AU faces some thorny problems, I’m the first to admit it. Some problems, such as rising tuition prices and falling degree value are faced by every school in the country, while others, such as the scourge of D.C. unpaid internships and the inevitable choice of unreasonable rent or unreasonable commute for students, are more unique to AU.
However, one of the biggest problems AU is facing this semester is not thorny at all. In fact, it is quite simple.
This year, American admitted over 1,700 new freshman. 46 percent of the 15,147 applicants were offered admissions and “the yield was greater than ever in our history”. According to President Neil Kerwin’s Mid-Summer Campus Update, the yield has increased by five percentage points, “which is the largest change in acceptance of admission offers we have ever seen in a single year.” This yield is seen by the administration as “an indication that AU is strengthening its position among talented students in an increasingly competitive environment.”
Frankly, I agree. I see the growth in acceptance of admissions offers as a good thing. As an upperclassmen, it means that when I graduate my degree will most likely have a higher value than I anticipated when I started. Like a lot of other students, I think that is awesome.
Here is the part that is not awesome. The update goes on to explain that “Housing and Dining Programs staff are working to accommodate this larger-than-anticipated freshman class.” Yes, they are. But if that accommodation looks anything like it did when Housing and Dining had to accommodate my larger-than-anticipated freshman class in the fall of 2013, that means a whole bunch of forced triples and students living temporarily in lounges. It means further increases in the price of dining accommodations ($3.00 for a 25 cent pack of ramen?!) to make sure that everyone with a meal plan is covered. It means stretching our resources thin.
I am not saying this is Housing and Dining’s fault. The Housing and Dining staff are responding phenomenally to an impossible situation. I am saying that AU needs to stop admitting more freshmen than we have room for. There has been a larger-than-anticipated freshman class for the past three or four years. Start anticipating it.
AU is gaining prestige. That’s a good thing. But prestige should not come at the cost of stretching ourselves too thin. No freshman should have to come to college, Bed, Bath, and Beyond comforter in tow, only to be told that they will be living in a lounge. That’s not a very good welcome. Slow down AU, and make sure that you take care of all the students you already have before you start seeking even more new ones.
