TSPR Austin Community College

Appendix A
PUBLIC FORUMS AND FOCUS GROUP COMMENTS

Part 1

College Relations / Asset and Risk Management / Financial Management
Purchasing-Warehousing

Part 2

Governance and Leadership

Part 3

Auxiliary Services / Human Resources / Plant Operations and Maintenance

Part 4

Student Services

Part 5

Management Information Systems / Instruction and Academic Support

Part 1
The narrative comments below are the actual comments from the public forum and focus groups and do not reflect the findings or opinions of the Comptroller or the review team.
COLLEGE RELATIONS

Failure to develop "institutional memory" - keep in touch with alumnus.
Establish an Alumni Association.
Work with alumni to support ACC Foundation.
They should have online registration
Let students know who decides what poetry or stories that are used in Rio Review or other journals if there are any.
Gather and disseminate ACC alumni success stories.
Why bother? This is supposed to be a two-year school. Please do not waste money on useless alumni services. Concentrate on more evening classes.
Better parking. I mean why bother with a permit if more than likely you won't get to park. Also, focus on security. I would bring my bike but do not want it stolen. Focus on the needs of the students here and now. Leave the alumni things to the four-year institutions.
I would like to see more community-business-school alignments - the programs in place where ACC responds to local business needs are effective. Could we use that model in the community as well?
Parking is bad. Spend money on more parking, not on alumni services, etc.
I can't find parking. It's unfair how some students have "easy" in the same subject, when I need to study harder than others.
I feel this area is underutilized. We need to increase community support including scholarships, grants and endowments from outside ACC. Also, establish better relations with community at large (not just businesses). We need the individual citizen support to expand tax base and increase the tax beyond five cents per $100.00.
Do we still have a horticulture department? Why don't they do an outreach to businesses on Lamar Boulevard and plant native plants on their property along the street? It would make Austin much prettier. Maybe Home Depot could donate plants.
Needs to be more proactive. Also, needs to keep college community and community informed of activities and goals.
I think ACC does a fairly good job of getting itself in the public eye with TV and print advertisements and billboards. I thought the college could have done a much better job advertising the "sale" it had on classes that met during low enrollment time periods. Maybe it would not have lost as much money from that program ("sale").
Good news about faculty accomplishments is rarely published even though it is sent through the proper office.
No student has enrolled in a summer class and had it cancelled. Not only is this not true (as evidenced by this college students) but it is salt in the wound to position it as "hardly a reduction in the amount of education being offered" according to Edward Osborn, ACC Accent, May 2002.
I feel that ACC is providing a needed service to Austin and the adjacent communities. The abundance of classes and locations offers several options for possible students but because of the size of the population that a single college such as ACC serves, I can understand where several problems can begin and grow.
Quit spending so much on advertising. It is interesting to note that when the college was attempting to control enrollment and reduce classes, they were heavily involved in advertising.
Public relations are more like president advertising. The faculty, the students and staff never get highlighted or featured.
Cypress campus needs more attention and money to keep the voters happy and keep this tax base. Students need more classes to choose from and more services. Instructors need department heads on campus, not remote administrators who are unavailable. Cut costs by cutting administration and its' remodeling. Let administrators drive their own cars and cut their travel.
The Marketing Department has been very helpful to us. The Center for Non-profit is great and should help us get more connected.
We need to make much stronger use of faculty, staff and students to take ACC's message of value and service to the Austin community. Also, we need more aggressive grass roots marketing of our programs.
The Institutional Support is doing a great job supporting the community through center for non-profit and campus access.
The Transfer/Function/Articulation Office & Support functions extremely well.

