Texas State University keeps on growing

By: Murad Abu-Rayyan

SAN MARCOS, TX – Texas State University has cited a record enrollment of 36,700 students, an increase of roughly 3.5 percent from the previous year.

According to a newsletter by Denise M. Trauth, President of Texas State, if these figures are verified, this would make Texas State the state’s fourth-largest university behind Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston.

While the influx of new students poses challenges for Texas State, they are not without rewards. Literally. The university received its largest grant ever from NASA of $15 million as stated by Trauth's newsletter.

President Trauth also mentioned that the collective grants for September total to $10 million with 4 grants totaling $1 million or more each.

Silas Ott
Photo by Ashley DeBolt

University finance and business aside, some students, like wildlife biology major Silas Ott, have noticed a considerable difference in campus life. “My classes are overcrowded, professors are overworked and there is a lot less time spent per student,” Ott said.

Other students, like freshman Abigail Flint, don’t believe the increase in students to be all that bad when asked if the university should continue to grow. “Definitely.  An increase in enrollment will bring more diversity to Texas State.  More ethnic diversity will be better for the University,” Flint said.

Brittany Hill
Photo by Matthew Thompson

Transportation has taken a toll on commuting and parking as well; psychology major and Austin resident Brittany Hill has taken notice. “It makes getting to school horrible, the parking is tough,” Hill Said.

Sean Berg
Photo by Murad Abu-Rayyan

Malli Banitt, a political science major, also said that she has seen more people on the buses.

Although the university’s size poses discomfort to some, other students like Sean Berg specifically chose Texas State because of its size. “I always wanted to go to a big university. My brother went to a university with about 3,000 students and that’s too small for me,” Berg said.

Record growth is no stranger to Texas State and dubbing it The Rising Star of Texas is not without good reason.