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Ref C keeps Metro afloat, allows for focus on programs
By Josie Klemaier
jklemaie@mscd.edu

Had Referendum C not passed in November 2005, Metro would be facing many budget cuts and forced into capping student enrollment this semester. Instead, the funding from Referendum C is being put to use with an expansion of diversity initiatives and a creation of programs to increase student retention.

“(Referendum C) allowed us to maintain status quo and provided funds for new initiatives,” said Natalie Lutes, Metro’s vice president of finance and administration. “It allowed us to keep our head above the water.”

Vice President of Student Services Douglas Samuels spoke enthusiastically about some of the pilot programs to help students settle into life at Metro, such as the Rowdy Break, the First Year Experience seminar and the Transfer Transitions program.

Some students are already participating in the Rowdy Break, which is in its trial phase this semester.

The Rowdy Break is a time between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on select days when participating students do not attend class. The time is reserved to talk about learning, socializing and adapting in a college setting.

Samuels is also working toward a proposed tri-institutional diversity center in the Tivoli to “bring unity and focus to diversity initiatives, community building and cultural education” at Auraria, according to a draft of the proposal. The center would be located at various spots on the second floor of the Tivoli, where facilities like E-den and the Roger Braun Lounge presently sit.

The proposed center would also include an expanded career services center in the Tivoli, where it would be more accessible to students, Samuels said.

According to Lutes, increasing the number of tenured faculty and strengthening the institution and the students’ relationship with the community are other areas that will benefit from the added funding from Referendum C.

When voters approved Referendum C, they asked the state to give funding to health care, higher education and K-12 education in Colorado. This allowed the state to meet Metro’s budget costs without cuts, Lutes said.

A large increase in funding resulted from the increase in the Colorado Opportunity Fund stipend, which the Joint Budget Committee voted to raise by $180 per student.

Before COF, funding was a direct general fund appropriation. With COF, the student authorizes the College Access Network to make a payment to Metro on his or her behalf. The stipend guarantees funding for the school.

Funding from Referendum C made up for the growth in student population, which had not been compensated for since 2001 when the state began making cuts, Lutes said.