I was elected to the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College student government as a senator, representing the FLC student population by promising to address student concerns.
The largest concern I’ve heard from my constituents is the housing crisis in our community here. The housing market has hit inflated prices and finding any affordable housing is impossible. The construction site for Animas High School on campus has students asking questions that they deserve answers to.
Students want to know why they were not involved in the process of finalizing plans for the new high school and why the administration of the college has agreed to a land lease for a charter school that serves only 200 students for only $1 a year, while students currently sit on waitlists for residential housing.
Surely, the college’s administration could revisit this lease and negotiate higher payment terms to begin work on a solution for FLC students in the form of new or expanded housing opportunities on campus. Education is a necessity, however, the administration made only a few low level attempts over the past year at informing the student body, which it serves, of the changes coming to campus.
Retention has been a big factor in the administration’s recent policies, but the sentiment among students is that they simply will not stick around with a high school on campus. A decline in student population would not only hurt FLC but the economy in Durango, after all it is a college town. The administration should heavily reconsider for the benefit of students.
Carter Rogers
Durango
