Paul F. Davis丨Managing Editor
It’s no secret that Western Oregon has recently struggled with maintaining and gaining new students. Doing a little bit of research on Western’s website any person can stumble upon data that says it all: since fall of 2010, Western has lost more than one thousand students. In total, Western has lost 17 percent of peak enrollment even though the state of Oregon’s total number of students in undergrad programs have trended upwards in the same period according to Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
But what is even more concerning is that Western’s graduation rate has trended down as well from 46.5 percent to 39 percent. For some perspective, the state average is 63.2 percent. So not only is Western not getting as many students, but they are also not getting as many students through college with a degree. This statistic naturally raises the question — why is this happening?
At first glance the biggest factor which seems to have crippled Western’s attendance is the Oregon Promise, the biggest drop in attendance corresponded with its passing, which is “a state grant that helps cover tuition at any Oregon community college for recent high school graduates and GED test graduate,” according to the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission. But since The Oregon Promise’s creation its promise has continually weakened to the point that it would be more accurately called the Oregon Support Promise.
Another secret that everyone knows but no one talks about is that Monmouth is more boring than your grandmother’s figurine convention by big city standards. Monmouth lacks the food and leisure options a university in a larger town would have. So majority of first-years go home over the weekend because there is so little to do. Because of this, they don’t spend time making friends with the people that surround them that are essential to creating connection to the university.
In addition to the lack of connection, there is a lack of gainful employment, something that is absolutely necessary for a majority of students to take care of the minimum costs associated with existing and attending college full time. So often students have to export their work outside of Polk county, which requires a student to drive at least 20 minutes — but often further — to get to Salem, Keizer, Corvallis or even further which not only decreases the students overall take home money, but it also takes up precious free time.
But Western isn’t just an innocent victim, it has institutional wide shortcomings that clearly need to change. The classes are not monitored for quality in an effective way. Yes, the institution asks students to review professors at the end of the term, but it is so easy to neglect the reviews. Make it so each student has to review professors before students can sign up for next term’s classes if you really want to get the full picture.
Professors also have no peers reviewing their classes for student participation and quality of instruction. Because of this there are times where it is completely okay for a professor to arrive to class with nothing but a voice and few notes to jot down on the board. Tenure and Head of Department titles aside, challenge your professors to do more than just repeat a presentation that they made seven years ago. Challenge them to be more; challenge them to be better because the university needs it.
This was not written to say Western is doomed — this was written out of love for the institution and the amazing experiences a person can have while attending school here. That’s why I want Western, faculty and students both, to actually hear these problems in the hope that we together can find a solution. Because at the rate Western is losing students, if changes aren’t made then there may not be enough students to pay to turn the lights on.
Contact the author at pfdavis14@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of London Illustrated News
