Wright State’s first Fall Semester has proven to be a spacious one for Residence Services, as the number of on-campus students has decreased significantly from previous years. Some of the dormitory facilities are down to roughly 80% capacity, while last year they were filled to the point that over 100 students had to temporarily live in the lounges. The overall enrollment at Wright State is down about 8% from 2011, with a smaller freshman class than in previous years. According to Director of Residence Services Dan Bertsos, the shortage of residents shows nearly the same figures. “We’re clearly below capacity”, said Bertsos, “It looks like our numbers are going to be similar to the shortfalls in enrollment.” Though the residential numbers are down this year, the activity on campus is not. On-campus events have been popular this fall, many of them being completely filled. Berstos credits this to the recent formation of the Student Weekend Activities Team (SWAT), which is an organization devoted to providing residential students with activities on weekends. When asked whether or not the smaller numbers would equate to less RA’s being hired, Bertsos gave a quick and confident reply. “No,” Berstos answered, “this year’s RA’s are set and ready to go.” Despite the overall lower numbers, the on-campus apartments have been thriving, indicating that more returning students are choosing to live on campus. “They like the convenience; they like the security,” said Bertsos, “and I think they like staying around people they know”.
