Student Bond Fee Fall 2017 Additional Information and FAQs - Voting Update

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VOTING UPDATE:

I am excited to share that ACC students voted to support the additional building bond fee in support of the ACC Castle Rock Collaboration Campus: 63.4% yes (527), 36.6% no (304). Student fee guidelines require just a simple majority percentage of those students voting in order to pass a fee. 63.4% is well above a simple majority. I also am proud that a record number of students elected to vote - 831. At almost 10% of eligible students, this is the largest number of students to vote on a fee in at least a decade. Let the excitement begin! Diana M. Doyle, Ph.D. ACC President

We are nearing a student vote concerning the proposal of an incremental student bond fee to finance the construction and operation of a new Castle Rock collaboration campus to serve Arapahoe Community College (ACC) student needs, as well as to pay for continuing maintenance and renovations of existing ACC facilities and resources. The Castle Rock collaboration campus partially funded by this fee will include ACC instructional space, space leased by Colorado State University (CSU) with the purpose of offering courses towards bachelor’s degrees, a partnership with Douglas County Schools, and collaborative space for companies and industry to partner with ACC and CSU to offer students integrated work-specific labs and learning. The campus will allow additional educational opportunities for all ACC students through additional classroom space, labs, collaboration and ability to receive CSU instruction without traveling to Fort Collins or Pueblo.

From our partners:

“This partnership demonstrates Colorado State’s commitment to providing added value across the state with our engagement, research, and instructional programs,” says Provost Rick Miranda. “We have been very impressed with the enthusiasm of all of the local partners there and their willingness to invite us to participate in this exciting project. We can accomplish a lot for our students and for our community together.” EDC Chairman Matt Call contributes, “Attracting Higher Education has been a vital part of our business infrastructure plan in Castle Rock.  The Collaboration Campus is a huge win for our entire community.  Quite honestly, I’m excited as a citizen with school age kids and the opportunity to significantly bring down the cost of higher education for my kids and my neighbors.”

From our students:

“As a student with little transport or financial options, having a collaboration campus within a certain distance would allow me to pursue my degree from CSU. I currently help my grandmother with her living situation while also going to school and working a job a local bookstore nearby the school. Trying to complete my Bachelor’s Degree at the Fort Collins CSU campus would be problematic as I would be uprooting myself and replanting myself far away from support systems and responsibilities. Online options are also not conducive to my learning ability, as I need face-to-face instruction. A collaboration campus in Castle Rock would allow a student such as myself to be able to attend my school of choice without having to take away from my personal and professional responsibilities.” - Scott Bright “As a non-traditional student and veteran I support the collaboration campus. I love the concept of having a community college and university come together to help students have education much more accessible to them.” - Daniel W. Madero Read more from ACC students.

FAQs

When is the voting period and how do we vote? Voting is October 17 - 19. All enrolled students who take courses at Parker, Littleton or Castle Rock and students who take courses online will be eligible to vote in the bond referendum. Students will receive an email from "donotreply [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (donotreply[at]arapahoe[dot]edu)" Tuesday, October 17 with a link to a survey to complete the voting process. Each student will be required to enter their ACC Student ID number in order to vote. The Student ID number will be used to verify the student has only voted once, not to track responses. If a student votes more than one time, only their first vote will count. The link will be active until Thursday, October 19 at 11 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. What is a passing vote? A simple majority will count as a passing vote. For example 51% For the Fee vs 49% Against the Fee would be a passing vote. What will this campus do for the community? It will offer more classes and services in the Castle Rock area and provide ACC students with an opportunity to complete a CSU Bachelor’s degree without having to drive to Fort Collins or Pueblo. The collaboration campus will have dynamic collaboration space with industry to offer students hands-on workforce training opportunities not currently possible. Where will the campus be located? ACC has already purchased land between Castle Rock Adventist Hospital and Castle View High School. This location affords multiple collaboration opportunities for students from high school and concurrent enrollment, through partnerships with healthcare and other industries. Easy access for the community and students is available and there will be plenty of parking (unlike the current Castle Rock space!) What will happen to the current Castle Rock location?  The current location is leased. When the new campus is open, ACC will vacate the current space which has many limitations (only 5 classrooms, limited parking, no labs, etc.)

Will it be only students paying the cost for this new campus?
 
No. The City of Castle Rock is investing in the infrastructure of the campus as they value educational opportunities for their community and understand the value of an educated and trained workforce. Additionally, the current Castle Rock Campus location is leased by ACC, so ACC will be able to utilize that lease money directly on this new campus which will be owned by ACC. Other funds also will come from educational and business partners leasing space on the new campus. The student fee will allow ACC to fund a bond (think of it as getting a mortgage for a house) to be able to build the campus.
 
Can students utilize financial aid to pay for the fee?
 
Yes. Tuition and fees are financial aid eligible, so students eligible for financial aid will be able to utilize their awarded aid or scholarships to cover any fees and tuition.

What kind of classes will be offered in Castle Rock on the new campus? The campus will have courses that are guaranteed to transfer and programs leading to industry certifications. English, Math, Science courses including lab courses, Health, Business, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. There will be classes that will transfer directly into CSU programs that will allow students the opportunity to achieve their four-year bachelor’s degree without ever having to leave the greater Castle Rock area. How will this new campus increase the value of my degree? The entire state of Colorado is watching how this Collaboration Campus develops. The CSU and ACC partnership, along with the early opportunities for Douglas County School District students is a model program. This puts ACC in the spotlight and highlights the quality of education you are already receiving as a current ACC student. This increases both the reputation and the value of your degree. CSU recognizes that ACC is preparing top-performing transfer students and is willing to partner to make sure you can continue your educational pathway with CSU to attain your goals. Innovative workplace partnerships that will offer student’s hands on work experiences will also increase the value of your current degree. Industry and employers are looking for ways to enhance the talent pipeline to fulfill employment needs, and these same employers will be offering opportunities for ACC students to be the best prepared for any future opportunities. How much will CSU charge for tuition? That is undetermined right now, but CSU is working out their tuition structure for this campus. CSU is committed to providing affordable educational opportunities to the community. ACC and CSU are collaborating to make admissions, advising, financial aid and the transition from ACC to CSU a seamless process for students. However – you can count on savings in time and money by not having to drive to Pueblo or Fort Collins to be in a CSU classroom. CSU has not set a tuition for degree completion at the Collaboration Campus, but is in the process of determining what the structure will look like. CSU is proud to have the lowest tuition of all Colorado doctorial research universities, and like ACC, CSU is committed to providing the greatest level of access and opportunity for students, residents and businesses in the community. By working together to provide a seamless transfer process, savings will come to students in the form of a clear pathway to graduation, no cost to relocate and local employment opportunities to provide financial sources for investing in your educational goals. Furthermore, it is CSU’s vision to be a resource for lifelong learning. The goal is to engage with students beyond graduation whether that is through an alumni network, non-credit or certificate course offerings, access to webinars and lecture series for free or a football viewing party. We hope to connect and provide value beyond degree attainment.

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