College Council
December 16, 2008
Call to Order: Council chair Ryan Packard called the meeting to order at 3:00.
Attendance:
Council Members: Ryan Packard, Chris Wiederhold, Betty Williams, Chris Page, Alice Smith, Rodolfo Franco, Quynh Ho,
Dan Tarker, Tim Fiegenbaum, Tracy Furutani, Dawson Nichols, Jack Bautsch (staff)
Presenters: Suzanne Scheldt, Ron LaFayette Visitors: Pam Lippert, Marci Myer
Introductions: Because there were some new members and others who had missed earlier meetings this year, each
person who was present when the meeting began introduced herself/himself. This included council members as well as
presenters and visitors.
Approval of minutes: The minutes of the November 18, 2008 meeting were approved. The misspelling of Quynh Ho’s
name was corrected.
Financial Aid: Financial Aid Director Suzanne Scheldt was present, at the council’s request, to review the college’s policy
with respect to student loans. North does participate in the Perkins loan program, and is the only one of the three
Seattle Community Colleges to do so. Ours is a small Perkins loan program, in the $35K to $50K/year range. However,
as a district, we opted out of the Stafford loan program in the mid 1990’s. The reason was that our cohort default rate
had risen to 17%, dangerously close to the threshold of 20% that would have made the college ineligible to receive (and
award to students) any type of federal financial aid. At the time, our Stafford Loan default rate of 17% compared to a
nation-wide default rate of 5%. If we were to get back into the Stafford loan program, it would have to be a districtwide decision.
The college’s Education Fund (formerly Foundation) has helped tremendously to fill any gap in funding. In the last two
years, the Ed Fund has awarded scholarships to all students who applied. This year they even opened a second round of
applications in fall quarter for winter and spring quarters. In addition, students may apply to banks for loans outside of
our financial aid system. A small number of students do so; 21 did so last year. In packaging financial aid, the college
emphasizes other types of aid—Pell grants, work-study, scholarships, etc.—over loans so that students do not leave with
a large amount of debt. Also, it makes a point to award aid to any student who applies and is eligible. Last year (200708), 2,252 students were awarded financial aid at North.
In the discussion that followed, council members noted that the college (and the Financial Aid office) should
emphasize—on our web site and in financial aid publications—that (1) students who come here leave with little or no
debt, and (2) every student who applies and is eligible receives aid. These were seen as major advantages that we
should be touting to prospective students. In response to some questions, the following points were made.
 Q: Does the FA office help students prepare applications? A: Not really because the processes don’t require
much assistance. There is only one application—the FAFSA—for all types of aid except for scholarship. The
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid) is completely on-line. The scholarship application is a onepage document.
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Q: Would available financial aid cover any raises in tuition that might be forthcoming in the next biennium? A:
Pell and state need grants usually cover the costs for most students.
Q: Do students have to buy their textbooks from our bookstore? A: For agency accounts and special programs,
they must go through our bookstore because these programs will not issue students checks to be used
anywhere. In the case of other financial aid resources, the student may go anywhere to buy textbooks. eBooks
present a particular problem, and solutions are currently under consideration. Ideas are welcomed. Q: Has your
office experienced heavier student traffic given the recent economy downturn? A: Through fall quarter, our
applications were 14% higher this year than last.
In closing, Scheldt thanked the council for its interest and invited members to come and visit the Financial Aid office
and/or to send her any questions, concerns or suggestions.
Budget Cuts for 2009-11: President Ron LaFayette addressed the council to provide more specifics and the opportunity
for discussion about the council’s role in budget reduction planning for 2009-11. The president plans to use two major
representative bodies—the Budget Planning Team (BPT) and the College Council (CC)—to provide consultation and
advice to the Executive Team as it plans for a 20% reduction of the state portion of our operating budget for 2009-11.
The reductions would amount to approximately $3.2 million in each of the two fiscal years comprised the biennium (e.g.
2009-10 and 2010-11). The BPT’s role is to provide answers to the fiscal questions associated with budget-reduction
ideas; the CC’s role is to provide more of a policy and values analysis or perspective on those ideas.
At his point we have many questions for which there are no answers: (1) Will the cuts really be 20%? (2) Will there be a
tuition increase, and for how much? (3) Will our allocation be reduced and by how much? (4) Will personnel be
impacted and if so, which personnel? (5) Will capital borrowing be allowed (at the state level) to help offset cuts? Final
answers to these questions will not be known for several months. In the meantime, we have been asked to develop a
plan for cutting the budget by 20%, and so we are proceeding to do that. The president acknowledged that addressing
the question can be frustrating and threatening because no one wants to face such deep cuts. At the same time,
engaging in the discussion helps us clarify our priorities and makes information widely available on campus.
