UVM should stop over-admitting students

It’s no secret that UVM attracts more and more students each year, with UVM welcoming its largest class since 2015, according to  a Oct. 14, 2021 UVM Today article. 

The increased enrollment disrupts both housing and classroom size.

Larger classes cause issues related to the amount of forced triples and learning community preferences. So far, the University has paid little attention to these problems.

After the addition of the Central Campus Residence Hall in August 2017, the number of students housed on campus increased by 695 beds, according to UVM’s Central Campus Residence Hall website. 

This is a rather large increase, considering it brought UVM’s total student housing to over 5,700 students, a 12.9% increase in the amount of students housed on campus, according to UVM ResLife. 

CCRH includes students who chose to enroll in the Wellness Environment, according to UVM’s CCRH website. 

When I was filling out my learning community preference after being accepted, I paid more attention to the dorm buildings themselves rather than what learning community I was choosing. 

I was attracted to the Living/Learning Center and UHeights because of their suite style apartments and updated interiors. 

If UVM continues to welcome larger class sizes, this problem will only get worse.

UVM announced plans to build more on campus housing on Trinity campus, according to a Jan. 14 WCAX article. The planned additions would increase the student housing by 470-520 beds.

These new beds could justify the enrollment increase in the years following the construction of CCRH; however, the construction will not start until spring 2023.

The construction of new dorms does not entirely alleviate the housing issues, like forced triples, that stem from over-admittance. 

An increase in enrollment impacts class sizes and the quality of learning. Many students may worry about not being able to enroll into courses.

I felt the effect of the increasing student population, as over time, there were less available classes to take due to increased enrollment without any not noticeable funding changes.

Earlier this semester, I had to switch around my schedule and found few alternatives in the political science course list. I could override into POLS 196: global politics of food, however the class size affects the quality of the course.

The professor originally intended for the class to be around 40 students maximum, and as of right now, 114 students are enrolled in my section. 

When the professor assigned our first paper, he shortened the length of the essay due to limited time to grade them all.

Students and professors should not compromise the quality of curriculum because of an increase in demand and students. 

UVM should ensure their enrollment does not impact classes to take, in quality and in quantity.

Moving forward for the class of ‘26 and on, UVM should carefully review their capacity to house students when it comes time for admittance.