ASSET AND RISK MANAGEMENT

What cash flow forecasting? Perhaps if it was done accurately, we wouldn't be in the mess we are now.
Spend some money to acquire some student parking where attendant doesn't tell you that it's an hour and a half wait in line to just get in the parking lot. Can I get a refund for my parking pass?
Increasing tuition fees is not the answer to your deficit problem.
Where does all the cash from parking tickets go? The city should at least put it towards school instead of capitalizing off of the students. Help us out!
Parking situation is embarrassing. Is this the best we can offer students?
More openness in budget making faculty, staff and student input needed.
ACC needs a comprehensive and logical system for disposal of hazardous waste. What we have now is inadequate and dangerous.
Don't send us all those books with plan specifics and doctors lists unless someone requests them. Just make a place in the library where all those documents are available.
Our risk management department responded quickly to complaints about air quality in the office. They found some mold and made the necessary repairs (including carpet replacement) quickly.
ACC benefits are good, but should have social security taken out.
Revenue expectations were high because the college based the revenues on interest rates. Someone at the college should have seen that interest rates were declining and they should have planned appropriately.
Last spring, they offered one-half classes for every class at certain times, nights, weekends, etc. There was no discrimination for which classes were put on one-half price, no matter whether or not it was popular or not it was put on sale.
The college is not making food revenue projections and the board is not watching those projections and the subsequent budget.
Provide more or proper funding for learning labs. In terms of student retention, these facilities are one of the schools' most valuable assets.
Rio Grande campus has residue of hazardous materials (mercury). An employee there has become very, very ill. This needs to be cleaned up.
In order for ACC courses to transfer to other institutions, we have to maintain certain standards. One of these has to do with science lab activities that are appropriate for college-level courses. Apart from the other deficiencies in equipment, we have serious safety problems in many science labs. The worst problems are a total lack of ventilation in rooms in which hazardous chemicals are used (RVS, NRG, RGC) and a lack of safety eyewashes and safety showers in science labs. Some labs and storage areas don't have any emergency lighting for power failures. I would like to see ACC's administration take this liability risk seriously and divert funds from frivolous entertainment to protecting the lives and safety of students and staff. It's just a matter of setting priorities where they belong.
The board of directors, administration and other employees of ACC face a tremendous liability (in terms of fines and jail sentences) because we are not in compliance with regulatory agencies. Until we are in compliance (and maybe even exceed the requirements of those agencies) the administration should increase their efforts to fund the Risk Management Office and safety initiatives collegewide.
Stop adding campuses. Each new one duplicates services provided by existing ones.
I would check and see if ACC is adequately insured and properly (legally) making claims for damaged property.
ACC needs to do a valid hot box test for mercury at RGC.
All faculty benefits should be withheld from paychecks over 9-month period.
There is too much staff travel between campuses increasing the potential for accidents.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Too much of the budget is spent on entertaining - look at food, and travel expenses - they are outrageous.
Payroll has improved.
Spend less money on having people think up ways faculty can take on more duties online. More time consuming and frustrating-leads to resentment and low morale. Faculty and PC's need to be focused on students and not learning technical ways of staffing, timesheets, etc. over and over.
Top-heavy administration. Too much release time award to faculty for do nothing positions.
Do away with Provosts, Deans and Associate Deans.
Tuition installment plan:

Cannot make a payment over the phone with a credit card (must drive to a campus);
"Late fee" barely disclosed in fine print of installment plan contract; and
Only "reminder" of payment due is a postcard that arrives after the due date, and there is no grace period for late fee.

