Tech’s Expansion Strains Institute Resources
For the first time in institute history, we have over 20,000 undergraduate students. This major milestone is due in part to the work of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, which oversaw the largest addition of undergraduates ever this past summer — 5,326, to be exact. The interim executive director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions said, “Under President Cabrera’s leadership, we’ve made it a priority to not only increase the size of our first-year class and overall undergraduate enrollment but also to enhance the breadth of backgrounds, perspectives, and passions within our community.” The Institute’s administration has long held a desire to expand enrollment under the rationale that more students would allow Tech to further our community impact, fulfill our commitment to service and increase our national ranking — all commendable ambitions. However, in meeting one goal, the Institute risks falling short in another: meeting the basic needs of its undergraduate students.
We applaud the efforts to expand enrollment. Expanding access to secondary education, promoting economic development and furthering the Institute’s status as a place of higher learning are all inherently good products of student expansion. But the problem arises when the number of students grows faster than the resources to accommodate them. The quality of student experience is critical to any university, yet Tech seems to have placed current students on the back-burner while seeking out a grandiose future. Administration is neglecting critical services like dining and housing in favor of less essential side projects.
Housing is a prime example of Tech failing to meet student demand. Tech has a total housing capacity of 8,807 students. In comparison to our 20,000 undergraduates, there is an obvious shortage. This might not be as problematic in a more rural campus, but being in Atlanta means that off-campus housing is exorbitantly expensive. One of the purported goals of expanded enrollment is allowing for more equitable access to higher education, yet expansion has forced many students to turn to off-campus options that can run upwards of $1400 a month. Students having to spend over ten thousand dollars a year on housing in addition to tuition surely does not expand access.
This lack of housing was predictable based on expected increases in application. Using population trends data, the Institute predicted its peak in applications would be in 2025. Considering that administration expected increased applications, it should be a surprise to learn that the last new residence hall construction plan was in 2005. For almost two decades, Tech has been slow to react to increasing enrollment on campus, and now that we are facing overcrowding, the administration announced a new 840-bed residence hall slated for completion in the fall of 2026.
Another point on campus where demand exceeds supply is dining. Just this year, Tech Dining announced the first ever 24-hour access to dining at North Ave Dining Hall Tuesdays through Thursdays. This announcement should have been a celebration of a step in the right direction, however it was overshadowed by the joint closure of Brittain Dining Hall. Now, there are only two dining halls to accommodate the entire undergraduate population. While the Institute has attempted to accommodate through adding food trucks and dining options in the Student Center, these attempts are merely stopgaps to reducing the larger dining infrastructure dilemma. Dining halls are a valuable means to deliver food to a large quantity of students, yet Tech is shutting down dining halls at a time when it expects the largest enrollment in our history.
The problem is not the increased number of students; it is the failure to adequately prepare to meet students’ needs. If we have been expecting an increased enrollment for decades, now is not the time to act — ten years ago was the time to act. The Institute’s lack of preparation has caught us between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, there are scarce resources for current students, and, on the other, there is a moral obligation to accept Georgia students as a state college. It’s a complicated issue with no easy answer.
The student body needs to be prepared. This problem is going to get worse before it gets better. As the Institute expands enrollment, it is not selfish to ask Tech to maintain quality. As the number of students increases, there should be more advisors, more professors and more class offerings to meet that demand. While the ship has sailed on dining and housing, Tech must find a way to meet the student body’s needs in the interim. Whether this means subsiding off-campus housing or providing meal vouchers, something must be done. As more students pour into Tech, we cannot just grow in numbers; we must grow in resources. Without balance, we risk losing what makes our community thrive.