Students reflect on campus growth

By: Kiersten Ehr

The rising star legacy at Texas State University has surpassed expectations with student enrollment sky rocking in San Marcos. 

Student enrollment in the fall of 2014 ranked at 36,790. This is the 17th consecutive year Texas State has set a new record for total enrollment. Texas State is proud to set diversity as a priority in the campus life with 46% of minorities. 

The Texas State website Enrollment Management and Marketing shows the campus student population diversity shows the percentage of the following ethnic background to name a few, 18,983 White, 11,606 Hispanic/Latino, 3,372 African Americans, 819 Asian and 722 multiracial. 

Jenah Stephenson

According to a Texas State Press release, Texas State University President Denise Trauth, released a statement following the campuses growth, "we take our role seriously in preparing our state's future leader and workforce, and this steady growth tells us that students and their parents feel the same way." 

With the enrollment growth at Texas State, sophomore, Jenah Stephenson majoring in Communication Studies, thinks that the campus should continue to grow allowing students from in and out of Texas better opportunities at Texas State.

“It’s made me more proud of my school. It shows we are a really good institution. More people want to come here each year. I think San Marcos will keep it humble instead of being like UT because it is a big city. I like the fact that the school was a small school, and I love watching it expand,” said Stephenson. 

With the massive growth on the Texas State campus, construction and parking has created issues for students commuting on a daily basis. Students comment on how the effects impact their daily school routine. 

“It made parking way too expensive. It made traffic in the small town of San Marcos way too unbearable. It made resources at the school limited, like the rec, you can’t go at certain times because there will be no machines,” said junior Candice Jackson. "Up side, San Marcos is growing massively. The income is exceeding the demand."

The rapid growth has created new walking routes in front of Commons Dining Hall and has increased traffic flow around LBJ ultimately creating an effect on students. 

“I’d say the enormous amount of construction on campus, though I know it’s all apart of the growing population. If it were me and I had seen all that before enrolling, I’d be turned off by that and not want to be at a university that is incomplete,” said Joshua Hinojosa, a junior international relations major. 

Students point on the parallelism for more construction will compensate for the rapid increase of enrollment, but overall the construction will be good for the university and for the future of Texas State.

 Josh Mitchell

"I think the expansion of the campus and beautification of the campus that is happening right now will generally attack more students, but I think the university is beginning to forget is that a lot of people that are here now came here because it felt small," said Josh Mitchell, a senior on the Student Government Academic Affairs Chair Committee.  

Some students feel the enrollment increase will help for academic and athletic national recommendation and will promote the awareness for diversity. 

“This is a strength, and adds diversity for students, faculty, staff and the organizations that will come with a students of different back grounds and foster more understanding of different cultures,” junior Amy Bender said.   
 "Our growth is a positive reflection on all aspects of campus life.