A new fall semester at Baruch College means new students, fewer working elevators and even less space on campus. This semester’s crowding issues seem to be worse than in the past few semesters.
Students have noticed having to wait in very long lines for the elevators in the Lawrence and Eris Field Building, more commonly known as 17 Lex. The lack of functioning elevators contributed to the long lines.
Similarly, the escalators to get to the second from the third floor of the William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus get very crowded during peak class times. This escalator was broken on Wednesday, Sept. 4 since at least 10 a.m. and was not seen working again until the next day.
Baruch’s Division of Enrollment Management & Strategic Academics Initiatives releases reports to general faculty each semester about enrollment data, among other updates. The Fall 2024 enrollment data has yet to be released by the division.
The EMSAI Oct. 20, 2023 report said Baruch’s overall headcount was 19,692, which was down 0.8% from the previous year. Overall enrollment has been decreasing since 2021.
To understand the seemingly larger student population, it is important to note that Baruch has been offering less online and hybrid classes in a push toward more in-person learning.
According to an August 2021 letter to students and faculty from Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Linda Essig, approximately one-third of Baruch classes were in-person.
This fall semester, the number of in-person course sections has increased to 70%. About 10% of course sections offered this fall semester are fully online, equivalent to pre-pandemic course offerings.
The increased number of students taking in-person classes is what is causing overcrowding issues on campus, while broken elevators and escalators contribute.
Baruch should take into account the campus’ capacity and working facilities before deciding to reduce remote class options. Additionally, Baruch should be more diligent in ensuring elevators and escalators in all buildings are working.