Published in The Durango Herald, September 2, 2010
http://durangoherald.com/sections/News/2010/09/02/Salazar_touts_tuition_bill/?printable=1
Salazar touts tuition bill
Herald Staff Writer
He spoke at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the college's new Student Union building.
"It's fairness," Salazar, D-Manassa, said. "The state should not be responsible for out-of-state tuition."
Salazar introduced legislation this summer that would direct the federal government to pick up the tab for out-of-state Native American students, while the state of Colorado will continue to pay the tuition for in-state students. As it is now, Colorado is responsible for paying the tuition for all Native American students attending the college.
U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, both Colorado Democrats, have introduced legislation supporting Salazar's bill.
Salazar said he hopes his legislation will pass sometime next year.
FLC Student Body President Alray Nelson, a Navajo, spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony about the college's history and the Native American tuition waiver, which dates back 100 years. He introduced himself in his native language before addressing the crowd in English.
More than a century ago, the federal government operated a military post and Indian boarding school at the Old Fort Lewis property in Hesperus. In 1910, the land was offered to Colorado on two conditions: that the land be kept as an "institution of learning" and Native American students be offered a tuition-free education in perpetuity.
The federal government's goal was to assimilate native children and westernize them, Nelson said. But it was a failed policy, he said, and he used himself as an example.
"I'm an educated, young Navajo man who still knows his language and his culture that is proud to be a Skyhawk and proud to represent Fort Lewis College," Nelson said.
After choosing to accept the land, Colorado opened an agricultural high school in 1911. Almost two decades later, the high school became a junior college before moving to Durango in 1956 and evolving into a four-year institution. In 1964, the college officially adopted the name of Fort Lewis College.
The tuition waiver remains intact, which has been costly to Colorado, especially during lean budget years.
In the last 25 years, the state has spent more than $110 million for the Native American tuition waiver. That is more than quadruple the value of the original land grant, which is estimated at less than $19 million in today's dollars, according to Salazar's office.
Numerous dignitaries attended Wednesday's official opening of the expanded Student Union, including Durango city councilors, La Plata County commissioners, the chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, state Sen. Bruce Whitehead, FLC Board of Trustee members and former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell.
The $41.5 million improvement added 40,000 square feet to the existing 70,000-square-foot building. The expansion is near completion, but the renovation of the pre-existing building is expected to take another year. Students will pay the majority of the cost - $34.5 million - through a student-approved fee of $17 per credit hour for an estimated 30 years. The FLC Foundation raised $5 million to pay for certain amenities. And vendor contracts and other entities will cover about $2 million.
Matthew Box, chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, called the addition "beautiful." The tribe has five to 25 students who attend FLC at any given time.
"It creates a good environment for being comfortable in order to stay focused on what you're doing," Box said. "It might contribute to good grades."
