Written by: Anaya Parker
Over the past few years, Southern Adventist University’s student body has been steadily growing, hitting a peak this year. According to statistics presented at a town hall meeting in October, undergraduate enrollment for Fall 2024 is the largest in Southern’s history. This year’s freshman class is the second largest ever at Southern.
According to university statistics, 3,229 students are currently enrolled at Southern, which is an increase of 658 students since the Fall 2022 semester, according to the undergraduate statistics board meeting report from September 2022. This increases the strain on classroom space, housing and parking.
Construction of the Mountain Cottages and additional apartments in Southern Village is underway to meet the growing need for student housing, but Southern students have expressed other concerns about the increasingly large student body.
Class registration is currently in progress for Winter 2025, with many students staying up till midnight and later attempting to get into much-needed classes. This is especially difficult for freshmen, since they are the last to register.
Kayla Hill, a freshman medical laboratory science major, is one student worried about upcoming class registration.
“I feel like having a large student body makes it difficult for students to get into the classes they need, especially for the more popular degrees,” Hill said. “The competition for classes can make planning schedules in advance difficult and unnecessarily stressful.”
Growing student enrollment has strained classroom space, leading to classes being placed in buildings other than where they are typically located, such as when the American National & State Government class moved to Hackman Hall this fall.
A new classroom was built on the third floor of McKee Library, but the location has proved less than ideal, according to library staff members, since it is difficult to keep noise levels down when groups of students are walking to and from class in the library.
“I think it’s [the classroom added in the library] Southern’s attempt to cover up the fact that they have accepted too many students for Southern’s capacity,” Eliana Hounslow, junior nursing major, said. “And on top of that, it brings in unnecessary noise and disrupts what should be a quiet atmosphere of the library.”
Brett Klasing, a senior psychology major, said, “I think they are accepting the students before building the infrastructure, instead of the other way around.”
Another big concern is parking, especially for commuter students. While students residing in the dorms may walk to class, parking space is essential for those living off campus.
“It is important for commuter students to not have a disadvantage compared to those who live on campus,” said Olivia Waterhouse, sophomore mathematics major. “The commuter students are paying for parking permits and, thus, have the right to a parking spot.”
Lilyan Saliba, senior nursing major, said, “There are too many students on this campus. The parking issue is complete proof of that. Many of the university faculty, commuter students and others who need to drive every day to this campus have no place to park.”
She continued, “It makes meeting obligations very difficult. No amount of personal planning will help a student with this issue. There are too many vehicles on this campus, and it is standing in the way of many people’s well-being.”
Resources for students on campus are also strained to meet the demands of student needs. Southern’s free counseling service, an essential service for students, is challenging to get an appointment with because of the magnitude of students seeking help. Students often have to wait a week or two, sometimes three, for an appointment. This is difficult for students seeking help and therapy when they have to wait so long between appointments.
“I’m being forced to schedule sessions three weeks apart sometimes,” Emma Clark, senior mathematics major, said. “…There are virtual counseling appointments I can make, but I much prefer in-person appointments with my usual therapist.”
Brandon Grentz, Counseling Services coordinator, said the counseling center now has five counselors, but their availability is consistently being used. According to Grentz, October is the busiest month for the counseling service, and the numbers have increased since last year. In Oct. of 2023, the counseling center completed 303 sessions, but this past October, that number rose to 381 sessions. Southern offers free remote therapy appointments through uWill for Southern students, according to Grentz.
“I would say that we are seeing an increase in the amount of appointments we are having,” Grentz stated in an email. “Our numbers are on track to keep rising, so we are glad that students are utilizing our services, and we are constantly looking at ways in which we can keep up with the demand and offer multiple points of contact and options to accommodate different needs.”
Increasing student numbers requires more classes and spots within classes so that all students can take their necessary courses. Aly Lopes, junior history teaching licensure major, works as a teacher’s assistant for a history class. She said the class size has increased significantly, up from an estimated 45 students when she took the class to approximately 60 students now.
“As a grader, grading those quizzes and those papers that they turn in at class, the in-class stuff takes forever to get through, even with a team of three graders on it,” Lopes said. “And I’m sure other departments must have this problem, too.”
Despite these challenges, the growth of Southern Adventist University is not necessarily a bad thing.. The increased enrollment is proof that Southern is considered a good college to attend. Without its students, the university could not survive. It is necessary that Southern grows; however, it should not come at the cost of current students.
