By Julia Ann Easley
Arms full of pillows, stuffed animals and CDs, freshmen moving into residence halls this weekend will be among the first of about 30,000 students arriving on campus this fall. And almost 400 of those freshmen will be welcomed by three campus “freshmen” of another kind — new residence halls.
The halls, at the southeast corner of La Rue Road and Russell Boulevard, will be home to 382 students living in double rooms. Each building will have a television lounge, study lounge, laundry room and meeting area on the ground level and a lounge on each of three residential floors.
Student Housing will accommodate an increased number of freshmen — 4,348 in total — in response to the need for student housing as enrollment continues to grow.
Here’s a glance around the rest of the campus as the academic year begins:
Student numbers
When classes begin Sept. 25, the student body is expected to number 30,623, up 1,536 or 5.3 percent from last fall’s 29,087. On-campus enrollment is anticipated to average 27,166 over the three academic quarters. Total undergraduate enrollment is expected to rise by 1,263. About 4,880 new freshmen, drawn from a record pool of 32,500 applicants, likely will register by the start of classes. That’s 115 more than last fall.
An estimated 725 of the 1,885 new transfer students, from a record applicant pool of 7,150, will have participated in the Transfer Admission Agreement program with 81 community colleges throughout the state. Upper-division students will make up 55 percent of the undergraduate student body this year.
New graduate and professional students are expected to increase their ranks by 300, for a total of 4,514. Students in the schools of medicine and veterinary medicine, including interns and residents, are expected to number 2,096, for a decline of 27.
Fees and financial aid
Undergraduate students who are California residents will pay $6,437.50 this school year, and resident academic graduate students will pay $7,062.50.
About 60 percent of the undergraduate student body is expected to receive some form of financial aid. By the end of August, aid totaling $113 million — in loans, grants, Federal Work-Study and scholarships — had been awarded to about 12,000 undergraduates for 2003-04.
New programs
More than 50 undergraduates are enrolled in the new minor in technology management offered through the Graduate School of Management. The program is expected to grow to 200 students.
Pass the Torch, a new program administered by Student Special Services, offers academic assistance and other support services geared to the needs of transfer students from traditionally underrepresented groups — Native American, Chicana/o, Latina/o and African American.
This academic year the campus officially begins its four-year transition from Division II to Division I in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Last spring UC Davis accepted an invitation to join the Big West Athletic Conference.
One of a handful of buses with the lowest emissions in the nation will enter Unitrans service. Performance of the bus, which uses a blend of hydrogen and compressed natural gas, will be evaluated by the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis.
Housing projects
In addition to the 4,348 freshmen in campus housing, 1,795 other students will live in Student Housing facilities, privatized projects or family housing at UC Davis.
With the three new residence halls completed, work continues on a larger dining commons to serve students living in the Segundo area. The dining facility is scheduled to open in the late spring of 2004.
In the Tercero area, work will begin in 2004 to build residence halls for 412 students and to expand the dining commons. The project includes a lounge and an academic advising center. Both projects are scheduled for completion in fall 2005.
Other construction
UC Davis’ Long Range Development Plan is scheduled to be reviewed by UC regents in November. The comprehensive policy and land-use plan for campus growth would allow for the construction of up to 2.5 million square feet of space for the campus. Included in the plan are proposals for a new neighborhood for students, faculty and staff and a research park.
Meanwhile, other projects are or will be in construction this year. Among them:
• The new $7 million Rand and Ted Schaal Aquatics Center will have its grand opening Nov. 1.
• The $95 million Genome and Biomedical Sciences Building is scheduled for completion in early 2004.
• Construction continues on a $46 million activities and recreation center near Recreation Hall. It is scheduled for completion in spring 2004.
• The $56.7 million Sciences Laboratory Building, east of Briggs Hall, is set for completion in late fall 2004. It will house teaching labs and a 500-seat lecture hall.
• Expected to break ground in early 2004 are the Vet Med 3A project and a new Mathematical Sciences Building.