<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
    xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
    xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
    xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/">
<channel>
    <title>Above the Rim</title>
    <category>Above the Rim</category>
    <link>https://www.durangoherald.com/section/columnists-above-the-rim/feed/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://www.durangoherald.com/section/columnists-above-the-rim/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
    <description>Stay informed with the latest breaking news, local stories, sports, business, weather, and community events from Durango, Southwest Colorado, and the Four Corners region.</description>
    <lastBuildDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:03:23 -0600</lastBuildDate>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <ttl>30</ttl>
    <item>
        <link>https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/columnists/day-if-you-cannot-afford-housing-you-cannot-afford-school/</link>
        <title>Day: If you cannot afford housing, you cannot afford school</title>
        <description>Becca Day Being short of money in college is a common narrative for many students. Few students are immune to the struggle of eating ramen or crashing with friends because it’s the only place you have to sleep on a...</description>
        <pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2018 05:03:30 -0600</pubDate>
        <guid isPermaLink="false">6A4FE7ED-8FA2-7DB2-E053-0100007FB4BB</guid>
        <media:content url="https://imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com/?uuid=2D192214-A329-4668-B36C-A5643406B76B&#038;function=thumbnail&#038;type=preview&#038;source=false&#038;width=600&#038;height=400" medium="image" type="image/jpeg" />
        <media:thumbnail url="https://imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com/?uuid=2D192214-A329-4668-B36C-A5643406B76B&#038;function=thumbnail&#038;type=preview&#038;source=false&#038;width=600&#038;height=400" />
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Becca Day Finding affordable housing is a challenge for many people in Durango, including Fort Lewis College students. Housing is one of our most basic needs and, in Durango, it can be a need that’s hard to meet. Being short of money in college is a common narrative for many students. Few students are immune to the struggle of eating ramen or crashing with friends because it’s the only place you have to sleep on a given night. According to a recent national survey by Wisconsin Hope Lab, nine percent of college and university students experienced homelessness at some point in the last year and 36 percent did not have secure housing, meaning they were unable to pay rent or utilities or needed to move frequently. While finding affordable housing can be a challenge throughout the country, it can be especially difficult in Durango. According to the Durango Housing Plan, we have a problem with housing affordability and availability, and housing in Durango is predicted to get more expensive if no action is taken. The housing plan also projects Durango continuing to grow, with La Plata County’s population expected to reach 85,000 by the year 2030, Given these predictions, Durango needs to develop more housing in order to meet its needs. According to the plan, housing prices in Durango are climbing to rates that they were at prior to 2008 when we entered the recession. The plan states that in 2016, the median rent in Durango was nearly $1,200, and the median home price was $382,000. In 2008, the median home price in Durango was$358,000. If students can’t find an affordable place to live in Durango, their next option is living in on-campus housing on the FLC campus. However, living on campus might not be the cheapest option for students. If students opt to live in on-campus housing, the most affordable housing available to them is the traditional-style residence halls which cost $2,398 a semester. And if students choose to live in the traditional-style halls, they are required to purchase a meal plan which is minimally $2,167 a semester. Living in the least expensive on-campus apartments costs $2,772 and does not require a meal plan. It’s difficult for students to find affordable housing regardless of whether they live on- or off- campus. According to FLC’s 2017-2018 Student Housing Guide, approximately 40 percent of FLC students currently live in on-campus housing. Given each student’s unique circumstances, he or she must individually determine their best option. If students do make the choice to live off-campus, then they have to find a home they can afford to live in. But, even if students do find affordable housing off-campus they might not be welcome to live in it. Often times, if you browse housing sites like Zillow or Craigslist, advertisements for housing will say “no students” and bar students from living in those homes. Students, at the mercy of landlords, can be denied housing simply because they are students. This is unfair housing discrimination. Affordable and available housing is one of the determining factor students must weigh when choosing where to go to school. Durango’s lack of affordable living contributes to the college’s dropping enrollment. Simply put – if people can’t afford to live in Durango, they can’t afford to go to school here. As Durango moves forward and assesses its housing problems, the voices of students need to be heard and recognized. Becca Day is a junior Journalism and Multimedia Studies major from Brighton, Colorado. She is the Campus News Editor for The Independent, FLC’s student news organization and a Resident Assistant for FLC’s Student Housing and Conference Services. Reach Day at raday@fortlewis.edu.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
