Bigger is not always better.

TCU’s freshmen enrollment has increased from 1,426 in 1999 to 1,596 in 2003.

Along with the enrollment increase, students have seen big tuition increases.

Is this coincidence, or not?

Part of the reason tuition is going up almost 12 percent next year is to hire 16 additional full-time faculty. Would the additional faculty be necessary if the enrollment cap was more strictly enforced?

It’s inevitable that the more students a university has, the more it’s going to cost to run the university overall.

It’s also important to keep in mind the university’s housing situation. TCU touts itself as a university with great residence halls and on-campus apartments.

Will the university still brag about its residence halls next year when all the dorms are so crowded that every RA will be required to have a roommate and some students will live in lounges?

Who knows, some students may even be housed in hotel rooms on University Drive.

Many students chose to come here because of TCU’s size. Some people like the warmth, attention and charm that come with a small student body. If the size of the student body keeps increasing, it’s fair to say all those things may disappear in time.

University officials need to concentrate on the core of the student body by attracting quality students, not simply a larger quantity of them.

After all, it’s the quality of students that will lead TCU into the future.