By RYAN COTTEN, Ranger Reporter:
The spring 2017 semester is here and that means new students are on campus. Amarillo College enrollment continues to increase and parking spaces are still hard to find.
According to an enrollment report provided by Bob Austin, vice president of student affairs, enrollment is up 0.46 percent from last year from 9,050 to 9,092 students, an increase of 42 people, and spring enrollment is up 1.5 percent from the fall.
The general trend in AC enrollment is that “an increase in the fall semester leads to an increase in the spring,” Austin said. Increased enrollment leads to more opportunities for students and staff. “We try to consider all students when it comes to planning special events throughout the semester.”
Numerous events and gatherings are planned out carefully so everyone can attend a special activity on campus, said Austin, noting that when it comes to new students, “we aim to invite them into our family.”
Increased enrollment also has some drawbacks. Due to the increasing amount of people attending AC, parking spaces could be increasingly difficult to come by.
“If parking is our biggest problem, I think we’re in good shape.” Austin said.
A larger enrollment may also lead to fewer seats in the classroom, but students do not appear to be worried. “I haven’t noticed any big changes,” Taylor Gray, a biology major, said.
Gray said, despite the large enrollment, AC offers a supportive environment where it is easy to get to know people. “AC is a good place for people who don’t like a big university,” said Gray.
AC offers many resources to help students succeed. Returning students have some advice for new students on how to be successful during this new semester. “Study hard, and don’t slack off,” Breagan Hightower, a biochemistry major, said.
Leave a Reply