But our first priority is to the undergraduates for housing. Rooms that have been utilized as singles in the past, Penn said, will be used as doubles again next year. In addition, the entire first floor of Gaines will be freshmen rooms. It's a sizeable increase, Penn said. About 30 percent more freshmen will be in Gaines.
Some professors are worried about the changes in class structure in order to handle the influx.
Sociology Professor Ken White said he is concerned about pressure from the deans to increase class size. Since the department cannot add to the courses being taught, the class erollment must be increased in order to teach the students. They would have to increase enrollment. Thomas Nye, professor of biology, agreed that the number of students would put an increased burden on entry-level courses. He has not heard of plans to hire new faculty, so he believes teaching responsibilities will have to increase to accommodate the larger enrollement.