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Expanding class sizes threatens to diminish our unique campus culture

Princeton plans to expand the undergraduate student body size and just published initial plans for the changes to campus. In its 2016 strategic planning report, the University cited its “growing leadership responsibilities that accompany Princeton’s increasingly distinctive capacity to contribute to the world” as motivation for increasing class size. But I am unsure that the University can increase in size without losing its unique campus environment.

The administration claims this expansion will not sacrifice the quality of the University. With plans for adding faculty members and facilities, I am confident that the University will maintain its academic integrity. The report ensures it will preserve “the distinctive character and value of the Princeton experience,” but the campus culture and its unique sense of community and tradition cannot survive expansion fully intact. As a tour guide and a host for prefrosh, I sell Princeton’s social tightness and cohesion as one of its primary strengths, especially among the Ivies — and I’m afraid that will change with the expansion.

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First, class sizes may not change, but department sizes will. As a computer science major, I do not identify with my program of study because I have not frequently personally interacted with faculty members in my first two years. The program is robust and well-taught, but I do feel like I missed out on the iconic liberal arts tight-knit academic community.

The small campus size also allows students to enroll in most of the classes they want. This means students can effectively choose the professors they engage with and determine their own academic paths. But with increased student body size, students, especially freshman, would find it more difficult to enroll in desired classes, diminishing students’ ability to engage in personally compelling courses.

Many of the perks of the frequently discussed “undergraduate focus” — rather than graduate focus — result from the undergraduate population size. Starting from their freshman year, students can meet, get meals with, and even work under their professors without competition from a large graduate school population. A larger undergrad population would also decrease opportunities for students to engage with specific professors, especially for advising, diminishing the powerful environment of faculty accessibility.

But expansion would also transform the social climate of the University. Princeton’s sense of community and strong tradition sets it apart from similarly academically rigorous institutions. The “Orange Bubble” nickname sometimes connotes negative aspects of the Princeton experience like insulation and disengagement from the real world. But the Orange Bubble also describes the innate sense of community in the student population formed from common experiences. Just think about how many students find their best friends in their freshman hall. Our entire community bonds from inhabiting the same spaces and living the same experiences: running on the towpath, hoarding food at Frist late meal, or counting down to Forbes Sunday brunch. As the student body expands and the campus grows, our comradery from simple proximity would be lost.

Princeton’s alumni support and investment personify this commitment to campus. Alums stay connected to and engaged with campus because of the community environment. Students are involved because they feel like their contributions count, as opposed to feeling drowned out in the crowd, fostering a unique university community uniting diverse interests and groups.

Lastly, Princeton’s social structures are not equipped to handle an increased student body size, and the administration did not demonstrate efforts to address this issue. Eating clubs already struggle with problems of exclusivity, and increasing the size of the student body without making changes would exacerbate these issues. The bicker process already leaves many students out, and an expanded class size would cause more students to compete for the same amount of spots.

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Princeton’s unique campus culture depends on a tightly integrated student body. Though the University could maintain rigorous academics with more students, the closeness and community focus would diminish. Expanding the University is motivated by noble interests, but the undergraduate culture is at stake.

Jessica Nyquist is a computer science major from Houston, Tex. She can be reached at jnyquist@princeton.edu.

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