Illustration by Dan Evans
The first week of class is always busy. During that time, it is more difficult to find parking, takes longer to get a cup of coffee and classes seem a bit too crowded. Many of these problems work themselves out as students get accustomed to their new daily routines. However, weeks into the fall semester, students are still experiencing these same dilemmas and are left wondering where all these people came from.
Much of this is due to the growing and ever-changing population of Montclair State. In 2014, there were 20,022 students enrolled at Montclair State. This number has significantly grown as just this semester, Montclair State admitted the largest freshman class in the university’s 108-year history. Currently, there are 4,177 graduate students and 16,810 undergraduate students enrolled at the university, amounting to 20,987 students enrolled for the 2016 fall semester, which is 522 more students than the 2015 fall semester. For the last several years, Montclair State’s growth has been increasing at an extremely rapid rate.
While student enrollment is at an all-time high, it seems like personal space at Montclair State is at an all-time low. Commuter students continue to find it challenging to park on campus at busy times of the day. Fitness lovers struggle to find an open machine at the Student Recreation Center and professors encounter seating conflicts in larger classes. It feels like Montclair State has reached its capacity.
With various improvements both structurally and academically, it is no surprise that more students than ever are flocking to Montclair State. According to a Montclair State press release, there were over 12,000 freshmen applications submitted and approximately 3,000 freshmen have been enrolled as of the 2016 fall semester. This made the class of 2020 the largest class at Montclair State ever.
Before Montclair State begins accepting even more students for the 2017 fall semester, it needs to be aware of the current needs of students.
For years, Montclair State students have begged for more parking. Finally, just this summer, 350 new parking spaces were added to Lot 60. This has been a welcome change, but it is too little, too late, as 300 new spots are just not enough. Students are already in need of more parking spaces. However, students have little hope that they will see any new parking in the near future. These kinds of problems are echoed throughout campus following the influx of students.
Even though Montclair State is growing in every way, it is important to remember that a happy student can be the ultimate endorsement for a university.