The BPT will analyze questions given to it by the Executive Team. One such question, already posed to the BPT is this:
“what would be the financial impact if we were to cancel summer school or offer it on a self-support basis?” Another
suggestion that the BPT will be asked to address is the cost savings with shutting down our IT network for some portion
of each day. In addition to responding to proposals/questions from the Executive Team, the BPT will ask the college at
large for their ideas on budget-reduction measures. To that end, a website has been launched and was announced in an
e-mail from the president’s office. This website will be the major place to submit ideas, to engage in on-line dialogue,
and to get the latest information. If anyone is concerned about compromising his/her anonymity by submitting
comments through the website, another process is being developed by the BPT by which anonymity can be completed
guaranteed.
While the BPT wrestles with the financial impact of the proposals, the College Council will be asked to reflect on other
aspects of the proposals: How would doing this affect our mission? Is it consistent with our values? Would it change the
character of our college in undesirable ways? What impact would it have on students and employees? If the council
wrestles with such questions and can come to a clear recommendation with respect to a given question/proposal, it
should forward that recommendation to the Executive Team. If, on the other hand, the council cannot agree on a
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recommendation, but could develop a list of the “pros” vs. “cons” or “potential positive impacts” vs. “potential negative
impacts,” such lists too would be very helpful for the Executive Team.
At this time, the Executive Team would like the council to address the policy/value questions associated the proposal to
eliminate summer school or offer on a self-support basis. The president asked the council to consider this question as
quickly as possible in Winter Quarter because the Executive Team has other questions it will pose to the council. An
example of another question—not yet formally given to the council for deliberation—is about “waivered” students who
don’t pay full tuition (ABE, GED and ESL students as well as others).
The president then walked the council through the following seven principles that will guide the budget reduction
process.
1. We will use our mission and strategic plan to guide us;
2. We will continue to serve as many students as possible depending on available funding;
3. We will include all employee groups and students in the budget planning process;
4. We will have open communication throughout the process;
5. We will consider all sources of funding in the budget reduction process;
6. We will consider the long-term implications of our decisions on the quality and character of our college;
7. We will honor all contracts and agreements in our decisions.
In closing the discussion, the president reviewed the Olympia-based timeline for this process. The governor is to
announce her proposed budget by December 18th. That will give us information about how she is thinking. In January
the legislature will convene and proceed to develop its own budget informed by but independent of the governor’s
budget. In March there will be a new budget forecast that may lead to modifications in either the governor’s or the
legislature’s proposed budgets. Sometime in May or June we will get a final figure for the budget that we’ll have for two
years beginning July 1, 2009. We will also have answers to the questions we have now. But, while all of this uncertainty
prevails in Olympia, we will be planning for a 20% cut. We hope the cuts will not be that deep, but we will plan for that
level as requested. The president pledged to be supportive of the council in its role. He then had to leave for another
meeting.
The Council’s Role: Council chair Ryan Packard reminded the committee that its role is to make recommendations to
others (the Executive Team) who make ultimate decisions. He observed that council recommendations are likely to
carry more weight if we are able to offer alternatives to any proposals we may oppose. Because there is so much at
stake, it is important that the voice of the community—as expressed through the College Council—be heard.
Packard shared with the council a letter from the Faculty Senate—AFT Local 1789, co-signed by campus co-presidents
Carol Hamilton and Ralph Jenne. Dated 12/12/08, the letter outlined six principles that the Faculty Senate feels “should
be given priority consideration” throughout the budget-reduction discussions. These include:
1. Instruction and direct student support should be the last things cut;
2. As possible, use reserves and other revenue sources to offset cuts;
3. Cutbacks should begin by streamlining administrative services and reducing administrative duplications;
4. Increasing class size and cutting class sections compromises quality and may increase faculty workload;
5. If faculty positions are reduced, current employees should be given priority over new part-time hires;
6. The collective bargaining agreement should be observed.
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Summer School—Topic for Next Meeting: Responding to the president’s request that the council assess the impact of
either eliminating summer school or offering it on a self-support basis, the council will address that topic of the first
council meeting in Winter Quarter. Council members were encouraged to identify the questions and concerns they have
about the topic. Among those voiced at the meeting were the following:
 What other colleges have tried this and with what results?
 What are the financial implications of self-support?
 Would a change in summer school impact all classes or only a few?
 What support services would be affected?
 If there is no summer school, do non-faculty employees not work in the summer?
 Would such a decision be taken only for North, is it a district wide decision?
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.
Minutes by Jack Bautsch
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