Growing Pains:

Size does matter

By Jimmy Thomas
Courier Staff

MC’s enrollment is increasing every year which is wonderful for the College as long as it can maintain certain environments both necessary and beneficial for the students and faculty. One major problem resulting from the increased enrollment is the burden placed on classes in terms of dynamics and attention provided by faculty members.

Class registration is almost upon us meaning almost every student will be gearing up for the “process” of registration, also known as making and remaking schedules based upon availability and class enrollment. In recent years, this process has become harder, because the College has not adequately expanded its academic program to accommodate for increased enrollment. Yes, every student will get into a required sophomore or senior year course; however, these classes are getting larger and larger which is detrimental to both the students and the faculty.

Often times students cannot get into courses they need for general education or senior year requirements. Professors cannot be expected to increase their class load, because MC faculty already teach seven courses a year which is more than a majority of collegiate institutions require. Very few students are able to get the exact schedules they want without adding or removing courses based upon availability. Part of the allure of Monmouth, as a small liberal arts institution, is that students can and should get enrolled in the classes they want without being waitlisted.

In addition to student problems, larger class sizes put a significant strain on the faculty in sundry ways. First of all, the classroom environment is radically changed, because seminars cannot be taught in large classes. Also, students are less likely to get one-on-one attention from a faculty member when he or she must administer to the needs of 30 other students. Secondly, as advisors, faculty members are put under increasing strain and not able to give as much personal time and attention to their advisees to help make important decisions.

The professors at MC make this institution great; just ask the students and they will always speak in glowing terms when describing their relationship with faculty members, both in and out of the classroom. But when professors are overworked, no one benefits. More students per class and per advisor makes professors less able to satisfy the needs of their students which is what I truly believe their goal was when choosing to teach at a small liberal arts school. They could work at a larger institution where they would teach fewer classes and have a teacher’s assistants to facilitate their classes, but they choose to teach here because they desire to have a relationship with the students and to interact with them on a one on one basis.

Another negative impact of higher enrollment on students has been the unavailability of work space on campus. It is particularly difficult for students to find space with computers during the school day. The Mellinger Learning Center purports to have a 24-hour computer lab, yet classes are held there throughout the day making students trek around campus to other possibly open laboratories—that are full—or to the library to use the laptop computers which are unreliable to say the least. If the school is going to have a 24/7 computer laboratory then it should actual adhere to that statement and make space available for students to work when they want.