Southeast enrollment up for 11th consecutive year

The gang's all here -- the gang of more than 11,500 Southeast Missouri State University students, that is.

Four-week numbers released Tuesday have set an enrollment record again this fall, continuing a trend of growth year after year at the university. Since 2001, the university has added about 2,100 members to its total population of undergraduate and graduate students.

According to a university news release, the official fourth-week census report shows total enrollment at 11,510, an increase of 3.6 percent since last fall. In recent years, 2005 was the year which had the highest growth, with an increase of 7 percent in total enrollment.

In order to accommodate more students, some university departments have made adjustments to their programs. Others have not, but have noticed a much busier environment.

The university's 11 residence halls are home to 3,017 students this fall. Associate director of residence life, Kendra Whitcher-Skinner, said despite the high number of students, things are calmer than she expected.

"There seems to be about the same level of fun going on in the halls as this same time last year," Whitcher-Skinner said, referring to the amount of noise complaints, alcohol violations and other incidents in the dorms.

Having enough space for all the students has also become less of an issue as the weeks pass. To empty a few rooms, the university partnered with a local hotel and about 50 upperclassmen took the option to live in Candlewood Suites on the west side of town.

Before the start of the semester, some students were receiving temporary living assignments because of the high number of housing contracts the residence life department received. Now the number of students who still have a temporary assignment is down to a handful, Whitcher-Skinner said, due to students changing their minds about attending the university.

Haley Santon, a freshman from O'Fallon, Ill., almost went to the University of Missouri-Columbia, but changed her mind at the last minute when she made the dance team at Southeast. Despite the volume of housing contracts at the time she applied, she was able to get a room in Towers North. She also registered late for classes, but said she had no problems getting into classes she wanted.

Registrar Sandy Hinkle said in order to make sure students receive the credits they need, courses and sessions have been added in several areas over the past year. The university added its first four-week session during the 2010-2011 winter break.

Hinkle said the amount of students who signed up for the session prompted the university to double the number of courses to 24 that will be held over winter break this year. They also added more web-based courses and two six-week sessions and a 12-week session in the summer.

As part of a course redesign that will also help accommodate more students, Hinkle said larger class sizes are now part of some general education courses. In some courses, one class meeting contains around 100 students. The total number breaks down into groups of around 25 at different times for the remainder of the week.

The increase in students means an increase in food preparation for the university's dining service, Chartwells. According to Tim Weatherly, the company's resident district manager, they added a checkout register at the University Center to speed up service, two new staff members and signage that notifies students of the busiest times of day so that they can better plan their meals around their schedules.

Parking and transit manager Beth Glaus said although no shuttle buses have been added and no routes have been changed, she has noticed an increase in the use of the university's transportation system. According to a check of ridership numbers, 27,284 passengers took campus shuttles in the first two weeks of the semester compared to 17,591 last fall in the same time period.

According to a news release, the university's goal is to have an enrollment of 12,000 students by 2014.

eragan@semissourian.com

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