Because of fluctuations in university enrollment during this time,
it is useful to look at the ratio of welfare students to total
enrollment. Welfare students constituted between 4.5 and 5.5
percent of all students from 1994 to 1997, but less than 3 percent
by 1998 (Figure 2). Despite an increase of 4.6 percent in total
enrollment between 1997 and 1998, the percentage of welfare
students fell 33 percent. From 1997 to 1998, the welfare caseload
in Spokane County fell 20 percent. There are many reasons for
the lower caseload, but it should be clear that this reduction is not
sufficient to explain the faster decline in welfare students at EWU.