Texas State enrollment expected to increase

By Jasmyne Douglas, Writing for Mass Media Student

The enrollment for Texas State University is expected to have a record or near-record increase again this year, as it has for the past 16 years.

Last year, the university set a new record with a total enrollment of 35,568 students for the 2013 fall semester. Students like senior José Sanchez say the university should continue to grow.

“Just because it’s a university,” Sanchez said. “I feel like every university needs to grow…just so they can get more recognition.”

The increase in population also saw an expansion of racial and ethnic diversity in the university. Last year, Hispanic enrollment increased by 12 percent and African American enrollment increased by 30 percent. Student Lucas Blanchard says he’s noticed an increase in diversity on campus among other things.

“I feel like the university is trying to get more students involved through student organizations, which I am a huge fan of since I’m the VP of the Texas State Gearheads,” Blanchard said. “I’ve also seen diversity expand through the years by seeing and meeting students with a variety of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.”

Some students, like junior Ehsan Arami, believe the rise in population will have a negative effect on professor-to-student ratios.

“I think it should continue to grow, but it should also continue to grow with faculty and staff members as well so that the availability stays even,” Arami said. “Having one-on-one tutoring with professors and having a relationship with them isn’t as available as it used to be.”

Parking and living arrangements for on-campus and off-campus students have been a problem in recent years. Consumer Affairs major Jacoree Brooks believes the increase in population will only add to the issue.

“They already had to do things like opening up Bobcat Village for people who live on campus to park,” Brooks said. “They are going to have to build so many more apartments and parking.”

Others, like senior Michael Schatz, find the limited amount of parking on campus for students that commute unfair.

“There used to be 600 parking spots over there (by Speck Parking Garage) for commuters and now they are tearing it down for more on-campus dorm living,” Schatz said. “I don’t think it’s fair to commuters that they are taking away parking spots. That’s 600 parking spots that people can use and now they have to allocate towards Jowers parking lot and the Stadium parking lot.”