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."
He stresses that students need to look at these opportunities to take different classes as a way to enrich their college experience, not hamper it. He also points out that problems of students taking 'only what is open' is not unique to UConn.
"Most Registrars would say they have the same issues," von Munkwitz-Smith said. "Students need to be flexible."
"I was hoping to take the business gen-eds, but they were all full," said Janelle Cortes, a 1st semester ACES student. "I've been checking peoplesoft 15 times a day and I finally got one."
Some students feel as though the scheduling process has become increasingly difficult. But administration had a very different take on the matter.
"Overall, students are doing well getting the classes they need," Jarvi said. "You will always have anecdotes of students having trouble getting classes. It happens every semester." Jarvi doesn't seem to find this semester to be any more challenging for any more students than it usually is. "Some students always struggle with their schedule, but I'm confident they will all get a full schedule eventually, especially through the add/drop process at the beginning of the semester. It can be a stressful process, but if you're patient it will happen."
"It was absolutely planned," Dolan Evanovitch, vice provost of enrollment, said with regard to the increase in student population here at Storrs. "We started recruiting nationally and now even internationally at the undergrad level as part of UConn 2000."According to Evanovitch, freshman enrollment stayed relatively constant over the past few years and we plan to keep the Storrs population at about 16,000 undergraduates.
"We've hired additional faculty, added additional seats to classes, and extended the day to offer more classes at night," Evanovitch said. "We've also spent about $8 million over the past 5 years to add additional courses and seats."
"We really watch enrollment closely," von Munkwitz-Smith said. "For example, we discovered that students in math and science majors are most in need of specific classes so they don't fall behind in the sequence, so we set aside seats for them. We also started packaging schedules so that all the courses fit together without conflict. We're also working to better align summer course offerings with what students need and want."
Additionally, several amenities have been added to campus to accommodate for the growing student population. "4,000 new beds have been added since 1996, mostly in suites and apartment style living arrangements," said Evanovitch. Also, new academic buildings including the new pharmacy building, the business building, and the chemistry building have been added. However, an issue arises when it comes to how much is gained by the new buildings, since they often replace old buildings. For example, two new buildings are soon to line Fairfield Way to replace Arjona and Monteith. And although they will be much more modern buildings with technology that will surely benefit students, they do not offer much additional classroom space. According to von Munkwitz-Smith, "They will be larger, but not significantly so." The new buildings combined will host 41 classrooms as compared to the 38 currently in Monteith and Arjona.
According to data from the OIR, UConn has gone from a 14-1 student-faculty ratio in 1995, to a 17-1 ratio in 2007. This means there are fewer professors to go around, and thus issues with course offerings and sizes are likely. "It's definitely a problem that the faculty hasn't grown as fast as the students have" Evanovitch said. "We're currently working on getting money to increase by 50 faculty member per year for the next few years. This would help with the capabilities to support all of the students."
Students pursing dual majors also complicate the course enrollment process. "Although it's important to support ambitious students, it does put a strain on resources," Evanovitch said.
In order to avoid hassles, students should register as early as possible and be more proactive in the process.
"Students need to be more willing to ask, otherwise no one will know. If a student needs a class to graduate, faculty are usually willing to help, especially if that student is a senior," von Munkwitz-Smith said. "Students need to plan ahead and have alternatives when you register, and if you haven't gotten what you want, keep checking. People change their schedules all the time and spots open up."
Contact Alyse Taub at
Alyse.Taub@UConn.edu.
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