Three Rivers clears way for lawsuit

The Three Rivers Community College Board of Trustees agreed unanimously Sunday on a motion authorizing the college's attorneys to take whatever action necessary, including a lawsuit, against Southeast Missouri State University for eliminating Three Rivers courses from its Bootheel education centers.

The motion came just days after a tentative agreement between the Poplar Bluff, Mo., community college and the university. The presidents of the two schools met last Monday with the state commissioner of higher education, Dr. Gregory Fitch, to work out a cost-sharing plan for the centers in Sikeston, Malden and Kennett.

John Stanard, chairman of the Three Rivers board, said the motion didn't mean a lawsuit was definite, but that the school was "clearing the waters."

Southeast president Dr. Ken Dobbins called the motion "unnecessary."

"We've tried to work together in good faith. ... This will not be in the students' best interest," Dobbins said.

Stanard said that Southeast had not yet submitted in writing the finalized terms of the earlier agreement as per Fitch's request.

"He requested a reply Wednesday, and we faxed the agreement back to his office that day," Stanard said. "As of Friday, Southeast had yet to respond to it at all."

Dobbins said that he spoke to Fitch and asked for more time to clarify and discuss provisions relating to students, such as financial aid and textbook rental, and that the commissioner had agreed. Dobbins said that Three Rivers and Southeast were supposed to meet March 28 "to discuss issues that meet students' needs."

Stanard said that he and Three Rivers president Dr. John Cooper had been unaware of the March 28 meeting until reading about it in Saturday's Southeast Missourian.

The two schools have been at odds since Dobbins' Feb. 25 announcement that Southeast would eliminate Three Rivers courses at the Bootheel centers. Southeast had been losing about $800,000 annually on the centers, and officials claimed that Three Rivers wasn't doing its part to help funding. The university planned to offer lower-level courses at the facilities.

Three Rivers officials said they would stand to lose 826 students, about a fourth of the spring enrollment, amounting to a loss of roughly $765,000 in tuition. The agreement proposed last week would split the operating cost of the centers in half between the schools.

The community college wants to speed up a resolution.

"Every day we wait is a disadvantage," Stanard said. "Southeast is enrolling more and more of our students."Also Sunday, Three Rivers trustees agreed to another motion that named eight new sites where about 60 summer courses would be taught, mostly high schools in the community college's area.

nstanfield@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127