Carson Bonner, Campus Carrier deputy news editor
Elizabeth Montiel, Campus Carrier staff writer
This year’s freshman class, close to 630 students, is one of the largest in recent Berry history. While what appears as a drastic population increase has caused concern among students, the change is not as dramatic as it appears. Glenn Getchell, admissions director, said that there were a number of factors the admissions team considered that included housing, diversity and the high number of applicants.
“People don’t realize how orderly the admissions process is,” Getchell said. “There’s a lot of calculation and attention to detail. We never look back and are shocked by how many students were admitted.”
According to the Getchell, the overall number of students on campus has remained around 2,200. In accepting applicants, it became necessary to consider the 10% increase in applicants, as well as the fact that the class of 2025 is 730, a record-breaking class size.
“We had a significantly larger group of applicants this year” Getchell said. “We found that we had the space to admit more students and accommodate this increase, so we did.”
The general student population at Berry has expressed concerns about Berry’s capacity to house all students who wish to live on campus.
“We don’t reject housing applications here,” Associate Dean of Students Lindsay Norman said. “We have students who requested to live off-campus and are doing so, and all those who remained on campus were able to have housing.”
In addition to the large class size, Berry College is also welcoming one of its most diverse classes yet. With a more diverse population represented on campus, new activities and clubs are emerging in order to accommodate the variety of demographics and interests.
“There is room for new,” Haley Smith, director of diversity and inclusion, said. “[And] we [need to] make sure what exists is growing and strong.”
Currently, Berry has seven clubs for diverse communities, including two that were recently started: Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and The Brotherhood, a club that represents men of color on campus. Soon there will be a club centered around students and advocates for neurodivergent individuals and those with disabilities.
In addition to these growing communities, more events are in the making. The Good Neighbor Challenge, an initiative that aims to provide opportunities for faculty, staff and students to engage in conversations about inclusion, is one of these.
“It’ll challenge students and faculty to get involved with programs that are happening [surrounding] diversity and inclusion,” Smith said.
Many of these events and communities were able to be developed with the help previous classes, including the class of 2025, a class that worked to bring social awareness and create a foundation of belonging. The hope is with the current freshman class, this foundation will be improved and solidified to create a culture of belonging and acceptance for the entire Berry College community.