Three’s a crowd on campus

UCI CAMPUS — All in all, Alex Hegedus was pretty happy with his dorm room this fall.

The UCI freshman, a business economics major, got a place at the end of the hall in the Middle Earth dorm complex — and the corner rooms have a little more space than other rooms.

Since Hegedus has to fit two other people in his quarters, it’s just as well.

This fall, UCI got the biggest incoming freshman class in the campus’ history. Final tallies aren’t in yet — officials predict around 4,800 first-year students — but regardless, UCI has had to scramble to accommodate more bodies than it expected. As a result, for the first time ever, hundreds of students like Hegedus are moving in three-to-a-room.

“You just need to respect each other,” said Hegedus, who grew up in Torrance and hadn’t met either of his roommates before. “If someone tries to sleep, keep it quiet.”

That may prove a difficult task. The new triple-rooms at UCI fit three beds, three dressers and three desks into a space not much larger than the average bathroom. Hegedus and his first-arrived roommate, Michael Nicholls, claimed the bunk beds on one side of the room and left the other bed for the unlucky last member of the trio — since that bed has two computer desks wedged under it, and the noise from below could get grating.

The newly tight dorm rooms are proof of a landmark year for UCI. Every year, administrators add up the total number of students accepted to the campus, then estimate how many will end up choosing to go there. This year, about 400 more students said yes than expected — and however awkward the conditions may be, administrators couldn’t be prouder of the numbers.

“The draw for this university is the quality of education, the quality of life experience and the affordability,” Chancellor Michael Drake said. “Affordability is important, but the quality is really the trump. That’s what brings people to a college campus.”

In addition to the freshmen, UCI is expecting about 1,600 transfers this year, bringing the total number of new students to more than 6,000. According to Bill Zeller, the assistant vice chancellor of student housing, the 10,500 students living on campus this year sets an all-time record. Over the last three years, UCI has added thousands of dorm rooms, with a new complex opening this fall.

Manuel Gomez, the vice chancellor of student affairs, added that more than 50% of UCI students now live on campus or within walking distance.

“We’re shedding the whole image of our campus as a commuter campus,” he said. “It just isn’t going to be true.”

Classes start on Friday at UCI for the fall quarter. On Monday, the campus celebrated the first day of Welcome Week, with free food, music and booths around Aldrich Park. The American Indian Student Assn. set up a tepee and pounded a drum to get the attention of passersby, while Anteaters for Israel handed out free bottles of Malt Star, an Israeli soft drink. The Republican and Democratic student groups displayed campaign fliers — and, with the record enrollment numbers, anticipated plenty of new recruits.

“The freshmen are coming around soon,” said fourth-year student David Lorango of the Young Democrats, “so we’re waiting for the fresh blood.”