Freshman surge frustrates upperclassmen

Rana Harvey
Columnist

The surge of 3,800 freshmen students has sent ripples of both excitement and pressure throughout campus. Upperclassmen welcomed the vast array of freshman with open arms, only to later question VCU’s lack of preparation.

Why? Because the unexpectedly large amount of freshmen has so strained VCU’s resources, especially in relation to housing, that it has left upperclassmen frustrated and inconvenienced.

This year, freshmen have moved into the upperclassmen residency halls, leading them to occupy over half of VCU’s total housing capacity. As a result, upperclassmen are being encouraged to move into off-campus apartments or commute, and RAs are being asked to share their rooms with residents. Everywhere we turn, upperclassmen are being pushed aside to accommodate freshmen. Needless to say, this should not be.

Although it may seem and actually be an extremely trivial issue, one of the joys of being an upperclassmen is the freedom from freshmen, those students experiencing their first year of freedom from home and the supervision of their parents. Upperclassmen housing better allows for serious students to live in an academic, mature environment.

VCU housing has always been a prevalent issue, but this new strain could also lead to a new trend for a number of availability-based resources, including class sizes, financial aid efficiency and various other university services.

VCU’s total enrollment is down from last year, so plain numbers are not the issue. The fact that the increase comes from freshmen, however, does impact the allotment of resources.

Aside from their sheer numbers, this year’s freshmen have a truly unique quality. With 47 percent of the class of 2015 identifying as minorities, they add to the cultural diversity that VCU is often praised for. If we are able to take full advantage of VCU’s influx of freshmen and improve our graduation rates, tuition could decrease for the entire student body. With time and patience, the freshman class could truly make a positive difference.

The freshmen here are arguably better accommodated than on other campuses, but their size has made their presence daunting.

Upperclassmen have been neglected and resources overused. VCU should increase the resources geared toward freshmen – such as faculty, dorms, and classes – to increase efficiency and avoid these problems in the future. There needs to be a more concrete effort by the recruitment office to predict these influxes of students. And if not, VCU should expect even more stress on its resources and increasingly intolerant upperclassmen.

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