McCulloh announces class size increase

Dr. Thayne McCulloh, president of Gonzaga University, discussed on Jan. 17 plans to gradually increase the size of the freshman class over at least the next two years to make up for the eventual loss of the large graduating class of 2013. Departments are discussing several options regarding housing that is promised and required of freshmen and sophomores.

The current junior class, graduating in 2013, remains the largest incoming class, with 1,239 students. The school does not want to deal with a sudden change in the number of students, so this slight increase in prospective freshmen is part of a balancing act.

"The overall intent is to try and keep our undergraduate enrollment at approximately the same level as it is currently," McCulloh said in an email interview, rather than adding more students to the school. "We grew very quickly over a relatively short span of years, and the consensus of our community when I came into office (2009) was that we needed to take a step back and examine what this growth has brought us, and what new questions and issues we now face as a university."

Even though the freshman class size will increase slightly over the next two years, the university will stop using the Red Lion River Inn as available housing for students. Rather, they plan to allocate several Burch apartments to underclassmen, especially sophomores. Rooms typically set up as single-living will be doubles for underclassmen, optimizing the space.

"This is only a part of the equation we're considering," said Stuart Davis, associate director of housing operations. "These will be taken into effect starting next year, in fall 2012, but the rest is still being discussed."

The university may contract again with the Red Lion, if it sees the need.

Freshman Corwin Bryan lived in the Red Lion last semester. While he did not mind the long trek to campus involved in living there, he does not recommend it to most students. "I didn't mind because I had a bike," Bryan said. "But if you like ‘being a host' and hanging with your friends in your room, then the Red Lion isn't for you."

Neither McCulloh nor Davis see a dire need for additional housing, even with the continued number of students at GU. "We currently have open spaces in the residence hall system, spaces that would be there even if we did not have the River Inn at all," said McCulloh. With these unused rooms in the dorms, the school wants to practice more efficient housing allotment.

According to Davis, there are a surprising number of vacancies in the provided housing, explained by a number of reasons. Some students leave after their first year, due to the economy or other personal reasons. Other students move off-campus. Students who have either completed two years at GU or are over the age of 21 can live off-campus. If they do not meet those requirements, they must get special permission.

"We feel there's enough extra capacity in the Logan neighborhood for upperclassmen," said Davis. "We've never felt there's a shortage of housing in Spokane. Students always have a sense of urgency when looking for off-campus living. I don't understand why."

Another idea on the table involves adding on to the north wing of Coughlin, the side nearest to Catherine-Monica. "Building is expensive, though, so we do want to be sure that we need the space before we make a long-term commitment to creating it," said McCulloh. This will involve serious consideration and data collection before the school decides to follow such a costly endeavor. In previous years, the school builds residence halls by borrowing money and paying it back over the next 20 or 30 years.

Because there will be a slightly noticeable increase in freshmen and sophomores in the coming years, it is inevitable that handfuls of upperclassmen will have to move off-campus, even if they prefer to remain on-campus. "We've heard good things, though, from those students," said Davis. "There's that sense of freedom in living on your own." 

The housing department and the university are always looking to buy strategic property surrounding the campus. The school may buy a piece of property or enter into agreements with owners or landlords with the intent to eventually own and use that land. "It's what happened with Twohy," said Davis. "There used to be an apartment building there. We bought the land and moved the apartments, building Twohy in its place."

This gradual addition to the upcoming freshmen classes will stabilize Gonzaga's undergrad numbers, but McCulloh wants to consider increasing the size of the school altogether. "However, I do not believe we yet have all the information necessary to formulate such a plan," said McCulloh. He wants an open dialogue between students, faculty, staff, alumni, administrators, and board members over the next years while the school collects data about the logistics of expanding Gonzaga. This multi-year enrollment plan is a long term idea.

Housing is just one of several factors to consider for the eventual shift in the size of Gonzaga. There are also courses and the quality of education, along with interests in new programs. These would come from current and prospective students along with faculty, staff, alumni and board members. And of course, there is the economy and financial aid that can determine the number of applicants.