Column: Enrollment statistics misleading
Published Aug. 27, 2010
Today's column begins with a little shout-out to the hungry meal plan holders. I've watched you stand in a seemingly endless line outside Plaza 900 with sad eyes and rumbling stomachs. I've taken your 20-point orders at Baja Grill with compassion as drool slides down your chins. I feel your pain.
Most of us know how irritating it can be to stand in line for the dining halls. We've been there, and we've conquered, earning our right to live off-campus and eat on our own schedules.
However, I'm quite sure the class of 2014 will face the greatest hurdles in their quest for sustenance. This year's 6,160 freshmen represent the largest incoming class MU has ever seen, with a 9.6 percent increase in first day freshman enrollment from last fall.
Because most freshmen have a dining contract with Campus Dining Services, that means there are more mouths to feed now than ever before. With more than 6,000 kids requiring a feeding approximately two or three times a day at the dining hall processing rate, this is going to be one hell of a year. I've only been working for CDS for a short time, but I've already come face-to-face with the angry hordes of burrito-wanting freshmen bitter from reported wait times close to an hour or more.
I am by no means criticizing CDS. Firstly, it still has hiring to do and hopefully after the bulk of the process is complete, eating will be expedited. Secondly, although CDS collaborates with MU on its numerous food establishment ventures, it is not run by the university and therefore must fund itself. And last but not least, it is not CDS' fault MU decided to accept 6,160 new students.
There — I said it. Even though record enrollment during poor economic times might seem like a good thing (yeah, we're getting educated!), I don't buy it. In addition to dining issues, there's been a slew of housing problems. It seems MU's hunger for students is bigger than the university's stomach can handle. When the quality of education doesn't increase because teacher pay stays stagnant despite the addition of more classes, the only logical motivation left behind is greed.
Maybe MU will try to defend itself by saying the quality of the enrolled students has increased. After all, a university news release claimed an 8 percent increase in Bright Flight Scholars and an 18.8 percent increase in Curators Scholars since 2009. Although the statistics are true, they are presented in a deceptive manner.
In order to accurately analyze these statistics, one must calculate the actual proportion of Bright Flight and Curators scholars in relation to the total amount of students enrolled each year.
MU did see an increase in the percentage proportion of freshman Curators Scholars for this academic year in comparison to last year's incoming class. In 2009, about 7.7 percent of the admitted were Curators Scholars and in 2010, about 8.3 percent of the admitted were given the title. However, this is by no means a bragging feat.
The actual proportion of Bright Flight Scholars to total number of enrolled students actually decreased marginally this year. In 2009, 8.4 percent of the admitted students were Bright Flight Scholars, and this year 8.3 percent were given the title.
I want financial transparency. Where is the tuition money for 6,160 students going to go? Maybe there's a reason cliché sayings like quality over quantity persist over time — they're true. We live in a country with one of the most dismal college graduation rates (less than 60 percent in six years) considering our per capita spending on students. It's time our public institutions stopped mimicking big business and started making an honest investment in our futures.