Spring Break
UConn Copes With Overcrowding
Alyse Taub
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: News
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, increasing college enrollment is becoming a nation-wide trend, and it's no different here at UConn. According to data from UConn's Office of Institutional Research (OIR), UConn's undergraduate population at Storrs has increased by 18.94 percent between fall 2000 and fall 2006.
The growth is due in large part to UConn 2000, a $1 billion, 10 year plan that started in 1995 to increase both the quantity and quality of UConn students both in-state and out-of-state. An expansion made in 2002, called 21st Century UConn for an additional $1.3 billion over another 10 years is responsible for the population growth as well.
Although UConn's administration is quick to explain that the increase is a positive step for the UConn student community, some students are feeling the growing pains when it comes to the class scheduling process. They're finding classes they want are closed, and subsequently take classes they don't want just because they're available.
"I wanted to take some psychology classes, but they're all 200-level and were reserved for juniors and seniors," said Jill Karbinos, a 3rd semester psychology major.
According to Steve Jarvi, assistant vice provost and director of ACES, the students who experience the most frustration with the registration process are those who completed their general education requirements but are not yet in their major, so it is difficult to get into 200-level classes.
"Those students should consider electives and exploring their other interests," Jarvi said. "They should also look at it as a positive opportunity, not a negative."
Jeff von Munkwitz-Smith, the university registrar, emphasizes that not every student gets every class that they want and students need to make a distinction between what classes they need and what classes they want.
"Taking classes you don't specifically want isn't a bad thing," von Munkwitz-Smith said. "When I was an undergraduate, I had trouble with my schedule as well. I ended up taking a Religious Studies class, really liked it, and majored in it."
The growth is due in large part to UConn 2000, a $1 billion, 10 year plan that started in 1995 to increase both the quantity and quality of UConn students both in-state and out-of-state. An expansion made in 2002, called 21st Century UConn for an additional $1.3 billion over another 10 years is responsible for the population growth as well.
Although UConn's administration is quick to explain that the increase is a positive step for the UConn student community, some students are feeling the growing pains when it comes to the class scheduling process. They're finding classes they want are closed, and subsequently take classes they don't want just because they're available.
"I wanted to take some psychology classes, but they're all 200-level and were reserved for juniors and seniors," said Jill Karbinos, a 3rd semester psychology major.
According to Steve Jarvi, assistant vice provost and director of ACES, the students who experience the most frustration with the registration process are those who completed their general education requirements but are not yet in their major, so it is difficult to get into 200-level classes.
"Those students should consider electives and exploring their other interests," Jarvi said. "They should also look at it as a positive opportunity, not a negative."
Jeff von Munkwitz-Smith, the university registrar, emphasizes that not every student gets every class that they want and students need to make a distinction between what classes they need and what classes they want.
"Taking classes you don't specifically want isn't a bad thing," von Munkwitz-Smith said. "When I was an undergraduate, I had trouble with my schedule as well. I ended up taking a Religious Studies class, really liked it, and majored in it."
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