This kind of reactive vs. proactive student services management has caused me to leave ACC to attend a school that is "on the ball."
Failure to do accurate forecasting of suspected financial status.
Cutting out classes that pay for themselves (for example, English Composition).
Who is in-charge in the financial management? How come we realize money is gone after the fact? Why did the president get to keep his raise after we found the deficit?
Why is it that budget shortfalls are made up by increased tuition?
Cut food cost spending. Why can't we have a meeting without food?
Administrative expenses and increases in salary of administration need to be eliminated during budget shortfalls.
A review of employee benefits and retirement is needed. Dedicated staff continue to deliver according to the mission of the college. At risk to their financial health, retirement is not an option for so many of the faculty.
Two consecutive years of deficits! What financial management? What competent financial manager would have predicted increased interest revenues this year?
Keep experimenting with things like discounts for hard-to-fill classes, but commit to at least a semester. Be more flexible.
I feel our current software (Datatel) does not give enough information to be able to track mistakes in our budget areas. It is impossible for us to look into things like transfers and other transactions. We have limited access to our accounts.
The budget committee has a number of recommendations. Be sure to look at them. A few things that aren't probably worth the expenditure when ACC has so little money, like cars so many administrators and excessive administrative travel.
Does ACC subsidize big corporations by giving them more than ACC gets from them in return? Shouldn't these corporations fund their fair share of programs that benefit them? For example, I have heard that the semi-conductor program is an expensive one, which loses money for ACC rather than being a break-even or almost even situation.
Instructional Support Business Services does well, given limited staff and resources in carrying out best practices in this area.
One area of great concern is income tax withholding and contributions to retirement plans (ORP's, annuities, etc.). Faculty have discovered that too little money was being withheld for income taxes. Retirement contributions are sometimes very delayed in getting to the actual retirement companies (but they are taken out of our paychecks promptly). We would love to have verification that all contributions (appropriate dollar amounts) have been sent by ACC and received by our retirement plans. Also, please verify that correct amounts are being withheld for income taxes.
Terrible financial management. How can we buy a $3 million campus (South campus) when we're in the hole that much? We spend large amounts on advertising but not on staff to help the students who come.
The financial problems of the college are an indication of problems. While I believe the early retirement program last year and the reduced tuition program this year are partly to blame for this, I wonder why we are pouring so much money into the nursing program.
It's a shame that the top ACC administrators are paid competitive salaries at top wages and have the additional benefits of financially aided automobiles and other amenities.
Why is the system inadequate to predict immediate future needs? ACC has been confronted more than once with financial shortfalls that other large organizations seem to avoid. The response of the administration has been to reduce services and reduce the number of classes offered. This seems to add to the loss of revenue. Accountability should also be expected of the organizational structure and employees at the higher administrative level. Salary structures should be evaluated at the dean's level and up to the president.
The purchase of the store in South Austin seems to be an unnecessary dilution of ACC's limited resources. South Austin citizens are adequately served by two campuses, RVS and PIN.
Projection of revenues, this year in particular, seems to have been done with little sense of realism. The college administration seems to have a poor grasp of revenues from sources such as continuing education tuition.
The big question is "where did the money go?" and how can the college justify a tax increase when the administration hires an associate vice president just before the academic year, and a few months later we have a budget deficit.
The school has done very poorly in this area. I do want to mention that the president took quick care of a deficit he inherited. But two years ago there was a very serious problem. This is the only job of the many I have had in my life in which paychecks had errors. Far more serious is the recent financial deficit. To make this situation worse, remedies have hurt the students. The school has cut sections for Spring 2002, Summer 2002 and upcoming Fall 2002. Student services have been cut also. For example, my students have complained about reduced hours this summer at learning labs and testing centers.
Discontinue arena registration. Do not use adjunct faculty to collect money at registration. I know it is in the job description but change it. They are qualified to do more important things.
All teachers should be paid equitably. Adjuncts should be paid an equal rate to full time teachers, some money per LEH, for those with equal education and experience. Equal pay for equal work.
ACC recently bought a store on Stassney Lane across from Crockett High. They plan to build a campus in the building, but they will need a bond election to increase taxes to pay for the new building. At the same time, as a student, there are not enough sections of classes to meet the demand. ACC should sell the store on Stassney and increase the classes offered at other South Austin campuses.
The payroll and benefits department is a joke. Companies like Motorola and Sematech manage to get out accurate payrolls on a regular basis, but why can't ACC? And forget about getting any help with a snafu. Every contact I've had with payroll has been a struggle. It doesn't hurt for them to be polite.
This college will need more money. We will have to go to the voters to ask for a tax increase. The last time we asked for money, the voters turned us down. One reason we lost is because the president had treated the college community with such arrogance and contempt that his potential protax workers (faculty and staff) either held their nose and voted yes or voted against the increase. But no one worked for the tax increase. The faculty and staff could have made the difference.
Is there presently an internal auditor? If so, are they free to report to the board on any issues without interference from the president or any other administrator?
The payroll department has a record of poor performance and no one seems to be able to get this area to improve. Check on money spent to hire outside consultants. ACC is an educational institution with a wealth of knowledgeable people. Could our taxpayers' dollars be better spent by using some of our own resources? You might be surprised about the thousands of dollars spent in consultants. In particular, check out the amount of money used for a consultant in the Business Office during 1999.
We need more funds devoted to parking. We need to give teachers better interviews so that I will not ever get a teacher again who does not have the facility of the English language. As a visiting UT student, I thought it was an embarrassment to ACC to have a faculty member who could not communicate.
ACC does not have a "check and balance" system regarding the hire and supervision of interpreters. Each year, this area goes over budget. So far, no change has been made. We are on our way to a tight budget year.
Where did ACC's money go? Faculty, staff and students were not involved in the decisions to overspend our budget but primarily ACC's students have suffered as follows: a) not enough classes available; b) not enough developmental classes available; and 3) hiring freeze.
Administrative travel is out of control. Why do we need to be visiting Nigeria and trying to establish schools in Cuba when citizens in East Austin do not have a sufficient campus or service from ACC? Keep our tax dollars in Austin or at least in Texas.
Relocating the main center (HBC) several times over the past few years is costly.
Take away rental cars from everyone and pay mileage just like other staff get.
Food is brought for staff who do testing for four hours and they are brought expensive sandwiches for a 4-hour testing session. The grading session is held at the end of each semester. Plus, they get paid $16.00 an hour for four hours work. Money is wasted on food.
Portable buildings are not used to the maximum. Testing room (Room 4108) was taken away for two new staff members. Portable buildings are mostly empty. Why not put new staff in portable building. Money is wasted because portable buildings are empty.
Is it true that ACC pays for his home and car? If so, then charge him rent and pay him mileage just like everyone else.
The previous boards have not exercised any financial oversight. Therefore, I believe that internal controls have become lax.
From the outside, ACC appears to be unbusinesslike. The more courses it sells (courses to students) the more money it loses. So, when it has a financial shortfall, it makes sense to cut classes.
ACC seems to give too much away for free, like classes to high school students (most of whom could pay) and day care for children of students.
Since ACC loses money on its students and can't serve all the students who want to get, obviously ACC could charge more for its product.
It is traditional for the citizens at large to support the education of our youth. Young adults and those older are not "youth" anymore. The beneficiaries of advanced education should pay for it-the students themselves, the companies they are training to join, and only last and least, the taxpayers at large.

