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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 2019)
NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2019 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 Enrollment declines at BMCC By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER A n enrollment rise had administrators at Blue Mountain Community College feeling hopeful before the start of the term, but that increase has since been replaced with a decline. “Things looked pretty good in late July,” BMCC President Dennis Bailey-Fougnier said in a recent report. “By September, new enrollments had completely dropped off.” The reason for the drop is uncer- tain as of now, according to interim Vice President of Student Affairs Bruce Clemetsen. “We can’t put our fi nger on what happened,” he said. For two weeks in late summer, enrollment sat at a notable high, he said. In late August, there was a 5% increase in full-time equivalent enrollment. But into the fi nal week of fall term at BMCC, the headcount stood at 2,356 students compared with 2,750 students at the same time a year ago. The headcount, which rep- resents the number of students taking classes, has increased a bit since then, but full-time equivalent enrollment — which indicates how many hours of classes are being taken — remains down 6% from a year ago. “I can say we’ve noticed the declines in the amount of students enrolling in early college credits,” Staff photo by Ben Lonergan After touting improved enrollment prior to fall term, Blue Mountain Community College ended up experiencing a 6% drop in full-time equivalent enrollment since this time last year. BMCC attributed the positive early numbers to students who began, but may not have fi nished, the enrollment process. BMCC is looking into what factors may be responsible for the overall drop. Clemetsen added. In response, the community college has been making calls to degree-seeking students to ensure they’ll register for winter term. Clemetsen added some students might initially register for classes but not follow through on the whole process. Registration for winter term closes on Jan. 10, according to the school’s website. “There are a number of students that might wait to see what their grades from the fall term are, and then they’ll register,” Clemetsen said. Some of those students may have their tuition funded by a third party, like a relative or employer, and funds may be contingent on satisfactory grades. The college is also strategizing ways to increase full-time equiv- alency by encouraging students already registered to take on more credits. And while the drop hits cam- pus, there’s a 24% spike in full- time equivalent enrollment for GED classes from last year, Clem- etsen said. “I know the folks involved in that program have really been get- ting out there to help people regis- ter,” he said. “That’s a plus.” This November, unemploy- ment in Oregon fell below 4% for the fi rst time since the late 1970s, according to the Oregon Depart- ment of Employment and has held historical lows for the past three years. But with that comes a decline in the number of people interested in signing up for community col- lege, Clemetsen said, which can affect the total headcount of stu- dents each year. “At the same time, students can fi nd employment which may reduce how many credits they’re taking,” he added. Keeping full-time equivalent up doesn’t just mean fi lling the hall- ways with people excited to learn. It matters fi nancially, too. According to recent documents, tuition makes up about 28% of BMCC’s funding resources this school year. State funding is affected too. This year, the school identifi ed a projected 3% decrease in state funding, in part due to full-time enrollment numbers, from the last three years compared to the state average. “What we’re trying to watch is if we’re above the growth or shrinkage rate statewide,” Clem- etsen said. “We’re not too far away from the average.” Hermiston City Hall remains closed after fi re By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER Hermiston City Hall will be closed to the public through the end of January, following a Dec. 17 furnace fi re that left the Northeast Second Street building with smoke damage throughout the building and fi re dam- age to the HVAC system. Until cleanup is com- plete, according to a press release from the city, most staff will be housed in the Hermiston Build- ing Department, 215 E. Gladys Ave., across the street from the city hall building. Phone calls will be rerouted to employees’ new locations. “As we have had the Staff photo by Kathy Aney Fire engines sit at the ready last week while fi refi ghters check out the interior of Hermiston City Hall. City offi cials say the building will be closed through the end of January because of smoke damage. ability to do a more exten- sive look in to the damage, it has become clear that the cleanup and repairs will not be as simple as originally planned,” Mark Morgan, assistant city manager, said in a statement. “We’re deal- ing with how to retro-fi t repairs to building-wide systems in to a concrete structure that was built over 50 years ago.” City hall staff evacu- ated the building Dec. 17 after there were numerous reports of smoke coming from the vents inside. Crews from Umatilla County Fire District 1 remained on scene for at least two hours that day, according to Fire Marshall Scott Goff, for an “unknown failure in one of the heating appliances.” Goff added a fi re was contained within a heating unit in the building, and the resulting smoke caused the majority of the issues that are keeping city hall closed. “The fi re department did a really good job of get- ting to city hall quickly and knocking out the fi re,” Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith said. “We’re all thankful for their response.” The furnace dates back to the building’s construc- tion in 1965, according to the press release. It will need to be replaced. Water, sewer and gar- bage bills can be paid online at hermiston.or.us, and in-person payments for Hermiston Energy Services can be made at the Umatilla Electric Cooperative, 750 W. Elm Ave. May Your Holidays be Merry & BRIGHT BUT ALSO ENERGY EFFICIENT... Ask about ways to save on your energy bill through UEC’s energy efficiency rebate and loan programs.Visit our website for detailed information on all your cooperative membership benefits. PET OF THE W EEK Henry is a 3 legged sweet and active boy who needs a family that can keep up with him. He is good around submissive dogs, not good with cats. He does chew on things if bored, so he needs a release of his energy. Fence required. www.UmatillaElectric.com HENRY Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA Small and Large Animal Care Mon: 8-6 Tue - Fri: 8-5 Sat: 8-12 Emergency Service 541.567.1138 MEET 80489 Hwy 395 N Hermiston www.oregontrailvet.com PLACE YOUR AD HERE! Contact Audra at 541.564.4538 Today! If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838 Hermiston Office 750 W. Elm Ave. Hermiston, OR 97838 (541) 567-6414 Boardman Office 400 N.E. Eldrige Drive Boardman, OR 97818 (541) 481-2220 To Report An Outage Call 888-465-5701 day or night
