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Aggies arrive in herds for fall semester

While the official numbers won’t be reported until October, Utah State University has enrolled a record numbers of Aggies for the fall 2015 semester.

The increase in enrollment this year and the decrease two years ago is attributed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionary age change.

The LDS missionary age change dropped the age a man can serve a mission from 19 to 18 years old, and for women, from 21 to 19.

“In fall ’13 we saw a decline because these students that used to come for a year and then leave have left early,” said John Mortensen, assistant vice president for Enrollment Services and Retention at Utah State.

Now the first generation affected by this change is returning from their missions and coming to college.

“Most of them are [return missionaries], so it makes it enjoyable for me because I can relate with a lot of people,” said Kaden Neuberger, a first year bioengineering major who recently returned from his mission in Honduras.

While return missionaries play a part, the record enrollment at USU is also due to recruitment.

“We really did step up recruitment efforts,” said Katie Nielsen, the director of admissions for USU. “Knowing that enrollment was going to be down, we put in a lot of extra efforts the last couple of years that I think paid off.”

While a lot of schools benefited from the missionary age change, many have not seen the increase in enrollment USU has, Nielsen said.

Landon Howard, diversity ambassador for Aggie Ambassadors and a junior in marketing, also acknowledges the increased efforts of recruitment.

“The work that was put in by the whole ambassador organization in general definitely have done the recruiting side of things … to show the students what’s really offered here at Utah State,” Howard said.

Utah State benefits from the return missionaries and recruitment’s efforts. More students bring more money, which helps fund our classes, programs and events.

“Enrollment drives the university,” Nielsen said. “If you’re up in enrollment, you have more funds to help students.”

Mortensen said these funds can also help make up deficits.

“During the time that enrollment was down, obviously budgets took a hit,” Mortensen said. “Now the increase in tuition dollars this semester will level that out again.”

Along with finances, students also experience an enhanced campus atmosphere.

“One of the biggest benefits is the excitement on campus,” Nielsen said. “Having more students at activities, more students at games, more students that get to have this Aggie experience.”

Increased enrollment means housing more students, filling some housing options to capacity.

“University housing’s full,” Mortensen said. “And then we had the Aggie Factory not ready in time, which affected some students. Some students chose not to come as a result of that.”

Another obstacle for student events is including everyone who wants to attend.

“I went to Bingo Night — I was five minutes late and I didn’t even have a place to sit,” Howard said.

Additionally, having enough classes available for students is a concern.

“Classes are probably the main thing I’ve worked on, making sure we’ve got enough Gen Ed classes for students to take,” Mortensen said.

Neuberger, among others, encountered obstacles with classes.

“(Registering) was a little difficult, just trying to change certain classes,” Neuberger said. “I had to sign up and get on a lot of waitlists and stuff, but I got in my classes.”

Nielsen said that USU offers additional options, such as online courses and courses at additional campuses, to help meet the demand for classes.

“There’s no point in getting students here if they don’t have the opportunities that they need to have,” Nielsen said.

However, some students prefer the traditional route.

“I didn’t really want to take [online] classes. I prefer the face-to-face,” Neuberger said. “It makes me more responsible. When it’s online, it’s very difficult for me to stay focused. I think it just provides a good learning environment, rather than if I do it online.”

Students are not the only ones affected by increased enrollment. USU faculty also has to make adjustments, Mortensen said.

“I think most areas have anticipated the growth and are trying to do the best they could to accommodate the students,” he said.

— whitney.howard@aggiemail.usu.edu