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SATURDAY February 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels January 30, 2004 ESL program back on its feet By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings In November, the intensive English language program based at Southern Oregon University was in dire circumstances. The American Language Academy, the parent company of the SOU program, folded because of lower enrollment at its schools nationwide after 9/11. Olivie Ramirez, of Mexico, reads a sentence during an English language study class at Southern Oregon University. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings The faculty of the academy, which had been at the university since 1981, faced the prospect of telling their nearly 40 students from around the world that they would shut down. Faculty and support staff finished the term without pay to ensure the students - the vast majority of whom transfer to SOU after completing the program - would be able to finish. After working closely with college officials, the program finally found a new company: ELS Language Centers, which is affiliated with the Berliz language programs. ELS was founded in 1961 and have over 30 locations in the Untied States and the United Kingdom. The company officially took over SOU operations at the beginning of the month. Now, things are looking up again for the program, said director Amy Lepon, who has been part of the English language program at SOU since its inception. Declining enrollment Lepon said enrollment has decreased nationwide since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. In Ashland, enrollment has decreased from an average of 60 students to about 40 students. "It was affected by 9/11, that's definitely a key," Lepon said. "It affected people's desire to come to the states, and many nations were looked on with suspicion and those students couldn't get visas." Before 9/11, the academy averaged anywhere from 5 to 12 Middle Eastern students each year. Now, there are none. The nationwide decease of international students was the main reason the program's parent company folded on Nov. 11, Lepon said. "They declared [bankruptcy] and couldn't run the program anymore," she said. "They just ran out of money." Lepon said a key to the future of the program was SOU's commitment. "SOU had to decide if they wanted an English language program or not, and they decided right away they wanted it," she said. While the academy was not affiliated with SOU and the employees didn't work for the university, the organization used the schools facilities. The university worked with the programs administrators to quickly find another English language institute and received interest from the ELS. Craig Morris, director of business services for SOU, said the university knew right away it was vital to keep an English language school on campus. "We feel it adds to the breadth and depth of education on campus," he said. "We're delighted we have a company that is highly respected in the international community that will continue the program." Dedicated Staff Between November and mid-December, before a contract was signed, the faculty and staff of nine were looking at the prospect of closing the school because no one would be able to pay for their services. With the quarter winding down and many students about to take the TOEFL test to get into American schools, the staff made a decision - to keep working on a volunteer basis, which they did for more than a month. The staff also knew many of the students would have to return home and may have difficulty receiving another visa to get back into the country. "They chose to finish out the term with the knowledge they would not be paid," said Lepon, who also worked on a volunteer basis. "As disappointed as they were with what happened, they felt loyal to the students. If the doors closed, what would happen to them?" ESL teacher Ronda Sheffield said the staff felt it was vital not to leave the students hanging. "These students are far away from home and their lives would have been disturbed if we closed," she said. "We decided remaining open was the right thing to do." Yuko Konishi, 19, of Japan, said she was concerned when she heard the language academy had gone out business. She said she truly appreciated her teachers' commitment to their students when they volunteered to finish the term. "I felt their love for teaching," she said. "I didn't know before how much they loved to teach. I really appreciate that." Duygu Turhan, 18, of Turkey, came to the program in September only knowing how to say her name in English. Today, she can have a conversation in English. Turhan plans to go back to her country after graduating from college to be an engineer. "I like the teachers, They're really helpful. When you ask them something they always help you," she said. "I think it was really kind of them that they volunteered just for us." The English language program helps SOU and the community in a number of ways, Lepon said. This includes money the students bring to stay in apartments or SOU residence halls, and tuition they give to the school when the majority transfer to SOU. They also bring a diverse cultural background to the school and area, which helps other students and community members understanding of different cultures and helps foster friendships. "These students makes lots of friends with the [SOU] students," Sheffield said. "They're good ambassadors." She said students were relieved to hear the news the language program would continue. "They were happy they could continue their studies," Sheffield said. "In December, they weren't sure it was going to happen." With a new, stable language program in place, Lepon hopes to attract more international students back to Ashland, she said. 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