Leaders of the Oregon’s largest higher education institution say they may need to delay the start of the spring term by a week if the unions fail to agree to the latest proposal.

The college and its two unions have spent nearly a year negotiating pay and benefits, with salary increases remaining the main sticking point. This is the first strike at any of the state’s 17 community colleges.

New federal rules require colleges to report student data by race to enforce the affirmative action ban, but Northwest educators say the change will have little effect on largely open, race-neutral admissions.

Higher education leaders in the state say they are pulling all the levers to minimize student impacts caused by state and federal funding pressures.

Oregon is now home to eight colleges and universities ranked among the top research institutions in the U.S.

According to a new Oregon State University study, insomnia among college students has a much stronger association with feelings of loneliness than it does with time spent looking at electronic devices.