Last semester, President Stanton decided to close the ETSU of Bristol campus because of the budget crisis. Now ETSU at Bristol is more in Bristol than ever – holding classes at the Slater Community Center.
“We appreciate the city of Bristol stepping up and offering the facility for our use,” said Dr. Rick Osborn, vice provost for academic support and public service division of cross-disciplinary studies in the School of Continuing Studies.The decision to use the Slater Center on 325 McDowell Street was made final just before Christmas break, Osborn said.
The change of venue has been positive in some ways, says Dr. Norma MacRae, ETSU vice provost for Academic Support and Public Service and dean of Continuing Studies. The Slater Center is charging a $1,300 fee per semester to compensate for the extended hours of security guards, she said. The fee presents a huge savings when compared to the $132,000 per year leasing cost at the previous campus on 1227 Volunteer Parkway, MacRae said.
Slater Center houses the city’s senior citizens center and is used for police training, Osborn said, and it is equipped with the necessary space and equipment to hold classes.
“It is a former public school, so it has classrooms,” Osborn said. “It is handicapped accessible and has an elevator.”
The Bristol campus had a student lounge, computer lab, kitchen and meeting room, which was much more space than the Slater Center, MacRae said.
When they heard that the Bristol Center was closing, many students began feeling anxious about the upcoming term, Osborn said. Plus, there aren’t any full-time ETSU staff members available to assists students at the Slater Center.
“They were used to having a center where they could still get help with things but [now] it’s not as convenient,” Osborn said. “Since then, the students I’ve talked to seem to understand the situation and they are happy that they can continue to take classes there, which is our goal.”
“It’s nice that we can still have classes in Bristol,” said human development major Lindsey Carter.
Although Carter said she likes the convenience of the Slater Center being near her home, she preferred the old campus. “It is really hard to find people [at the Slater Center] if you have any questions,” she said.
Adult student Suzy Tidwell was distraught to hear that the Bristol campus would be closing. “I cried all the way home,” Tidwell said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. The only reason I went to ETSU was because they had the Bristol campus.”
Tidwell was relieved, she said, to learn that classes would be offered at the Slater Center and online.
Since the Bristol site no longer has a computer lab, some computers and LCD projectors have been transferred from the original Bristol campus to the Slater Center and other equipment is being used at the Johnson City campus, Osborn said. “The Slater Center is kind of viewed as temporary,” Osborn said. “Until we have more of a permanent location, I don’t see us being able to install a computer lab.”
The Bristol community offered help. The local YWCA, a few blocks from the Slater Center, is allowing students and trainees access to their computer lab, Osborn said.
The loss of technology is a concern for some faculty and students, while others do not see it as a problem.
“I feel like the Bristol campus is not prepared for the same level of learning that the main campus of ETSU provides,” said Matthew Wilkins, a graduate student teaching a section of Fitness for Life at the Slater Center. “Technology is a major part of learning today and I feel like students in Bristol are not given the same quality educational experience.”
Tidwell, an undeclared major, is satisfied with the technology available in her English class at the Slater Center, she said.
Despite the lack of space and computers, about 19 classes are being held at the Slater Center this term, fewer than last year’s schedule at the Bristol Center. Streaming courses make up the difference, MacRae said. Several cohort programs and general education courses are being offered at the Slater Center such as U.S. History since 1877, Introduction to Philosophy and Cultural Diversity. Enrollment for classes varies between 12 and 15 students, Osborn said. Previously, the Bristol campus offered more daytime classes, but since Bristol tends to have non-traditional, working students, evening classes are more appealing and have a higher enrollment rate, MacRae said.
Some classes, such as Introduction to Sociology, were canceled because of low enrollment or there was not a good place to offer them, MacRae said. A basic computer course, CSCI 1100, was canceled because a computer lab is required to conduct it, Osborn said. Instructional television courses cannot be broadcast to the new Bristol site, so the staff at the Office of E-Learning suggested an alternative – streaming ITV courses. Accessed through the Codian Bridge system, students log in and attend ITV classes conducted on the main campus live through any computer with Internet access.
Even though the streaming courses keep students from driving to the main campus, Osborn worries about those who do not have access to a high Internet connection that is needed to watch the classes, he said. “I’ve even thought about trying to round up some laptops for students to check out at the Slater Center if they are having a problem,” Osborn said.
Although the Slater Community Center has been accommodating this semester, it is not likely to become a permanent location. “I don’t think we can impose on their generosity forever,” Osborn said.
One idea for a new location is moving to a building in downtown Bristol, but Osborn said that will all depend on ETSU’s budget situation. “They want us there and we want to be there,” he said, “so I believe we will get something worked out.

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