Over the past few years, it has been difficult to walk across campus without seeing freshly poured concrete, construction crews or wet paint. From the Student Recreation Center to Allen Hall, the University has experienced several new additions. This fall will witness yet another addition, although it won’t come in the form of bricks, but rather bodies.
The size of the 2001 freshman class is expected to exceed 3,200 students. Combined with an increase in transfer students, overall University enrollment this fall will be more than 18,000. Enrollment last fall was 17,843 students.
“We’re delighted at the level of freshman interest this year, which we believe speaks to the quality of programs here at the UO,” said University Director of Admissions Martha Pitts.
Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management James Buch said administrators knew in March that enrollment would rise after the University received a higher number of admissions applications.
“Growth is good, because it stabilizes the budget,” said Buch. “It provides a challenge, but a welcomed challenge.”
Scheduling popular freshman classes such as writing, math and languages is one of these challenges, Buch said.
A new three-term program will start this fall to accommodate students for Writing 121. In the past, freshman classes were split, with one half of all freshmen allowed to take the course in the fall and the other in the winter.
This year, students with last names beginning with T-Z will have to wait until spring term to take their first writing class. Students with last names beginning with A-M will be allowed to register for the fall term. For winter term, class space will be reserved for those students with the last names from N-S, Buch said.
He said the main reason for the change is that writing classes are limited to only 25 students. To handle the increase in students, 15 new writing teachers have been hired and existing professors will be teaching more.
The same situation exists with language courses. The Romance languages department has already scheduled three additional courses for this fall, said the department’s graduate secretary, Sandra Stewart.
“It is really hard to have a large language class when their grade is based on participation,” she said, referring to the 28-student cap placed on freshman language courses.
Also because of the large influx of new students, SAT scores will be used instead of University-administered tests to place students in math classes. Students with scores of 550 and above on the math portion of the SAT will be automatically placed in Math 111 or Math 105. Scores below 550 will warrant placement in Math 095.
“The new system is more efficient,” Buch said. “There should be no change in class size, though.”
For the first time in five years, the University residence halls will be at full capacity, University Housing Director Mike Eyster said. Because of this, he said, students planning to move into a fraternity or sorority house will be temporarily placed in the lounges of several halls.
Eyster added that students seeking permanent housing may be put up in local hotels for the first few weeks of fall term.
Returning students will also feel some changes.
A new classroom schedule protocol is being put into effect that calls for more classes to be scheduled earlier in the morning and later in the afternoon.
“We certainly have enough classrooms, but need to broaden the timetable,” Buch said.
Currently, classrooms are full from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Before and after the middle of the day, space isn’t being used, he said.
This means all students, incoming and returning, could have trouble avoiding that 8 a.m. class in the future, but more options will exist for evening classes. With Gilbert Hall expected to be closed this spring for renovation and a possible enrollment of more than 19,000 in 2002-2003, Buch stressed the importance of the new protocol and using classroom space more efficiently.
The increased enrollment is part of the University’s long-range plan for growth over the coming years, he said. In addition to physical improvements such as the Gilbert Hall renovation, expansion of the learning community and academic advising programs is also planned.
University officials believe the growth in enrollment is a strong indication of the University’s growing national reputation. Compared to other flagship public schools across the nation, the University is still quite small, Buch said, noting that is what makes it so attractive.
“UO is a wonderful place,” he said. “We offer a smaller institution with the depth and breadth of a major school.”
ASUO President Nilda Brooklyn said the growth in enrollment is a sign that more students are able to access higher education, but added that she hopes the state Legislature recognizes the possible strain the greater number of students will put on an already underfunded education system.
“With the larger enrollment, higher education should not be a side issue and must be a priority,” Brooklyn said.
Other students question the increase in enrollment. “It damages the prestige of the University,” senior journalism and political science major Janette Sherman said. “The beauty of our school is the ability to get personal attention, and if you start letting everybody in, it ruins that.”
University prepares to accommodate influx of new students
Daily Emerald
September 16, 2001
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