What happens when reasons run out?

By Lauren Leone

Every person reading this is likely invested in this institution one way or another, and regardless of what category they fall under — alumni, students or faculty — they have the right to know how things are stacking up.

This semester marks the lowest enrollment count SIUC has seen in nearly 40 years, but some university administrators believe this should not be discussed.

When a Daily Egyptian reporter requested to see the university’s 10-day enrollment numbers Tuesday, Chancellor Rita Cheng directed the reporter to a university press release, which predominantly mentioned areas of increase.

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Cheng told the Daily Egyptian that the full report is not usually publicly released, and said it is not something she sees other institutions giving out either.

SIUC’s enrollment stands at 18,442, or 322 fewer students compared to the spring 2011 semester.

Instead of providing transparency and admitting their struggles each semester, university administrators continuously provide new or recycled excuses for the decline.

While the Daily Egyptian editorial board understands that it’s important for SIUC to remain competitive with other universities, we believe there are more effective ways to recruit students, and sweeping statistics under the rug is not one of them.

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