MINNEAPOLIS — For the third year in a row, the University of Minnesota is welcoming a near-record size freshman class to campus this week, with roughly 6,700 first-year students preparing to attend classes after Labor Day.
On Monday, roughly 2,500 members of the Class of 2027 started moving into residence halls across campus, with another 2,500 expected to move in Tuesday. The rest will move into the dorms sporadically over the rest of the week.
This freshman class is unique, given that students went through the worst of the COVID years early in high school.
"High school was completely different," aspiring journalism major Elsa Yoder said. "I'm kind of grateful we get to be here when things are chill, and we can have a real experience."
It's a far cry from the early days of the pandemic, when the U of M had about half the number of students on campus.
"We did our best to try to provide a similar experience," Interim Director of Housing and Residential Life Susan Stubblefield said, "but having the full student body back on campus has been just a reinvigoration of the university."
Stubblefield said students may notice some security enhancements on campus this year, including a new turnstile system at Pioneer Hall for residents as well as students using the dining hall. The building at Pioneer also has a live video monitoring system installed.
"It's similar to what you would see in the big box scores. As you enter, you're on a screen, you're on a camera, and you're just reminded that, 'Hey, there's somebody kind of watching,'" Stubblefield said. "As we see how the turnstiles and the live-feed monitors are working, we're going to continue to assess that and look at future security enhancements in other buildings."
Caleb Kuseske, a freshman from Rosemount, said he supports the security changes at Pioneer Hall.
"Yes, most definitely," he said. "It makes me feel more safe to be here."
Also this year, the Class of 2027 will begin classes with new leadership on campus. After President Joan Gabel left for the University of Pittsburgh, the Board of Regents selected former Hormel Foods CEO Jeff Ettinger as the interim president.
Entering his first semester, enrollment on the Twin Cities campus is stable, although the Board of Regents approved a 3.5-percent tuition hike to help cover a revenue shortfall. A boost to state and federal grant programs this year may help with the affordability factor.
"This is double my oldest child's tuition," said Rochelle Thon of Appleton, Wisc., whose son Adam is a freshman this year. "But it just kind of comes with the territory."
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