        <link>https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/columnists/doan-listen-to-students-during-tumultuous-times-on-the-rim/</link>
        <title>Doan: Listen to students during tumultuous times on the rim</title>
        <description>Sierra Doan Students — who must live through the changing administration for the next few years and whose tuition funds the college’s budget — or someone else’s? With college enrollment at an all-time low across the nation, the Fort Lewis...</description>
        <pubDate>Mon, 26 Mar 2018 05:04:02 -0600</pubDate>
        <guid isPermaLink="false">6840DF83-0D6C-3781-E053-0100007F2902</guid>
        <media:content url="https://imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com/?uuid=6FAB384B-8C73-4BA6-B88E-5A52ADE46FA9&#038;function=thumbnail&#038;type=preview&#038;source=false&#038;width=600&#038;height=400" medium="image" type="image/jpeg" />
        <media:thumbnail url="https://imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com/?uuid=6FAB384B-8C73-4BA6-B88E-5A52ADE46FA9&#038;function=thumbnail&#038;type=preview&#038;source=false&#038;width=600&#038;height=400" />
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Sierra Doan In the face of a changing administration, whose voice matters most? Students — who must live through the changing administration for the next few years and whose tuition funds the college’s budget — or someone else’s? With college enrollment at an all-time low across the nation, the Fort Lewis College administration has been forced to make cuts to the school’s budget, as well as work to increase enrollment. A variety of options have been considered to help in these times of need, and outside resources have been brought in to help. It’s no secret to the Durango community that there are a lot of changes happening with the administration. Over the last few months, there have been a multitude of budget cuts because of a decrease in enrollment. In November 2017, The Durango Herald reported, “Declining enrollment at FLC has been a cause for concern over the past several years. Fall enrollment is 3,356, down 6.6 percent compared with last year, or 239 fewer students,” In January, the Herald also reported FLC faculty concerns regarding administrative decisions, departmental budgets and potential layoffs. Faculty members involved in budget discussions were required to sign non-disclosure agreements, thus rendering them unable to discuss these matters publicly and openly. Despite the constraints put on some faculty members, they still had an opportunity to voice their opinions on the future of the college. But what about the opinions of the students? No student opinions are mentioned in the article and the word on the street is that student voices have fallen on a majority of deaf ears. After all, shouldn’t the thoughts of FLC students be important – if not the most important – when discussing administrative changes? Some may assume that the problem is that students are just not willing to speak, but this has been proven false. Last April, when the college hired FLC alumnus Ramona Pierson as a Strategy Officer, many students spoke out during an open forum against proposed college changes. The students were willing to voice their opinions when given an avenue to do so. One of the worst examples of student voices not being heard is with respect to the changing of FLC’s mission statement. A survey sent out last year regarding changes to the Fort Lewis College name asked if the school should maintain it’s liberal arts missions statement. A press release that followed confirmed that the students had voted not to change the mission statement. Yet, just a few months later, Pierson announced that the mission statement would be changed anyway, and FLC would change its focus to STEM (science, technologies, engineering and math). Now, a new opportunity has come up for FLC students to voice their opinions. On March 21, Fort Lewis announced its candidates for college president – a position that will be vacated by current President Dene Thomas, who is retiring. Open forums to meet the candidates will be held March 29 and March 30, as well as April 2 through April 5. These discussions present an opportunity for Fort Lewis students, as well as the entire Durango community, to make their voices heard about the state of the college and the best direction for the future. My hope is that the board of trustees can take into account the opinions of the student body voiced at these forums. With any luck, student voices will be heard and elevated in importance during this tumultuous time on the rim. Sierra Doan is the IndyTV editor for The Independent, Fort Lewis College’s student news organization. She is a junior from Littleton majoring in English. Reach Sierra at sjdoan.theindependent@gmail.com.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
</channel>
</rss>
