As a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University, it has been incredible watching the university grow from my freshman year until now. From 2,000 students in its first year to more than 15,000 students today, FGCU has annually increased in double digits and is expected to reach 20,000 students in the next three years.
As more and more students flood in, a big question sits on my mind: What are we going to do with them all?
Since I have been at FGCU, two new dorm buildings, Eagle Hall and Osprey Hall, have been put up in South Lake Village. However, that merely puts additional housing on campus. The real problem lies with the dining halls, gym and library.
If you have ever been to the library during finals week, you know that finding a table is comparable to competing in the Hunger Games. Well, with the additional students it seems as though finals week is now year-round.
As a college student, one of the most essential tools of success is the library. Here, students have a quiet location with many helpful resources at their fingertips. How are we expected to succeed when we spend half of our time at the library doing laps looking for a seat?
This problem goes beyond the library and to the dining areas on campus as well. Instead of the university spending money on skee ball machines in the new dorm building, they should think about expanding our dining areas.
On most campuses, there is more than one dining hall, but here we can only find one in South Village. Although we have smaller food areas on main campus, they are often swarmed during the day, making it impossible to grab a quick bite between classes.
These vendors also close early at night. An additional dining hall near main campus would not only solve this problem, but would also allow students who live in North Lake Village to continue the meal plan services that the university offers.
Aside from the library and dining halls, we have also seen our school gym shrink in size year to year.
Because the sports teams do not have their own designated gym, it is often inconvenient to other students who are trying to work out when they arrive during a team’s practice hours.
Our school gym is just as important as the library and is necessary to offer our students a healthy lifestyle. However, it is becoming a nuisance to arrive to the gym only to find no machines available to exercise on.
I think it’s crucial for our university to expand the exercise centers to better benefit both sports teams and students. By having another gym, teams can work out separately and students don’t have to feel as though they are cramped or in the way when they come to the gym.
A growing school is exciting, especially when you have the opportunity to watch it transform before your eyes, but it can also be an annoyance if the school does not keep up with its new students. It is important that we not only find a place for these students to sleep but also to eat, exercise and study.