00:00:07.82  >> I think the main reason why our students are dropping out is because they don't know what to expect from college. And for one thing, our brochures promise too much.
00:00:14.88  >> It's especially hard for non-traditional students to stay in school. They have so many other responsibilities pulling at them.
00:00:21.43  >> Well, maybe we should simply redo the brochure so it's not so glitzy, not so unrealistic. I mean, let's just tell it like it is.
00:00:28.12  >> Most schools like us who have a lot of commuters also provide some type of child care. That would be very helpful to the non-traditional students with kids.
00:00:35.18  >> We also need a more realistic orientation program. One that ran the entire first semester would help solve some of our student-retention problems.
00:00:41.20  >> Do you have any idea how much a center like that would cost?
00:00:43.93  >> You mean for a continuing-orientation program?
00:00:46.13  >> No, no. I'm talking about child care.
00:00:47.94  >> Okay, hold on, everybody. It's no wonder we're getting so confused here. We're all talking about different things. Let's just focus on why we're having a retention problem. That's our agenda here. I think a big reason is because students don't know what to expect from college.
00:01:01.48  >> That's true, Sean. Our freshmen are really unrealistic about what it takes to do well in college. But it's not just them. Our non-traditional students don't understand how much time and energy is consumed by taking courses.
00:01:13.25  >> You're absolutely right, Suzanne. We have a high percentage of non-traditional students. Most of them work, have kids, mortgage payments, and lots of other obligations. Once they enroll, they find it hard to add one more thing like school to the mix.
00:01:25.05  >> I agree with both of you. Once non-traditional students do find that they've overextended themselves, they are reluctant to ask for help, or they just don't know where to go.
00:01:32.43  >> That's also true for our freshmen, Jeff -- especially the first semester, when we lose 40% of them. We cover student services during summer orientation, but it doesn't mean anything to them at that point.
00:01:43.08  >> Right. And our exit interviews suggest that these dropouts feel that they have no support groups on campus.
00:01:48.43  >> So, an ongoing-orientation program and some specific services to help reduce the pressures might help with student retention. For example, maybe offering a short-term loan program, short-term counseling, and maybe even a child-care facility of some kind.