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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us October 25, 2005 SOU enrolls under 5,000 Student population is smallest since fall 1995 as university seeks ways to handle less income By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings Southern Oregon University’s enrollment is the lowest it’s been in 10 years, Provost Earl Potter said this morning. “The number we reported to the system is 4,977, which is a little over 3 percent down, which is where we budgeted,” Potter said. University officials had planned for a slightly smaller student population this fall but, when classes started at the end of September, were still expecting at least 5,000 students. The last time SOU fell below that mark was 1995, when enrollment was 4,963 students and the school was Southern Oregon State College. Aside from last fall, when enrollment plunged 6.2 percent, Southern’s student population had hovered around 5,500 since the mid-1990s, according to data from the Oregon University System, which governs state colleges and universities. “What it makes me look at is some of the issues that have come before the Legislature as far as financial aid — that the decrease in enrollment is due to the increase in tuition,” said Alicia-Lynne Ryland-Nation, the vice president of the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University. The biggest declines came from the Portland area, where recruitment efforts had been reduced because of budget cuts. “The good news there is that graduate enrollments are up significantly. Enrollments from Southern Oregon are up significantly,” Potter said, adding that more students from out of state also entered SOU this fall. “Again, the hit was in Portland. Most of the loss between this year and last year was from the six counties around Portland.” It’s unclear what, if any, implications the 3 percent enrollment decline will have on SOU programs. The university’s budget for 2005-06 was framed under the assumption that revenue would be flat this year, meaning enrollment wouldn’t rise or fall, according to Potter. “The funding is not exactly based on enrollment growth or decline,” OUS spokeswoman Diane Saunders said this morning, noting that a significant portion of Southern’s revenue is based on student tuition. “When you have fewer students coming to campus you have lower tuition levels, and that’s what really is causing budget implications.” SOU President Elisabeth Zinser was unavailable for comment this morning. The funding of programs supported by the incidental student fee, including athletics, clubs and the Stevenson Union operations, will not be slashed, according to student government officials. “We won’t be seeing the reductions in student fees we saw last year,” Ryland-Nation said. The student fee committee, which manages the $2.5 million incidental fee budget, anticipated a lower enrollment and built the budget to reflect those numbers “because of what happened the previous year,” Ryland-Nation said. “We didn’t want a repeat.” Official enrollment figures for all state colleges and universities will be released the week of Nov. 14. Staff writer Jennifer Squires can be reached at 482-3456 x 3019 or [email protected]. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Free Music Downloads Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks Online Casinos FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products best online casino teleconferencing High-End Gaming Computers Diamonds Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Discounted Website Hostings Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Myspace Layouts Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Student Loans Bonus Casino ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Canadian Pharmacy Casino Gambling Sites Backpacks Click Here .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams