorado that
would
significantly change the reimbursement that Fort Lewis College
receives from
the state for educating American Indian and Alaska Native students.
*This
legislation, House Bill 10-1067, would adversely impact the Collegeï
¿½s
ability to provide, not just American Indian and Alaska Native
students, but
all students with a quality education*. Therefore, in the interest of
all
our students, Fort Lewis College is opposed to HB 10-1067.
Fort Lewis College�s service to American Indian and Alaska Native
students
dates back to 1911, when, as a condition of accepting the land which
spans
thousands of acres in Hesperus, Colorado, the State agreed to
establish an
institution of learning, where all American Indian and Alaska Native
students would, at all times, be admitted to the institution tuition
free.
As of fall term 2009, 758 Native American students were enrolled at
Fort
Lewis College, which represents approximately 20 percent of the total
student body.
HB 10-1067 would jeopardize the reimbursement for American Indian and
Alaska
Native students from tuition to average cost of attendance. This
change
would permanently reduce Fort Lewis College�s $41 million General
Fund
budget by approximately $1.8 million; that is in addition to the cut
of $4.2
million from General Fund already, totaling in $6 million, which would
have
immense affects on the college.
What many do not understand is that as part of the last comprehensive
analysis of higher education funding the College�s General Fund was
reduced
to reflect the Native American tuition waiver funding. *In other
words, the
Native American funding has already been considered in the totality of
the
current funding allocation. *Fort Lewis College�s total funds per
student
are at approximately the average of all Colorado public institutions
of
higher education.
Given that the Governor and the Department of Higher Education have
just
recently announced their intention to begin a strategic planning
process for
higher education, HB 10-1067 is pre-mature. Unless and until it is
quantifiably shown that Fort Lewis College�s funding is out-of-line
with
that of other institutions in the state, actions such as those planned
that
disproportionately impact one institution versus another should be
avoided.
Fort Lewis College understands the difficulty faced by the State in
balancing the budget. The College also understands the Department�s
desire
to limit the liability associated with the growth of the waiver.
However, it
is not appropriate to single out one institution for cuts. The
Governor
indicated as much during a recent presentation to the City Club of
Denver:
�We have to have a balanced impact,� said Ritter. �There�s no
one thing that
should be impacted disproportionately � that means that everybody
shares in
the solution� (State Bill Colorado, January 13, 2010). Yet HB
10-1067 would
do exactly what the Governor promised not to do by impacting Fort
Lewis
College disproportionately compared to other colleges and
universities.
Fort Lewis College understands that sacrifices must be made to help
Colorado
through these difficult economic times, *but HB 10-1067 is not the
answer.*Fort Lewis College should not be penalized for fulfilling its
statutory role
and mission. This letter has been written with urgency to ask you to
support
higher education, Fort Lewis College, its students, faculty and staff,
as
well as Durango and the surrounding communities. Please help us by
opposing
this bill and any attempt like it to whittle away at funding for
Postsecondary education, or at any attempt to alter the unique
opportunity
available at Fort Lewis College provided by the Native American
Tuition
Waiver.
* *
*Thank you for your efforts.*
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