Show Enrollment soars at Main Street Stephen S. S Deseret Morning News The temporary banner still hanging outside of Salt Lake Community Colleges College's Main Street Center which reopened last fall isn't a sign the campus in downtown downtown downtown down down- town Salt Lake City is foundering Student enrollment keeps going up with the likes of Ethan Loveless who 23 is taking an introductory film class that he says on any other campus would be held in a crowded auditorium He likes the one-on-one one attention at Main Street Center r- r Its just really convenient if youre you're working downtown Loveless said about to unlock his bicycle for a quick trip to his job Sisters Hollie Teeter 24 and Teeter 26 are taking an introduction to drawing class They often take UTA's train to school They're impressed by how many classrooms has at this location Like Loveless they also like being close to work For whatever reason more and more students are headed downtown Early this year enrollment at S. S Main was about before 2005 enrollment never topped Now chairs are filled in classrooms with fewer than 20 students and sometimes fewer than 10 students per instructor But all is not well as searches for someone to rent square feet of space on the ground level and in the basement lost its renter the Museum of Utah Art and History last spring when problems surfaced with the lease Were probably losing money but our enrollment has really really really really real real- ly helped said Larry Landward director of the Main Street Center The museum had entered into a year 50 lease with without an escape clause The State Board of Regents which oversees public higher education education education edu edu- cation wanted to renegotiate ate a lease that would allow to break a contract with the museum museum museum muse muse- um if the school one day needed the space That was kind of a sticking point for the museum said Dave Buhler Utah System of Higher Main Street Cont on Page 10 T r a i q 11 y r y r r- r WI J WIt 3 t z z CD r 1 41 atC at C r c ck o cm Ii m CD k Lf t g CD ti I x f N Main Street Cont from front Education associate commissioner commissioner commissioner com com- missioner of public affairs You dont don't want to tie up state-owned state space forever things may change for forthe forthe forthe the college consequently returned four months of rent the cost was 8 per square foot to the museum museum museum muse muse- um which will remain only a neighbor occupying the two buildings to the south of Landward recently said negotiations are under way to bring in a new renter He said a new more permanent sign for out front may come after a new renter for the first floor and basement is secure In the meantime word of mouth convenience access to from trains more course offerings 76 76 total up from 26 classes in in January and free parking are all adding up tip p to more students here officials this year also moved the paralegal department to the downtown downtown downtown down down- town location which added about students according according according accord accord- ing to Landward He said last January that enrollment at his campus could one day reach 2500 Prior to the fall of 2004 was in a costly lease at the Main Street Center and the building was deemed unsafe and in need of renovation The campus had been open a year before being forced to close in the fall of 2003 officials received permission to opt out of the lease and purchase the building for 46 million made seismic upgrades to the building and renovated the inside i i b before reit it reopened r rJ q Zi tl J f rs l s J. J I 0 1 i 4 t 1 i f g J j i Hf 1 I. I it I ir i t j I |