September 13, 2012

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Minnesota State University, Mankato

www.themsureporter.com

THURSDAY

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FRIDAY

Shoulder to Shoulder and Room to Grow?

MSU plans to expand its enrollment with new accommodations ADAM KRIESEL

staff writer

Total enrollment at Minnesota State University, Mankato on our campus has been steadily increasing over the past five years, and some students think it is becoming an issue. University staff; however, say everything is going as planned. Between 2008 and 2011, MSU has seen an increase of roughly 1,802 students. “Yes, we’re growing,” Brian Jones, director of admissions, said. “But it’s intentional.” With the recent decommissioning of the Gage towers, it may seem to many like there is no plan for immediate growth, especially considering the decreasing number of students able to live on campus. According to the University’s residential life website, a plan was put in place in 2003 to gradually fill the void that Gage would eventually leave.

This plan included the construction of the Julia Sears Residence Community in 2008, as well as the newly opened Margaret R. Preska facility. This fall, the University also added the Stadium Heights Apartment Community to their campus housing program. “We have a five-year enrollment management plan that includes modest but continuous growth,” Jones said. “We’re making plans as an institution to have an increase in total students, and to accommodate that increase.” Part of this plan is to update current facilities in order to attract potential students. Giving prospects a tour of the Preska facility as opposed to Gage will play a large role in their decision. “Moving forward, the new residence hall space will positively impact our enrollment,” Jones said. “We will have an easier time recruiting more students to campus by being able to show up-to-date,

newer facilities.” Still, some students find it hard to believe we are expanding while pushing students off-campus at the same time. Senior Anthony Laudenbach has lived in an apartment near campus for the last two years, and now sees more freshmen than ever occupying his complex. “It almost feels like I’m living on campus again because there are so many freshmen in surrounding apartments,” Laudenbach said. “This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s confusing to think that we are planning to expand while getting rid of Gage at the same time.” When viewing the university enrollment numbers as a whole, it is important not to overlook the fact that the vast majority of students live off-campus. So while a small number of prospective students may have gone elsewhere because of the lack of on-campus housing, that number is microscopic when

elise konerza• msu reporter During MSU’s heaviest traffic hours, it can be difficult for a student to find a computer in the Memorial Library that is not already occupied.

compared to the total enrollment of 15,703 in 2011. Official enrollment numbers for the Fall 2012 semester are not yet available, but a decrease in total enrollment is expected. The estimated number shouldn’t throw the university off their plan for growth, and Jones expects

numbers to hit 17,000 in the near future. “Ultimately, the goal is 17,000 students by 2017,” Jones said. “The goal for recruitment is to bring in about 1.5 percent more new undergraduate students every year,

Expansion / page 3

Finding truth in politics

Political conventions have caused people to check the facts ROMAN EPPERS

staff writer

• web photo Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have gotten a hefty amount of criticism after their convention speeches for false factoids.

Fifty-three percent of Barack Obama’s political claims since 2007, and 70 percent of Mitt Romney’s, have been anywhere from only half true to blatantly false, according to PolitiFact. com, a 2009 Pulitzer-prize winning product of the Tampa Bay Times. With an election looming and candidates promising a stark shift in the direction the country, it is important to attain accurate political information prior to Election Day. Although there are numerous political, fact-checking websites that help the public sift through lies and manipulations made by candidates and the media, politi-

cians continue to bend the truth. Presidential candidates are quick to promise boosts in the economy and job market, and a solution to the national debt. Yet, according to Dr. Joseph A. Kunkel III, a professor in the Department of Government at Minnesota State University, Mankato, many candidates, “runs are promising. They’re going to provide leadership and action, but the reality is, the president is not as powerful as people think.” In a recent New York Times article, the director of FactCheck.org, Brooks Johnson, said politicians from both sides have been found repeating statements already known to be false. He said these politicians blatantly lie because they know

HOW TO SPEND MANKATO’S YOUR SUMMER BAR SCENE IN MANKATO PAGE 7 9

their statements will afford them votes. According to Kunkel, factchecking websites can be good tools, but their effects are often minimal. Most voters do not seek out this sort of information because most voters are only looking to reinforce what they already believe. This is why politicians can tell known lies and still get votes. There are also flaws in factchecking sites. In December 2011, PolitiFact.com released its lie of the year, which turned out to be true. According to its website, PolitiFact.com does not check opinions and acknowledges “That in the world of speechmaking and political rhetoric, there is license for hyperbole.”

Politics / page 5

VARIETY SPORTS

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INDEX: VARIETY SPORTS

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CLASSYS

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