With the admittance of 1,824 freshmen, about 200 more freshmen than an average fall semester entry, the university has leaped over its record breaker and really made an impact on the student population.

Such a large increase of new students means many more opportunities for students to interact with different personalities, cultures and attitudes, thus strengthening our role as ethical leaders in a global community.

Ray Brown, dean of admissions, said the university admitted more students because the administration didn’t expect so many of them to enroll at the university during an economic recession.

Now the university has a greater number of freshmen than ever before because more than expected took their acceptance letters and ran straight for the university. Unfortunately, that many more students means that many more bodies to house.

If university admission officials sent out that many acceptance letters, they should have been prepared for that many students. Milton Daniel Hall could have housed about 325 residents, but it’s closed because of construction. The university has been leasing townhomes, putting students in lounges or triple-occupancy rooms meant for two and pricey off-campus apartments.

An easier solution would be to relax the stipulation mandating that all sophomores live on campus. When the measure was implemented in 2007, administrators said it was put in place to foster a sense of community on campus. However, the measure could have been temporarily suspended to alleviate the surge in incoming freshmen.

News editor Maricruz Salinas for the editorial board.