In recent announcements made by Bloomsburg University and Residence Life, the incoming freshmen class for the Fall 2010 academic year will be quite large in size, with a majority of them seeking on campus housing. Residence Life released a statement on their website saying, "FALL 2010 FRESHMEN SHOULD EXPECT TO BE IN A TRIPLE ROOM WHEN THEY ARRIVE ON CAMPUS FOR THE FALL."
Two years ago, some of the freshmen class for the Fall 2007 academic year were tripled in the on-campus dorms. Residence Life, however, assured those students they would be de-tripled by the second to third week of classes. Although de-tripling students was a great priority for Res Life then, it seems that tripling will be the normality for future incoming freshmen. We at The Voice ask: why is tripling "ok" now?
With this announcement to incoming freshmen about expecting to be tripled and the even more recent announcement of an incentive program for current on-campus residents to move off-campus, the current housing situation lends itself to the idea that Bloomsburg University has accepted more students for the Fall 2010 year than they are able to accommodate. It seems that due to recent budget cuts for the university, BU is trying to make up the difference by accepting more students than there is necessarily room for.
In order to accept the number of students that is being proposed for the Fall 2010 academic year, it can only be assumed that the academic standards and GPA requirements have been lowered. Essentially, in order to make up the dollars lost, BU is trading in their high standards for higher education.
We at The Voice do not believe that academics are the only issue at stake. We are also greatly concerned with the safety factor of having dorms full of tripled students in rooms only meant to have a dual occupancy. Every room and every building on campus has a maximum occupancy limit, and for good reason. This raises the concern as to whether the dorm buildings have been cleared to house the number of students who will be living there in the coming semester.
Many changes are happening every day at Bloomsburg University, and this current housing situation for the Fall semester is no exception. We at The Voice understand the choices that BU faces with managing budget cuts and student acceptance. All we are asking is that the student body and their parents be well informed about what changes are being made and why.
-The Voice Staff
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article! Log in to Comment
You must be logged in to comment on an article. Not already a member? Register now