PURCHASING/WAREHOUSING

Rather than having to drive to warehouse to look for surplus equipment, put the inventory on the web. That would save trips and more people would look at "used" vs. buying new.
Mandate checking warehouse for furniture or equipment prior to purchases.
Online purchasing works really well. Great strides are made in purchasing area over last several years.
Auction obsolete equipment and furniture to staff and students.
The only positive thing about Datatel System is the purchasing aspect.
We need an inventory system. Haven't received inventory report or conducted an inventory in four years.
We should be allowed to keep a general stock of materials on hand to eliminate extra mileage charges.
I haven't had a mileage increase in a while. Only one in last 10 years and that was for one cent. We need an increase in mileage reimbursement.
The current $0 budgeting plan for purchasing is not practical. This was implemented, in part, because some areas of the college were moving money from one budget account to another. Instead of dealing directly with those departments, the college began this $0 budgeting plan. As always, punish everybody for the overstepping of a few. This should be ACC's motto. They act as if it is.
Every office has an ACC phone directory but because they're too expensive, we can only have one or two per department. We're told to use the web but computers often go down or are slow.
Purchasing of supplies has gotten easier but I have found supplies cheaper at other stores. However, too much processing of paperwork is necessary to follow through.
Improve timeliness of request processing and payment to vendors.
Purchasing department need to be trained in customer service.
Why does the input to vendor information is retained when information is outdated?
I don't think tuition is too high, but other students' costs could be lowered if classes didn't change textbooks so often. This would mean more used books could be available at a lower cost to the student I know ACC could use some leverage to get them to make supplies more affordable.
College wastes its equipment and supplies by allowing them to be sent to the warehouse and sold for pennies while other departments repurchase same items.
We buy too much retail.