As the incoming class sizes increase, so does the need for housing on campus.
This past week, the Wake Forest community welcomed the Class of 2029 to campus. With exciting orientation events and the annual new-student convocation, the group was brought in with empathy and elation from their fellow upperclassmen and faculty.
However, there was an unusual change from past years: the university admitted roughly 100 more students than usual, making it the biggest Wake Forest class in the university’s history.
Wake Forest isn’t scaling back after this increase — the university is reportedly increasing the class by an estimated one hundred students in the years moving forward, ultimately altering the future of the campus and the limited housing space.
This directly affects the housing process for incoming first-years, who are typically housed on South Campus in one of the seven dorms, including Angelou, Babcock, Bostwick, Collins, Hopkins, Johnson and Luter. The purpose of the close-knit community for first-years has been to foster community and help ease the transition away from home.
Nonetheless, the housing capacity was beyond limits due to the sheer number of incoming students. As Wake Forest’s reputation as a leading liberal arts institution grows, so does the interest from prospective students across the world. Residence Life and Housing placed students in Huffman, a residence hall on the quad and in Deacon Place, an apartment complex off-campus.
“I wasn’t sure how to feel when I found out I wasn’t living on South Campus in ‘freshman-land,’ as I was unsure of how it would affect my social life and general first-year experience,” said freshman Broughton McLester, who is living in the quad dorm Huffman this year.
Before the change, Huffman housed mainly upperclassmen in single dorm rooms and Deacon Place accommodated seniors outside of the campus gates on Long Drive. While Deacon Place is a mix of both seniors and freshmen, Huffman, as a result of the overcapacity, is now reserved for only freshmen and houses 76 students.
Though Huffman is disconnected from South campus, they still provide Faculty Fellows and standard programming for first-year residence halls.
“I love Huffman— I have made incredible friends and feel very safe in the environment, but at times I would love to be closer to the other residences on South Campus,” said McLester.
The effects have been most directly felt by those placed outside the traditional first-year housing, who are navigating challenges and attempting to find comfort in their new homes.
“During pre-orientation it definitely felt very isolating, which I’d say has gotten better since there is now much more to do on campus than simply convene outside the freshmen dorms on South Campus,” said Julia Wood, a freshman living in Huffman. “I feel like it hasn’t taken away from my overall experience, since I’ve made friends both in Huffman and on South Campus, and am much closer to the freshmen parking lot!”
“While our community has traditionally thought of South Campus as our housing area for incoming students, this year is not the first (or last) time that we will house first-year students outside of South Campus,” said Dr. Zach Blackmon, Director of Operations for Residence Life and Housing. “As we navigate larger incoming classes and remaining renovations on South Campus, we will continue to house some incoming students outside of South Campus for the foreseeable future.”
No new residence halls are currently under construction, but adjustments are certainly in the works to better accommodate these larger class sizes, such as more in-depth orientation programs and renovations.
According to Dr. Blackmon, “In the coming year, we will begin planning for the demolition and reconstruction of Collins Hall.”
Residence life continues to work on the next steps for housing in the upcoming years. In the meantime, first-year students are adapting to the change and continuing to thrive at Wake Forest.
Grace Schuringa contributed to the reporting of this article.
