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Emily Neelon |
Orientation Weekend welcomed a record-breaking class of 1,090 students to The Bluff. With the Class of 2018 being the largest to join the UP community in Pilot history, Residence Life faces the challenge of fitting students in overcrowded dorms.
The unprecedented number of freshman surprised UP’s Office of Admissions. After receiving a record numbers of applications last year, the office enforced a 62 percent acceptance rate. With an estimated 11,000 visitors last year and a 3 percent increase in the number of students who decided to call UP home, Dean of Admissions Jason McDonald attributes the number of incoming freshman to UP’s rising popularity.
“We're doing a good job of getting people to come to UP and visit,” McDonald said. “It kind of sells itself. We're a great community of faculty, students and staff.”
To accommodate the influx of freshmen in resident halls, the Office of Residence Life has made living arrangement changes. In several dorms, rooms built for two residents are housing three people, with 42.4 percent of freshman women living in triples. And in an effort to transform dorms into more welcoming spaces, new features like fire pits and patio furniture were added to the halls.
Director of Residence Life Chris Haug said it took extensive of teamwork to organize the Class of 2018’s move-in.
"I have never seen a University have to be as prepared for hall opening as UP had to be this year,” Haug said. “We had no other choice. We all kind of pulled together in this beautiful collaborative way this summer.”
Haug is excited to see what the freshman class will contribute to campus life.
"I believe they are among our most talented freshman class ever,” Haug said. “There is no shortage of friends to be made. The energy at UP is at an all-time high."
Freshman Maya Smith was excited to meet other students in her residence hall and around campus.
“It's refreshing to have so many different faces,” Smith said. “Not having the same type of personality all in one dorm is a good thing."
Although overwhelmed by the size of her class, freshman Pascale Manuera said she looks forward to being apart of her dorm community as well.
“At first I didn't want to live in Mehling, but I'm actually really happy to reconnect with a bunch of girls,” Manuera said.
Looking into the future, Haug and McDonald agree that the University needs a new residence hall and academic building, as well as other accommodations. As the new school year kicks off, Haug stresses that despite the challenge of finding space for every student, the Class of 2018 is welcome here.
“I want them to absolutely know they are home,” Haug said. “They made the right choice. We're UP."
Emily Neelon is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at neelon17@up.edu.
