Clarifying the horror created by the truth of statistics
Losing sleep because of low enrollment harming the College of Eastern Utah has now come to an end, thanks to an e-mail in response to my article concerning “low student enrollment” in the Feb. 8 issue.
After writing the article, “class sizes diminish with low student enrollment,” my adviser received a pointed e-mail that was half directed toward me stating I had written a “misleading” article stating that, ” … the institution is doing an analysis of class sizes to determine which programs to terminate.” I feel the CEU community deserves a response.
This archived article was written by: Benjamin Waldon
Losing sleep because of low enrollment harming the College of Eastern Utah has now come to an end, thanks to an e-mail in response to my article concerning “low student enrollment” in the Feb. 8 issue.
After writing the article, “class sizes diminish with low student enrollment,” my adviser received a pointed e-mail that was half directed toward me stating I had written a “misleading” article stating that, ” … the institution is doing an analysis of class sizes to determine which programs to terminate.” I feel the CEU community deserves a response.
The lead was not intended to imply CEU is considering firing faculty and staff due to low enrollment or small class sizes. The phrase, “Threatening the number of instructors as well as the integrity of the College of Eastern Utah, the problem of low enrollment … ” was simply written to show that a diminishing student body could eventually lead to a diminishing faculty and staff.
That being said, I would like to apologize to any instructors who believe that low enrollment causing “class sizes [to] diminish” doesn’t “threaten” them. I realize by writing the word “threaten,” some instructors think students are the reason they have a job.
Instructors, I am sorry the first paragraph in the story seemed to have pointed in your direction; I thought the phrase “as well as the integrity of the college” would have involved everyone.
I heard comments from students regarding the statement, “threatening the number of instructors as well as the integrity of the College of Eastern Utah, the problem of low enrollment … ” Comments such as “well, it’s partly true” or “well, sure, that’s the way it is but … ”
To clarify my article, the statistics were “released by Institutional Research Coordinator Kim Booth.”
Booth’s job is to compile statistics, not release the public relations information for the college. The statistics of the story are attributed to Booth. The conclusion of low enrollment and tiny class sizes “threatening the number of instructors as well as the integrity of the college,” I attribute to common sense.
Sorry Mr. Booth for the trouble created for you by using statistics. I’m feeling even more sorry for the statistics that have yet to be released.
Another comment I received stated that I “should do an article that discusses the benefits of small class size.” Thinking about it for a minute, I figured out that this was some sort of trap to bring me in the “dog house” with failing departments.
So instead of discussing small class sizes, I thought it would be best to discuss that CEU can offer students private lessons.
With 48 classes with no students enrolled and 193 with less than five, a student that attends is almost sure to get at least one class that has a one-on-one environment.
This definitely should be the focus of the PR department that CEU does not have, no worries though, I hear CEU will form the department in “September 2006.”
Setting aside satire there is a point to this article.
The phrase, “The College of Eastern Utah is Utah’s best kept secret,” I hear on a consistent basis, yet I do not see this idea reflected in some of the faculty/administration that serve this college.
For two years, I have watched constructive criticism and mere statistics move faculty/administration to fight against each other to solve problems. Almost as if two infected people were fighting over who caused their disease, yet neither doing the best to find a cure.
At this point it is worse than that, some of the faculty/administration have moved to pointing their failures at the students, which for some, are their only success.
As I called for ASCEU to make a move for a better school last year, this year I call for the faculty/administration to make a giant step forward and boost not only the image, but also the quality of work within the college.
I am not sure if anyone noticed that the FTE enrollment was 962 students on January 9, 2007, but this sure isn’t because everyone is maintaining and doing their work excellently.
The time is now to work together, to discuss issues not only as human beings, but also as adults who learn from failure. The enrollment statistics published should be and are meant to be a motivating factor among the administration and faculty.
Solutions should be made because of accurate statistical accusations, not arguments. CEU does not have much time to make an action to combat low enrollment with the full time enrolled student number dropping by hundreds each year.
Students create, build, maintain and if not cared for correctly can destroy a college. I believe it is obvious and relevant that low enrollment and tiny class sizes is not a great asset. This is only one of many statistical articles that need to be examined for further solution finding concerning the growth of CEU.
Avoid the diseased fight that you are fighting faculty/administration and take a step forward to cure the failure of low enrollment that plagues this college.
