Community sits out HSU enrollment forum By Matt Kapko Eye Reporter The Arcata Eye November 4, 2003 A public forum on the enrollment ceiling at Humboldt State University was met with a bleak turnout from community members and residents. County, City and university officials maintained a large presence, while most others were directly involved in the planning aspect. Officials delayed on opening the meeting last Wednesday as they hoped and waited for some late arrivals. Eventually it began with minimal community involvement. The meeting did, however, include perspectives from the City, county and the university and its Strategic Planning Steering Committee. The committee is holding a series of meetings under the charge of HSU President Rollin Richmond to revise the university’s Strategic Plan. Of those issues being addressed is the enrollment ceiling at HSU. Formulae used to determine the actual number of students for the purposes of capital planning are convoluted, if not abstruse to the uninitiated. While the current enrollment of full time equivalent (FTE) students at HSU is 7,100, only 6,000 are counted against the enrollment ceiling of 8,000. Rick Vrem, provost and vice president of academic affairs, explained that summer students and those only enrolled in discussion and lecture courses are not counted in the numbers used against the ceiling. Overall the enrollment at HSU has been growing at a rate of one to one-and-a-half percent for the past two years, Vrem said. "This is a long-term plan," Richmond said in his address to the sparse audience. The university is looking ahead 30 years and trying to find the best balance between growth and maintaining the pleasures of the community, he said. He restated the huge budget cuts the CSU system is suffering from and thinks the cuts levied against HSU are the most drastic in the entire system. Although the budget is a debilitating factor in many ways for the university, Richmond continues to push for HSU’s potential to create more economic growth in the region. "Education is an important economic driver for Humboldt County," he said. The lack of community resources available for students to gain experience they seek in their field is a concern for Richmond. He sees HSU as a having a significant ability to improve those conditions. "America is changing," he said. "California is at the vanguard of the changes happening in this society." The university is keeping many issues under consideration as it considers its future growth. Capital resources for campus expansion, parking, housing and student services are among the highest concerns. Richmond maintains that the community sense will be first in mind when deciding the enrollment ceiling. City perspective Transportation is the City’s largest concern with increased enrollment at HSU, said Tom Conlon, Arcata’s director of community development. "The university is an integral part of the City," he said, calling HSU "one of our community’s most important assets." Coming as somewhat of surprise, Conlon said, the City isn’t expecting the need for more housing with the current growth rates at HSU. Left unsaid, however, was how increased growth at HSU could prompt further strain on the City’s housing limits. It appears there is a consensus among the City and county in expecting further student housing development to extend into unincorporated areas such as McKinleyville or cities with room for expansion such as Eureka. County perspective Third District Supervisor John Woolley made clear that growth at HSU causes impacts that go beyond the City of Arcata. "HSU is the economic engine of Humboldt County," Woolley said. He explained this as a unique time to discuss growth collaboratively, with the county currently under the process of updating its General Plan. "At least we can be in linkage to each other and plan for that," he said. In the end, "The county is woefully underfunded," Woolley said. His hope is to see kids who grow up in the region and attend HSU have the ability and opportunity to get a job in the local area. Kirk Girard, the county’s director of Community Development Services, said the enrollment ceiling will have a direct impact on the county’s population. "Everybody loves Humboldt – particularly the quality of life – across all political spectrums," Girard said. The county’s population has been growing at a rate of 0.95 percent since 1995. Between 1985 and 1995, the rate fluctuated from 1 to 2 percent. Although some state agencies expect growth to drop to 0.7 percent, the county is planning for an additional 17,000 people over the next 25 to 30 years, Girard said. Because of this, one of the county’s main concerns is with housing, as it expects the need for 3,000 to 5,000 more housing units over this period. In 1984, 86 percent of the county’s population could afford an average property. That number has dropped to a dismal 35 percent today. "The whole California phenomenon has taken roost in Humboldt," Girard said. "It’s gonna have tremendous ramifications." Another impediment to future housing is that only 10 percent of the county’s land is available for development, Girard said. No exact numbers have been provided for a new enrollment ceiling at HSU, however the committee is expected to provide some options to Richmond in the coming months. A graph has been prepared of different growth scenarios varying in annual growth rates from 1 to 2 percent. At 1 percent, the current ceiling of 8,000 FTEs will be reached in 2032. At 1.5 percent it will be reached in 2020, and at 2 percent it will be surpassed sometime in 2015. More HSU enrollment information is available at www.humboldt.edu/~planning/committee/celing.php. Home