Washington Administrative Code › Title 131 - Community and Technical Colleges, Board for › Chapter 131-32 - Educational services › Section 131-32-040 - Dissemination of course and enrollment information

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) For the purposes of this section,
			 "recruitment" is defined as information and activities which attempt to
			 persuade potential students to attend a certain college -- information used to
			 compete for enrollment. "Information" is defined as the factual description of
			 course availabilities, enrollment requirements, and college characteristics.
			 However, excessive dissemination of what would otherwise be construed as
			 legitimate course and enrollment information is viewed as competition or
			 recruitment.
(2) In general, it is
			 not the policy of the community and technical colleges to compete with each
			 other or with other institutions of higher education for enrollment. It is the
			 general policy of the community and technical colleges to inform the citizens
			 of their districts of the programs and services available to them.
(3) The Community and Technical College Act
			 (RCW
			   28B.50.020)  requires the college system to
			 offer educational service "to every citizen." Traditional methods of informing
			 potential students -- i.e., communication with high school counselors and
			 students -- reach only a small proportion of the potential enrollment, less
			 than fifteen percent a year. In order to reach the rest of their potential
			 student body -- which is essentially the adult population at large -- community
			 and technical colleges utilize mass media dissemination, principally of
			 quarterly course announcements.
(4)
			 Mass dissemination of unsolicited course and enrollment information shall be
			 held within district boundaries except where postal and media distribution
			 patterns prohibit. Exceptions include regional activities such as fairs, high
			 school-college days, and public exhibits in which the college is invited to
			 participate. It is appropriate for a community or technical college to make
			 known to the citizens of its district courses and programs offered exclusively
			 by neighboring districts.
(5) It is
			 appropriate to provide each adult citizen in the district with course and
			 enrollment information once during each quarter on an unsolicited basis. In
			 heavily populated areas, budgetary considerations may rule out such total
			 distribution. Quarterly course announcements should be prepared and distributed
			 in a way that provides the best balance between minimum cost and maximum
			 dissemination of course information to district citizens. However,
			 dissemination of such announcements at college expense to persons other than
			 those requesting them shall be limited to one of the following methods:
Mailing to district boxholders (direct mail)
Newspaper advertisement
Newspaper insert
Other method of mass distribution
It may be appropriate for one district to disseminate quarterly
				course announcements to boxholders or recipients of newspaper inserts residing
				in other districts. Such arrangements shall not take place until both districts
				have agreed to the arrangement in writing.
(6) News releases and free public service
			 announcements are an appropriate method of calling attention to new programs or
			 to space availability in existing courses and programs. Public service
			 announcements and news releases shall not be sent to media outside the college
			 district except in those areas where more than one institution is served by the
			 same primary media.
(7)
			 Publications which provide factual information on specific instructional
			 programs, on special programs or on special services provide an efficient
			 method of responding to inquiries from potential students. Their unsolicited
			 dissemination shall be limited to the district of origin.
(8) Districts may purchase advertising to
			 provide supplementary course and registration announcements when it can be
			 demonstrated that paid advertising is more cost-effective than other methods.
			 In areas where media serve more than one college district, colleges should give
			 preference to pooled advertisements rather than individual college
			 advertisements to attract enrollment. Paid advertising shall not be placed with
			 media outside the college district except in areas where more than one
			 institution is served by the same primary news media.
(9) Where community and technical college
			 districts overlap, the colleges shall plan and implement the dissemination of
			 course and enrollment information so as to avoid unnecessary competition with
			 each other and with adjacent districts for potential students. Issues arising
			 from the process will be adjudicated under the provisions of the regional
			 planning agreement specified by
			 RCW
			   28B.50.215.
(10) In the event that state-funded
			 enrollments are generated through interdistrict recruiting efforts that are
			 contrary to the provisions of this section, the operating budget allocation of
			 the intruding district may be adjusted by action of the state board. Budget
			 allocation adjustments shall be determined by deducting funding attributable to
			 enrollments generated by activities contrary to this section. The state board
			 shall take into consideration the number of interdistrict enrollments that
			 reasonably could have been expected to occur regardless of the interdistrict
			 recruiting effort. At the request of either district that is party to an
			 interdistrict recruiting dispute, the state board shall hold a hearing on the
			 issues at dispute. The hearing will be held under the provisions of WAC
			 131-08-007. The board as a result
			 of such hearings may approve a settlement that contains alternatives to the
			 provisions of this section.
Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				  28B.50.060,
				  28B.50.090,
				  28B.50.140(11)
				  and 28B.50.215. 92-13-020 (Order 138,
				  Resolution No. 92-05-23), §
										131-32-040, filed 6/8/92,
				  effective 7/9/92. Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				    28B.50.090(11) and
				  28B.50.060. 86-22-028 (Order 112,
				  Resolution No. 86-45), §
										131-32-040, filed
				  10/30/86.