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Freshmen find
packed campus at CSULB
By Jamie Rogers
On-line Forty-Niner
As students walked
through Cal State Long Beach's hallways during the first day
of the fall semester, they were confronted with a challenge
almost as difficult as the one their new courses will present
- getting from one end of the hall to another alive.
With enrolment
at record heights, students found the first-day crunch even
tighter than usual. This semester's entering freshman class
is the largest in CSULB history, topping off at 4,487 students
after registration ended on Aug. 22. On the same day, returning
student enrollment reached 17,879 and transfers amounted to
3,611.
"On opening
day, we already had over 31,000 students [enrolled],"
said Vincent Novack, director of institutional research at
CSULB. "That number is sure to exceed 32,000 and may
approach 33,000."
To accommodate
the flock of new students, the university has been busy hiring
new faculty and staff.
"There are
87 new tenured faculty members hired," said Gary Reichard,
associate vice president of academic affairs. "We won't
have an exact count on the part-time faculty for a couple
of weeks because they are still being hired. It is all influx
right now."
It will be several
weeks until this semester's census is complete. Only then
will the exact number of student attendance be accurate. It
is clear, however, that the campus is fast reaching its maximum
capacity.
"There is
a formula they work on in the chancellor's office," said
Rick Gloady, director of media relations at CSULB. "According
to that formula the maximum [students] should be between 33,000
and 34,000 and we are approaching that number fairly quickly."
In order to curb
the enrollment crunch, Gloady said the university is devising
ways to raise admissions standards, particularly for those
students who are not residents of the greater Long Beach area.
"President
Maxson likes to say we are a 'hot campus,' and I think statistics
will show that is true," said Armando Contreras, executive
assistant to Robert Maxson, CSULB president. "In terms
of total applications, I think we are in the top two and in
terms of freshman admissions we are the top Cal State University.
People who are here, know we are a beautiful campus with top
instructors and a good sense of environment."
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Tanya
Dellaca/On-line Forty-Niner
Students fight for their place in line at the
University Bookstore. This semester marks the highest freshman
enrollment in Cal State Long Beach history.
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