New
policy cuts number of dorm residents
No waiting list this fall also thanks
to new suites made from study rooms, which
added 135 beds.
By
Kimberly Pasquis
On-line Forty-Niner
In
the fall semesters from 1999 to 2001, Housing
and Residential Life had sizeable waiting
lists of students interested in student
housing. This fall, there is no waiting
list.
With the size of the freshman class cut
considerably from previous years, there
are no students searching for a place to
live.
“This year it seemed to come out just right,”
said Stan Olin, interim director of Housing
and Residential Life. “We had 5,200 students
apply for housing but many did not follow
through.”
With the construction in Parkside Commons
of turning the study rooms in each suite
into living areas, an increase of 135 beds
were added for new residents.
“We are taking care of students that are
moving in,” Olin said. “But we need to ask
ourselves if we scared them away? Or did
they find other means?”
One speculation into the lack of a waiting
list is the decrease in the number of incoming
freshmen. According to Enrollment Services,
3,000 students are enrolled for the fall
semester, compared to the 4,500 students
enrolled in fall 2001.
This decrease was part of the plan to keep
enrollment down this fall. Stricter requirements
were enacted for applicants outside the
local area.
“The percentage of students admitted in
the local area and those in the non-local
area are about the same,” said Gloria Kapp,
senior director for admissions and systems
for Enrollment Services.
According to Kapp, applicants outside the
local area are those students who are closer
to Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State
Fullerton than to Cal State Long Beach.
San Diego State has a new housing building
opening this fall and had approximately
400 additional students that wanted housing.
However, because of cancellations the school
no longer has a waiting list, according
to Kristina Maxwell, communications coordinator
for Housing Administration at SDSU. Enrollment
for the fall semester is higher than was
originally anticipated at SDSU.
New housing plans at CSULB are also in negotiations.
According to Olin, the Veterans Affairs
Hospital will be announcing plans of space
utilization for use of its land for CSULB.
With the lack of student demand for parking
this semester, Housing and Residential Life
will be evaluating the need for more housing.
However, plans could include more land for
parking and housing.
“We would be solving two of our biggest
problems on campus: parking and housing,”
Olin said.
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