Aggie freshman class is the largest in history
By Mark Rosa 9/12/15

As students return to Utah State University campus for the fall semester, one thing is blatantly apparent: there are more people here. This year’s incoming freshman class is expected to be the biggest in school history, and everyone involved in campus life is feeling the impact. Although many of the negative effects of this massive class have been identified immediately, the positive effects a larger student body may take time to see.

               Faculty and staff have undertaken a massive effort to accommodate these students. Additional courses have been added to this year’s registration catalog, private residents on campus have been incentivized to take on a roommate and rooms that were never intended to house students were converted into livable spaces.

There are many small components contributing to the size of this class but John Mortensen, assistant vice president for enrollment services and retention at USU, outlines two main circumstances. First, the LDS missionary age change of 2012 allowed any male over the age of 18 and any female over 19 to serve a full-time mission. This caused a spike in the number of those who wanted to serve missions as graduating seniors in high school skipped their first year of college to go directly into the mission field once they were of age. What initially caused a drop in attendance is now causing a boom as the largest number of missionaries ever in the field are returning and getting back into school. The second main contributing factor is the increased recruitment efforts of the university admissions staff. Mortensen praised the efforts of the admissions staff stating, “Overall I think they were up a couple thousand applications, this year over last year.”

Although the increased interest in USU is encouraging to the admissions office, some of the effects of the enrollment spike have been less than so. Mortensen explained that the Aggie Shuttle bus system has been overwhelmed by the sheer number of students needing rides. Students have been waiting longer and longer as full shuttle buses pass their stop and cycle through the university campus, causing them to be late to class. Another negative factor of the increased number of students on campus is the increased number of student vehicles on campus. Students with no designated place to park line up their cars along the “tower field” just west of Mountain and Valley View dormitories, and USU parking attendants line up to write them citations.

Despite the negativity surrounding these infrastructural shortcomings, there have been some obvious positive effects of the influx of student enrollment. Conner Comeau, a Hurd volunteer, is hopeful about the effects the large freshman class will have on school spirit and event attendance. Comeau explained that student attendance for the Aggies first home football game and the events surrounding it was way up, especially considering the Aggies opponent was the historically ill-equipped Southern Utah University. In discussing athletic event attendance, Comeau smiled and said, “Greater numbers mean an increased interest in athletic programs.” He believes that a similar increase of interests of all school events will be prevalent all year.