It’s not that I am against campus growth. With growth come better resources and opportunities. What I am against is how we have grown. The unnecessary growing pains and strains have associated the idea of “growth” with negative experience. There is a lack of adequate facilities for our current population. Consider ten Hoor’s human traffic jam or traffic jams involving cars on campus; many of these discomforts could be avoided with proper preparation.
Unfortunately, the University has made a habit of playing “catch up” with the numbers rather than preparing itself for the people it knows are heading its way. A new recreation center is supposedly on the way, but only after our current recreation center turned into one big waiting line for treadmills between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
But accepting the fact that our campus is growing and will continue to grow, I am putting my sword back in its scabbard, and saving it for a fight I have a chance in. Last week, Guy Bailey, the new UA president, reaffirmed the continuation of Robert Witt’s goal of increasing enrollment. Despite many students voicing concern over more masses, the increase is inevitable.
More people than ever are attending college, precipitating an increased enrollment around the country. Also, this university is seen as a business to many, especially those in charge. The mail goal of a business is to make money.
Yet while the pursuit of 36,000 students was Witt’s, the method of pursuit is now up to President Bailey. While at Texas Tech, President Bailey orchestrated record-high enrollment for the school. Perhaps it is because of the vast Lubbock backdrop, but the increase of population did not translate to discomfort at Tech. Instead, it became synonymous with growth of quality.
There are many similarities between Bailey and Witt, and after all, Chancellor Witt is technically still in charge. However, Bailey’s experience at Tech and his background in academia indicate his views on campus growth are different. Assuming, as an educator, that Bailey will look at The University of Alabama as a place of higher education and not a cash cow waiting to get milked, the project might actually be student-centered.
The numbers may be the same, but the experience should be different. It must be different for the University to remain a sought after educational experience. Increasing growth is admirable, but if it is done in sloppy fashion the unrest of the masses may overshadow the original desire. Proper planning prevents poor performance, and the University needs to prepare for the future, rather than waiting until the future is already trying to move into its new dorm room.
Bailey has grown a school before, so his experience leads me to believe he knows what he is doing. Potentially, this period of growth could be a smoother, smarter and more comfortable experience than the previous one.
SoRelle Wyckoff is the Opinions Editor for The Crimson White. Her column runs on Monday.
