College enrollment drops 5.6 percent

Fall semester enrollment dropped 5.6 percent at Flathead Valley Community College compared to fall 2011, following the downward trend seen in the university system and public colleges in Montana this fall.

At the regular monthly meeting of the college’s Board of Trustees on Monday, Brad Eldredge reported that students enrolled in courses totaling 1,626 FTE (full-time equivalent) credits compared to 1,723.2 in 2011, a decrease of 5.6 percent.

The average credit load per student was down 1.7 percent, from 10.36 in the fall of 2011 to 10.19 in 2012.

“We continue to see more part-time students — probably more students working as the economy improves,” said Eldredge, who is executive director of institutional research, assessment and planning at FVCC.

The student headcount dropped by 100 overall. In-district students numbers declined by 127 while out-of-district students increased by 27 over last fall.

 Eldredge said Running Start, a program in which high school students enroll in college courses, remained the same as last fall. He said that online enrollment remained “virtually flat,” in line with recent trends of growing or holding steady rather than declining.

“Online enrollment continues to make up a larger percent of our total enrollment,” he said. “It’s up to 11.4 percent.”

He said his earlier projections based on population movement in the country predicted a drop of 8.8  percent yet the drop was just 5.6 percent. He said that shows the college returning to normal trends after the large surge.

Trustees asked President Jane Karas about the financial impact on the college of this enrollment loss.

“We had budgeted for a little over an 8 percent decrease in enrollment,” she said. “Instead we have a 5.6 percent decrease in enrollment. This is only fall so we don’t know what spring will be yet.”

She said if the trend stays the same the college will have money in excess of budgeted items. Karas added that the majority of Montana’s universities and public colleges experienced similar decreases in this fall’s enrollment.

Also at the board meeting, the trustees delayed a vote on the Student Senate’s recommendation that the community college become a tobacco-free campus. The campus now limits smoking to designated kiosks while this proposal would prohibit smoking anywhere on campus.

In the spring, the board of trustees declined to change to tobacco-fee for fear that many displaced workers or other nontraditional students might decide against seeking more education. Several people spoke on both sides of the issue during the comment period.

Jackson Hokanson, who addressed the trustees earlier this year, once again asked them to support an initiative for a tobacco-free campus. He said that seven campuses have gone tobacco-free and that most of the displaced workers have finished their college programs so the time was right for the community college to transition to tobacco-free.

He said he was also presenting support from Laurie Peiffer, director of the Early Childhood Center, which is located in the vicinity of the campus smokers’ kiosk. Peiffer pointed out that smokers presented poor role models for the children and the secondhand smoke was wafting in the area.

Elizabeth Jones, a student and a smoker, asked that the campus keep designated smoking areas. She said driving smokers just off campus would cause hazards with dry grass and problems with neighboring residents and businesses.

She said smokers do a good job policing the “smokers’ hole.”

Two more people spoke in support of and another person spoke against having the campus go tobacco-free. Some pointed out the irony that the kiosk was just behind the nursing and health building now under construction.

Introducing the action item, Karas said that the issue had been discussed and studied for two years, adding that enforcement remains a problem even with designated areas. She said the college would come up with a transition plan if trustees vote to ban smoking or could suggest other options like moving the smoker kiosk.

Trustee Tom Harding, an ex-smoker, proposed taking a vote up or down although he said he would not support the initiative. He said that would just push the problem on neighboring areas and would discourage alternative, nontraditional students from improving their education.

“It is an addiction,” Harding said. “It is something that people deal with but it isn’t illegal.”

Trustee Mark Holston said he had empathy for those with addictions but said he didn’t think people should have to walk by the smokers’ kiosk to reach the Arts and Technology Building. He also recalled that when the college was downtown, located next to bars, some students would stop in to those establishments between classes.

“We all have habits, things we like to do, but we don’t have bars on campus,” he said. “People adjusted to that.”

He said he believes the trustees will eventually vote for a smoke-free campus, adding “we have to be on the right side of history.” Holston said he  sees the issue as more of how to transition to a smoke-free campus.

In the end, the board followed Trustee Robert Nystuen’s suggestion to have the president and staff bring forward a proposed policy for the October meeting after reviewing the transition experiences of other smoke-free campuses.

 “I think it’s time to move forward with something more definitive to look at,” Nystuen said.

The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 22 at 3:45 p.m. in the board room in Blake Hall.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.