COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL March 23, 2016
11A
LCC
Continued from page 1A
dented enrollment fi gures,
LCC fi nds itself searching for
its “new normal,” and not just
in Cottage Grove, according
to Mary Jeanne Kuhar, Execu-
tive Dean of LCC’s School of
Professional and Technical Ca-
reers.
“Enrollment is a big, broad,
gnarly problem that everybody’s
struggling with, not just Lane,”
Kuhar said.
The geographical area served
by Lane Community College is
a large one, and satellite cam-
puses such as Cottage Grove’s
(LCC has had a presence here
since the 1970s; its current cam-
pus opened in 1995) were meant
to bring the college’s education
opportunities closer to rural stu-
dents.
Kuhar said community college
enrollment tends to rise and fall
with the condition of the econo-
my, and the economic downturn
that began affecting this area
in earnest in late 2008 led to a
large increase in enrollment as
frustrated workers returned to
school to hone their skills. Data
provided by LCC shows that
the rise in enrollment peaked in
the 2011-12 school year, after
which numbers began and have
continued to fall.
“The decrease happened
Another dental visit?
Turns out, you have better things to do with
your time.
slowly over a couple years, and
we thought that it was prob-
ably going to end up where it
had been before the recession.
But at Lane, it just continued to
drop, and we haven’t yet found
our ‘new normal,’” Kuhar said.
During peak enrollment at
LCC’s Eugene campus, Kuhar
said many students living in the
Eugene/Springfi eld area were
actually coming to Cottage
Grove to take core classes due
to crowding at the main campus.
But Cottage Grove’s enrollment
has declined a whopping 80 per-
cent since that peak. And Kuhar
said the reasons why may in fact
be quite complex.
“It is diffi cult to know all the
factors that affect enrollment,
but some factors at play may be
changes in federal fi nancial aid
requirements, decreasing local
high school graduation rates,
perceived loss of value for a col-
lege degree, fl attening state sup-
port and an improving economy
and employment,” she said.
Still, Lida Herburger, who
has been the director at LCC
Cottage Grove for about a year,
said that the direct path from
high school to college for young
people hasn’t really been the
norm here in the past, either.
She pointed out that the average
age of an LCC student is 28.
“The traditional path from
high school to college isn’t tra-
ditional anymore,” Herburger
said.
In response to the drop in en-
rollment, LCC has offered fewer
credit classes in Cottage Grove
in favor of continued educa-
tion courses that tend to appeal
to an older audience with more
disposable income, and a list of
offerings these days includes
an introduction to mime and
light sabers. A recent series on
historic preservation was well
received, Herburger said, as are
classes offered by the Booher
family of musicians on musical
improvisation.
Cottage Grove’s campus still
offers amenities that are useful
for area students taking classes
for credit, Herburger said, such
as the ability to interact with
an academic advisor, take tests
locally and utilize computer
labs. Tuition costs also tend to
be much lower than a four-year
university.
“For the surrounding commu-
nities, for a student in Dorena,
not having to drive that extra
20-plus minutes into Eugene is
a big benefi t,” she said.
But Herburger said the col-
lege has attempted to offer lots
of classes that haven’t gone over
as well as expected.
“We need a critical mass of
students to make them work,”
she said. “And the numbers
aren’t really huge. Ten or 15
students are all we would need
in some classes.”
Facing an uncertain future,
both Kuhar and Herburger said
that LCC remains committed to
its Cottage Grove campus.
“Lane is interested in working
with Cottage Grove to see what
offerings can be most benefi -
cial,” Kuhar said. “We want the
center to be vibrant, fi lled with
students. But what we do here
depends on what the community
wants.”
To that end, LCC has begun a
process of outreach to gauge the
community’s needs and wants
regarding its campus, and the
formation of an advisory com-
mittee is also underway.
“We’ve done some outreach
to the CG Chamber and other
organizations to try to fi gure out
what our niche is,” Herburger
said. “We want to see what’s out
there, what people in Cottage
Grove really want. The center in
Cottage Grove has a lot to offer,
and we want it to be a benefi t for
everybody.”
Meyers also said that the City
will remain open to the idea of
a bond to address road repairs.
The City’s general budget does
not include enough funding for
major renovations, and many of
its arterial roads that handle the
most traffi c are in terrible shape.
The gas tax that is earmarked
for road repairs barely keeps
up with basic maintenance and
cannot fund renovations, Mey-
ers said, pointing out that the
current budget will only include
about $320,000 in gas tax rev-
enue.
“The Council may be look-
ing at what the School District
and Fire District have chosen to
do lately,” Meyers said. “They
use their tax money to fi nance
their day-to-day operations, and
when they need equipment, they
do a bond to pay for it. That’s
what the Council seemed to be
saying.”
Hovet said, “In Luke 18, Jesus’
love for children is revealed. We
love our town and it’s a privi-
lege to recognize and participate
in this important service. We
are excited and praying, full of
faith that we are going to make
a positive difference and change
a child’s future for the best.”
Earlywine added, “This pro-
gram is important because it
allow us to meet the needs of a
family in crisis upstream with
intervention before a tragedy
happens.”
For additional information
or to register your interest, go
to www.Safe-Families.org, or
email AngelaA@cafeweb.com
or call 541-686-6000, ext. 870.
B UDGET
Continued from page 1A
We know your time is valuable. That's why we've invested in CEREC
technology that allows for a faster experience when you need crowns,
fillings or veneers. With CEREC, there's usually no need for a temporary
and return visit. Everything is done in one visit, in about an hour -
leaving more time for whatever is important to you.
Implants · Teeth Whitening · New State-of-the-Art Building
Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS
350 Washington, Cottage Grove
(behind Better Bodies)
942-7934
CEREC® is a registered trademark of Sirona Dental Systems.
E
R
O
T
S
E
R
WINTER HOURS:
T HURSDAY , F RIDAY & S ATURDAY
10 AM -4 PM
For Drop-off appointments,
after hours, call the offi ce
We need volunteers for the
ReStore ~ a few hours
each month! Will you help?
complaint basis, most fre-
quently in regard to the over-
growth of yards and other veg-
etation that happens in the early
summertime. The City could be
more proactive about dealing
with nuisances, particularly in
its “limbo houses,” if it hired
someone to seek out and deal
with nuisances before a com-
plaint is issued, Meyers said.
S AFE
Continued from page 8A
Church of Christ on Gibbs
Pastor Aaron Earlywine and
Cottage Grove Faith Center
Pastor Isaac Hovet were part
of the kickoff ceremony. Their
churches got excited about the
Safe Families after a 90by30
Child Abuse Prevention Initia-
tive presentation last fall.
EASTER SUNDAY
CELEBRATION
March 27, 2016
Delight Valley Church of Christ
33087 Saginaw Road East, Cottage Grove
541-942-7711
9:00-10:30am
Free Breakfast
9:00-10:30am
& After Service
Free Easter pictures
Props available,
pictures received
on the spot!
10:30-Noon-ish
Worship Service – in the Gym
11:00am-Noonish Kid’s Program – in the Chapel
Noonish
Habitat Offi ce and Warehouse
2155 Getty Circle ~ Unit #1
in the Cottage Grove Industrial Park
South on Hwy 99 past the High School
S
N
O
I
T
A
DON
S
AL WAY !
ME
O
C
L
E
W
Call 541.767.0358
for more information
Email
info@habitatcg.org
Easter Egg Hunt
(after Worship Service lets out)
Easter Egg Hunt
6,000 Candy or Toy fi lled Eggs!
Please join us.