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WEDNESDAY December 31, 2003 - Subscribe - Contact Us Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 19, 2003 SOU seeking students By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings Southern Oregon University is planning to advertise on the radio to attract more students for winter term. Christina Dunlap, marketing and public relations coordinator for the school, said starting the day after Christmas, until the first day of school on Jan. 5, ads touting SOU can be heard on Beat 93 and Kat Country. "It's a push before winter term starts," she said. "Many people in their cars listen to the radio, so we'll have a large audience." It's important to let the community know they can attend school at other times of the year besides fall, Dunlap said. "People sometimes think since school starts in the fall, they have to wait the entire year to register," she said. "But they can register during any term. We want to let people know the university is a valuable resource here." SOU officials said winter attendance figures are just as important as those in the fall. Ron Bolstad, vice president for administration and finance said winter can traditionally be a time when enrollment drops, mainly due to freshmen leaving school. But he is encouraged the trend was broken last winter, when there was an increase of 114 students and 45 full-time students from fall 2002. "It was really encouraging it didn't show the historical decline," Bolstad said. While it's hard to pinpoint an exact reason for the increase, factors may include more people wanting to get their degrees, or finish in three years with the school's accelerated program due to a sluggish economy. Bolstad said if full-time student figures are even one percent less than projected figures made before fall term, the Oregon University System could reduce funding according to its resource allocation model. But signs point to positive enrollment figures for the current school year. "I'm very hopeful we'll show a modest growth," he said. Freshmen enrollment at the school increased by 13.3 percent from fall 2002, to 998 students this fall. Fall enrollment was at 5,506 students, compared to 5,483 last year. Winter enrollment figures will be available the fourth week of the term. Mara Affre, director of admissions and assistant vice president for enrollment services, said there already is an increase in applications for next fall. While she didn't have exact figures, she said things were encouraging. "We're seeing the interest in SOU is very positive," she said. The registrar's office will accept applications for winter 2004 in person until Jan. 2. People can still apply on the Internet until Jan. 4. To register online, go to www.sou.edu . DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams