Campus busy in midst of enrollment decline

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Because of the strategies, enrollment is expected to increase. In fall 2022, the number of first time first year students was the largest increase in two years. As of spring 2022, there are 5,999 students enrolled, which is 14.3% below SSU’s target. With the current plan, SSU has a goal of 7,810 students by the 2026-2027 academic year.

An increase in enrollment can also be attributed to an increase in in-person instruction. In the spring 2023 semester, 77% of courses are in person, opposed to 71% in fall 2022. A Pew Research study found that, “sixty five percent of students preferred in-person instruction, compared to the eighteen percent who prefer a hybrid model and a 9% who reported they’d rather learn remotely.” The switch to entirely online courses steered many students away from school.

Lynn Lyzenga, a pre-nursing student, describes an experience felt by many, stating, “I didn’t have a lot of friends who dropped out, but almost all of them failed classes or barely passed them. They had to repeat semesters because of it, it was really rough.”

While some students already had difficulty with in-person instruction, many factors could contribute to a harder learning experience online.

Harmony Simmons, a third year English major, explains, “lots of colleges were more prepared than others to go online when the pandemic happened, and life has changed for a lot of people. Some people have always struggled, but I think during the pandemic everyone struggled, and the best way colleges could recover from that is to be more easy-going on students.” The transition back to the normal college experience is encouraging the return of SSU’s goal numbers.

While enrollment numbers are lower than target, the campus seems to be busy. The recreation center as well as the student center are always full of students. The newly-renovated Stevenson Hall is attracting more students to that area of campus. Student life still carries on and there are events almost every day. A lot of the students have never had the in-person experience that is returning.

Yesenia Verduzco, a third year Kinesiology major, states, “Events have influenced students coming here. A lot of us were online when the pandemic started so people didn’t get that exposure to campus. I know that people have been saying enrollment has been dropping over time, but this is the most students I’ve seen on campus since I’ve been here.” Sonoma State’s student life has helped the campus feel more full and busy, and students don’t seem to notice a difference in enrollment.

With the pandemic winding down and campus life returning, we may see pre-pandemic enrollment numbers in the coming academic years.

Brave Space Gatherings provide solace for students and staff

continued from pg. 1 ed a whole other level because of my Vietnamese-American background. It hit differently. I appreciated the check-in and being able to be in a space where we can talk about it.”

Katherine Lee, assistant professor of American Multicultural Studies and Charlene Tung, professor of Women’s and Gender Studies, expressed concern about not being able to open up and talk about violence surrounding the community. Tung said, “ It doesn’t surprise me; nobody wants to talk about fear and violence. I wasn’t even ready to address it in class today. So I appreciate the space so we can have these conversations.”

Ultimately, professors and faculty alike agree that it is important to check in and check up on other members of the community who are having a hard time throughout this period of violence.

“At the end of the day we’ll log off and continue on, but it’s so important to reach out and check in,” added Griffin-Desta. “Check in on our students, on our staff, and our faculty.”

STAFF WRITER RENE CASSANO