Ole Miss Rapid Enrollment Creates Change Among Oxford Campus

The University of Mississippi is making room for its biggest freshman class to date. Many changes are expected to take place next fall to accommodate this rise in enrollment.

Dorothy H. Crosby building will be home to incoming freshman girls for the 2014-2015 school year due to rise in enrollment.

The University of Mississippi has seen increasing enrollment rates over the past five years. With the 2014-2015 school year approaching, the number of freshmen enrolled has sky rocketed.

One major change that current students are seeing is the change up in on-campus housing. The norm used to be that sophomore sorority members live on campus in Crosby dorm on a floor with their pledge class. With so many freshman girls already enrolled for next fall, the university has decided to make Crosby an all female, freshman dorm.

Ole Miss employee and member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, Taylor Martin, says that she isn’t happy with the university for allowing so many students in for next year. Taylor, along with many others are concerned about living arrangements for next fall as well as job security with more applicants applying for the same positions in the coming year.

The decision to remove all sophomores from Crosby dorm came in January of this year. This ruling outraged many freshman sorority girls. Returning students have all had to make off-campus living arrangements for the 2014-2015 school year.

Not only are off-campus apartments more expensive than living in the dorms, they are also inconvenient. Taylor, as well as other upcoming sophomores will be inconvenienced by having to drive to campus to work.

Maeve Hanrahan, upcoming sophomore and Pi Beta Phi member, thinks it will be difficult to get on campus to attend classes next semester without a car. Many students living off campus are being limited to using the OUT Bus system for transportation.

There will be many noticeable changes in the next year as more freshmen flood the campus here at Ole Miss. Expect to see less parking spots, more traffic on campus, busier Saturdays in the Grove, less space in the library during finals, and longer lines in the dining halls.