Students experience overcrowding again as Chapman’s population continues to expand
New strategies hope to help defeat the struggles associated with overcrowding on campus. Photo by JACK SUNDBLAD, Staff Photographer
As Chapman continues to increase its acceptance of first-year students annually, students are faced with overcrowding complications on campus.
A year has passed since the largest first-year class started at Chapman, which resulted in class registration and housing becoming complicated for continuing students. However, even with the start of a new school year, students are still forced to deal with the same issue today.
According to an email sent by Assistant Vice President of Admission Marcela Mejia-Martinez, about 2,083 first-year students were enrolled in fall 2022. For fall 2023, there are about 1,808 first-year students.
Freshman dance major Lauren Derheim explains how she understands the stress continuing students face when registering for housing and classes.
“Chapman is growing rapidly as the years go on and has gotten more selective,” Derheim said.
In the past two years, the beginning of the semester has consisted of the same problems for continuing students, such as long lines for the shuttle, complications with housing and having a difficult time registering for certain classes. In some circumstances, first-year students were even placed in continuing student housing due to the overcapacity in the first-year dorms.
Just a year ago, Chapman also faced the same problem of overcrowding students on campus and a complicated housing process.
Senior communication studies major Garrett Hogan explained that his housing process was complicated due to the demand of students wanting to live on campus.
“I expected the housing process to be simple and quick,” Hogan said. “However, with so many students wanting housing, it felt like a competition to see who could get which dorm. You have to act quickly, making the process stressful.”
“I expected the housing process to be simple and quick. However, with so many students wanting housing, it felt like a competition to see who could get which dorm. You have to act quickly, making the process stressful.”
Hogan also stated he “got lucky” that his roommate’s registration was earlier than his. The registration time for housing is crucial due to demand and having a first-come, first-served process.
Housing registration time is randomly selected. Therefore, the students who get an early time usually get their preferred housing.
“Due to the overcrowding, I probably wouldn't have gotten my preferred dorm if my roommate didn’t have an earlier registration time and day,” Hogan told The Panther.
Additionally, the city of Orange recently placed an admissions limit on Chapman. As of publication, the city has not responded to The Panther’s requests for comment.
This year, Chapman has taken a more strategic approach to face these overcrowding issues. This approach includes creating a more organized move-in process and a strategic way to advise all students.
This strategic approach was brought to Chapman Housing after the complications of the fall 2022 semester. Assistant Dean of Students Juan Tinoco described the newly developed strategies. Chapman Housing’s motivation for this new approach was to prevent housing and transportation complications from becoming an annual trend.
“This year, we were able to house all our first-year students in first-year housing,” Tinoco said. “I’m hearing feedback from parents during the move-in process. They mentioned that it went very smoothly this year. We were able to house all the students who needed it.”
Chapman has also created a concise and organized method in the housing process to benefit students and staff. According to Tinoco, the number of students typically fluctuates; about 1,830 first-year students were placed in first-year housing for the fall semester.
“Overall, this year, we were more mindful and strategic in admitting and housing our students,” Tinoco told The Panther. “We learned from the past and were able to implement some strategic intentions starting in the spring and through the summer to ensure that we could support anybody who needed housing on campus.”
Tinoco continued: “I want to ensure all our students feel supported and can find affordable housing near campus. We learned a lot from last fall, and I think we are being more mindful and ensuring students' positive experiences.”
The complications of the fall 2022 semester encouraged Chapman to learn from its struggles. However, some issues have returned. Transportation to and from campus has been an issue for many continuing students. The shuttle service at Chapman is necessary for many students, especially upperclassmen who live at Panther Village and Chapman Grand.
For Hogan, the shuttle is a vital part of his routine. But recently, it has been a struggle for him since many students have been taking it.
“It's a little more difficult for the sophomores, juniors and seniors, especially with the shuttles,” Hogan said. “I've noticed if you're trying to go to class, and you live at Chapman Grand, and your classes are at a time when many other people are having classes, the shuttle usually fills up pretty quickly. So, you have to be at the beginning of the line to get on the shuttle before everybody else starts getting in line.”
“It’s a little more difficult for the sophomores, juniors and seniors, especially with the shuttles. I’ve noticed if you’re trying to go to class, and you live at Chapman Grand, and your classes are at a time when many other people are having classes, the shuttle usually fills up pretty quickly. So, you have to be at the beginning of the line to get on the shuttle before everybody else starts getting in line.”
As of publication, Chapman’s Parking and Transportation Services has not responded to The Panther’s repeated requests for comment.
