Increased enrollment at Texas State: Positive or Problem?

By Jason Harris

Texas State has continued its climb up the proverbial enrollment ladder of public universities in the state, now positioning itself as the fourth largest in Texas. With this honor comes many accolades, but more than a few drawbacks as well.

In her From the Hill update, University President Denise M. Trauth was quick to point out that the university had received its largest grant to date, $15 million from NASA, to go along with almost $10 million in other federal grants during the month of September. She did however acknowledge one of the main problems the university has faced for years: how to find the space for said growth.

"I think the biggest (problem) has to do with parking," said Caleb Davis, a junior at Texas State. "Over the years I've been here, with the increase (in growth), it (has) just gotten that much harder."

Candace Jackson, also a junior, agrees with him.

Candace Jackson (Photo by Natalie Walther)

"It made parking way too expensive," Jackson said. "It made resources at the school limited. Like the rec, you can't go at certain times because there will be no machines."

And these two students aren't the only ones who see this as a problem. Brianna Hayes, senior, can see a correlation between the university and the city in which it resides.

Brianna Hayes (Photo by: Allison Crawford)

“You can’t move around the town easily anymore,” Hayes said. “The city of San Marcos is too small for (over) 35,000 students. It makes getting from point A to point B horrible.”

When asked if the university should continue to grow, Hayes replied that Texas State should actually reduce the amount of students allowed to attend the university.

Still, some students see the increased attendance as a positive.

Darbie Walker, from Lubbock, says it has not affected her much at all.

“I’ve been here for four years and it’s been growing the entire time, from students to the construction,” Walker said. “It’s really amazing to see this happening before my eyes here.”

She would go on to call San Marcos “a little slice of heaven” but would be glad when the construction was finally completed.

She was not alone in this line of thought either. Jenah Stephenson, a communication studies major, said it brings a sense of pride.

“It’s made me proud of my school,” Stephenson said. “It shows we are a really good institution, more people want to come here each year. I like the fact that the school was a small school and I love watching it expand.”

However, Stephenson would also voice her concern over multiple construction projects as well.

With enrollment expected to continually increase in the coming years, it will be interesting to see which side of the fence new and current students land on. It’s clear there are both positives and negatives to the expansion and only time will tell which side will ultimately win this quandary.