Emerald
Vol 83, No 18
Eugene. Oregon 97403
Tuesday, September 29, 1981
Enrollment declines nearly 4 percent
Hard times, higher fees
produce fewer students
By ANN PORTAL
Of the Emerald
University enrollment was
down 3 B percent after registra
tion Friday and the number of
students late registering Mon
day also seemed less than
usual, according to Registrar
Wanda Johnson
As of Friday evening, 14.916
students were registered — in
cluding law students and com
munity education students —
compared to 15.507 at the same
time last year
"We re not unhappy yet. but it
sure is slow outside (at registra
tion windows in Oregon Hall),
she says
Registration staff members
appreciated Monday's small,
orderly lines, she says, but the
slow flow might be an indication
of fewer students
"Our operation here for the
first day of classes is rather
smooth. Johnson says
Although registration is down,
the revenues from fees have
increased by 4 4 percent, which
may be partly due to the dou
bling of the late registration fine
she says
Students who pay tuition atter
the Wednesday deadline will be
charged $10 for the first day
past the deadline and $2 for
each additional class day up to
a $50 maximum
The nearly 4 percent enroll
ment drop "is not as critical a
reduction as you would think."
Johnson says
"It's not good, but it's not
unexpected." she says
More important is the number
of full-time-equivalent hours
that students take, which the
registrar's office has no figures
on yet, she says FTE's deter
mine the amount of state funds
given to the University, and a 3 8
percent decrease there really
could hurt, Johnson says
But Paul Civin. associate
provost for planning, says he
anticipates a 5-percent FTE
reduction, although he says he
is unsure how badly the reduc
tion will hurt University funding
We have no way of knowing
at the moment he says
The enrollment decline is un
usual considering the poor
economy. Johnson says
Students generally return to
school to finish degrees and
gam marketable skills during
recessions, she says
However, that pattern may be
obsolete today, when reduced
financial aid, increased tuition
and rising inflation combine to
make school unaffordable.
Johnson says
When registration figures are
computed, particular attention
will be given to the ratio of re
This year 's registration crowds were thinner than last year. But fewer students mean less money for the
University
sident to non-resident students,
she says Non-residents pay
substantially more for tuition,
and the University doesn't want
to lose these students because
of tuition increases
"What we re really concerned
about is the mix of students,"
Johnson says, adding that less
out-of-state tuition also could
hurt the University budget
Community education enroll
ment is down more than 17 per
cent and Johnson speculates
"cheaper” tuition at Lane Com
munity College may be part of
the reason
Students should remember
they have five days — two more
than they had last year — to drop
and add courses without paying
a fine and that the add/drop fee
has been increased to $3 per
class added or dropped, she
says
The fee can "really eat up the
general deposit fast,” Johnson
says, and students should hurry
to avoid it.
“Students have this week to
settle their program — and i
think that's reasonable "
Energy activist pushes for Citizens Party
By Phil Lemman
CM ItM EmnW
The 80s are going to be much more exciting than
the 60s, I can promise you that ”
That was the prediction of Jim Benson, a co
founder of the Citizen's Party, who Monday night called
for a rejuvenation of political involvement at the local
level and an energy policy based on conservation and
the use of renewable energy
Computer demand
exceeds supply
”1 haven t heard one iota of hope to relieve
the situation,” says computer and information
science department chairer Steve Hedetniemi —
referring to the 150 to 200 potential computer
science majors were shut out of CIS 201 last
week
The department, he explains, is simply not
equipped to accomodate all the students who
want to participate
According to Hedetniemi there is little relief in
sight for computer science and information
students
In addition to Its lack of space, the computer
science program also suffers from a lack of
equipment and personnel
The program needs alot more money, Hedet
niemi says
Hedetniemi does have some advice for
students
"Shop around OSU has a program, one
hesitates to say it, but _
Benson, who spent several years working in the
federal energy bureaucracy, said he got "sick of
studies, and now is devoting his time to developing a
national constituency for the economic policies of the
Citizen's Party Benson says recent studies he par
ticipated in show that the current policy of increasing
the use of nuclear power, domestic coal production and
synthetic fuels are economically impossible
He went on to tell the group of people attending an
alternative energy forum at the University that conser
vation and the use of renewable energy sources can
create two to four times as many jobs as reliance on
fossil and nuclear fuels |
Increased public exposure to these findings sets
the stage for his proposal for a drastic change in the
nation's energy policy, away from an emphasis on
growth and materialism )
Benson said he plans to revive the populist spirit to
develop his new political organization He said hopes to |
use community energy studies as a way to band people
together, and generate local political action by trying to
implement the findings of these studies.
There is little time left to implement these policies,
according to Benson He said the government is keep- I
ing the people s minds off economic problems by I
focusing their attention on the alleged Soviet threat, "
wasting vast amounts of money on military build-up to
validate its claims
Benson criticized the recent decontrol of oil prices,
reasoning that accelerated consumption of domestic oil
would only increase dependence on foreign sources in
the long run, since present alternate energy sources are
economically out of reach He also said government
claims of increasing domestic production was a mis
nomer, saying "Oil companies don't produce oil They
pump it up and we burn it ”
Benson called this a strategy of Burn America
First.”
Photo by Bob Baker
Jim Benson