The Compass Friday, Novembers, 1995 7 Enrollment blueS: ECSU officials seel to reverse student decline by Latisha Edwards ECSU could lose as much as $850,000 in budget cuts by fall 1996 if the Uni versity does not meet its enrollment quota of 2,050. Freshmen enrollment has been de clining at the rate of about 15 percent annually for the past two years. In the fall of 1993, ECSU had 2,130 students; by fall, 1995, enrollment had dropped to 1,850. ECSU administrators extended the official enrollment period to Sept. 28, boosting the 1995 total to 1,951. This still fell short of the University's state budgeted enrollment. The decline in ECSU's enrollment is the University's nimiber one challenge, according to ECSU's Interim Chancel lor, Dr. Mickey Bumim. "An $850,000 cut in ECSU's budget would be devastating to the Univer sity," said Bumim, who points out that it could lead to a lack of supplies, equip ment and possible limitations of new faculty positions "We need to get eiu'ollment to the budgeted level no later than next fall," he said. "All of us have a stake in meet ing our enrollment challenge." Why has ECSU's enrollment fallen? ECSU officials say the problem stems from a combination of recruitment, re tention and negative press coverage of the University in local media. A major recruitment problem cen tered around the unavailability of scholarship money to recruiters dur ing the fall season, according to Erthel Hines, admissions coordinator in 1994. Scholarship money was not made avail able imtil early February. "September through February was the heat of the recruiting season; how ever the money was not made avail able until February." "By that time students have already made up their minds about where they want to go," Hines added. Some scholarship money was not available to students because state au ditors had reduced the University's ability to offer money that was not in hand, according to former ECSU chancellor. Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins. "We were offering scholarships based on pledges," Jenkins told The Compass in the spring of 1995. "The auditors reduced our ability to make offers in money that was already in hand, be cause not everybody who makes a pledge actually donates money." Hines said he believes students should receive better advisement and that the University should work harder to keep students eiirolled. "The things necessary to keep the students are not being done," he said. "What is being done to counsel these students when GPAs faU?" Hines also said negative press cover age is a factor in ECSU's enrollment decline. "I've never seen a place, that is one of the biggest employers in the city, receive so much negative press," said Hines, who feels the media is not as responsive to positive news at ECSU. Dr. White administers oath of office to new class presidents ECSU's officials have proudly cited statistics indicating that the school has one of the highest overall retention rates in the UNC system. However, ac cording to a retention synopsis sup plied to Chancellor Bumim by the Cen ter for Institutional Assessment, the re tention of students at ECSU in com parison to other schools in the UNC system is "relatively insignificant." The retention of black freshmen at ECSU is "almost an exact match" to other schools in the UNC system, ac cording to Patricia Gibbs, of the ECSU Assessment Center. There is a significant difference in the retention of white students in com parison to other schools in the UNC system, however. Out of 93 white fresh men entering the class of 1993, only 51 returned in the fall '94. "A significant disparity exists be tween the percentage of white fresh men retained at ECSU, compared with the UNC system," wrote Gibbs. "The percentage differential of 27.8% is sig nificant." Gibbs is imcertain why the disparity exists but feels more white students may be leaving ECSU to attend "pre dominately white institutions." The retention of white students is low at all the predominately black imi- versities in the UNC system. There is a five percent difference in the retention rate of white freshmen at ECSU and other HBCU's. In an effort to meet the University's enrollment challenge. Interim Chancel lor Bumim has appointed Leon Rou- son to spearhead efforts to deal with the problem. Rouson, a former North Carolina Central University recruiter. ANTD "will provide leadership for the recruit ment effort," said Bumim. Rouson said he plans to take full advantage of the Incentive Scholarship Program and what it has to offer students. "We have to promote our programs, what we do, our products, and our advantages." The state has added five additional counties to ECSU's sixteen county In centive Scholarship recruiting area, said Rouson. Expanding ECSU's region will allow admissions to recruit more stu dents, he added. Rouson feels the Sept. 30th High School Visitation Day, which brought 1,300 students to campus, was a good start in his recmiting efforts for the 96- 97 academic year. Students were given an opportimity to see "all aspects of college life," he said. The agenda in cluded a departmental fair, campus tour, mini step show, football game, and lunch. To boost enrollment Rouson has de veloped "Project Impact," a seven point plan with a projected goal of admitting a "record breaking" 1,100 students into the class of 1996. Project Impact in cludes an honors day presentation for high school students, a high school math and science competition day, a high school band day, and several other activities. Rouson says he is determined to con quer any eru^ollment challenge facing ECSU. "It's do or die," he says. "We are definitely going to do." New class officers are (from left): Regina Davis, senior; Mick Marshall, junior; Floyd Feyton, sophomore; and Vincent Lawson, freshman. ^ STORIES My FatIier was a bus dnivcR. He dRovc eveRywhcRC, And somctimcs, he Allowed mc to qo. AMVsemeNT pARks, foorbAll qAMes, diNNeR rheATeRS... ANd ski TRips- ON beAvrifvl peAks with qleAMimq whire CRVsred snow. ONce he hAd a wife. fw my seveNrh yeAR I SAid qood-bye to The fvRNiTVRe AS iT SAT iN The bed of My bROThcR's car. TheN, TeARy'eyed, f wbnt iNside to bANdAqe vp my scar. Whiskey, dRvqs, CRimes, ANd ReUnoNships lATeR, I TAsre saIt In my movTh wheN I ThiNk of fAThcR. My sTomAch chvRNS ANd I woNdeR if I'll become him: A moNSTBR, iNfecTed wiTh demeNTiA; A hypocRiTe," Do as I SAy, not as I do;" SQUAsheR of dReAms— ^SoNf you mvsT do berreRl" no mArreR how well I did... AlmosT TweNTy yeARS Aqo I ThovqhT we hAd a fAmily. My fATheR ThovqhT he hAd a fAmily. Now he siTS AloNe...wiTh NOThiNq; no one wRiTes or caIIs. ANd f SIT AloNe TelliNq STORies. —Scorr Lawrencc