While no bell may toll for the first day of school, the thunder of students on Sept. 21 marked the start of the fall quarter for the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
A total of 26,970 undergraduate and graduate students began classes and approximately 4,550 freshmen kicked off their college careers. The freshman class has increased by more than 1,000 students since last year.
The academic caliber of the students has also increased. Incoming freshmen average a 3.92 high school GPA and an SAT reasoning test score above 1239. This year’s academic theme is “Uncommon Scholars, Global Citizens.”
Housing all the students will remain an issue for the university, but a record 94.2 percent of all freshmen will be lodged on campus. In total, the university will house 9,907 students, faculty and staff, including 7,636 undergraduates.
Next year, UCSD will complete its East Campus Graduate Housing project that will accommodate 806 graduate students. The project costs approximately $78 million.
With the students come vehicles and the ongoing issues of parking. The university will open the six-level Hopkins Parking Structure with 685 spaces in May 2007, at an approximate cost of $30.6 million.
The college community will also have more options for alternate transportation this year. Flexcar has begun a pilot program at UCSD to offer car rentals to students who don’t own ” or necessarily need ” vehicles, but may wish to get away. Students ages 18 to 20 can rent a car for $56 per day to take weekend trips, or for $10 per hour to get downtown for a doctor’s appointment. Gas and insurance is included. A $40 annual membership fee is also charged. Since April, Flexcar has been running a service for faculty and staff.
Like any car rental, Flexcar is not for daily commuting.
“The whole purpose is giving the mobility option when you have alternate means of getting around for your day-to-day activities ” walking, biking, taking the bus,” said Josh Gelfand, business development manager for Flexcar.
Flexcar chose to set up at UCSD because of the university’s parking issues, and because the company is already established within San Diego, Gelfand said. Within California, the rental company also operates at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkley.
“The universities really wanted to incorporate this plan,” he said. “So many schools aren’t even allowing freshmen to have cars on campus now. This helps give them the mobility options that they might need.”
Students will also be able to travel farther on the bus for free. Students will be entitled to take an unlimited number of trips on all six public buses that service the UCSD main campus and the UCSD Medical Center, Hillcrest.
Around campus, construction will be in full swing as the university finishes its $35 million Student Academic Services Center, projected for completion by April 2007. Phase one construction will also begin on the $43.5 million Rady Management School Facility. Finally, the Faculty Club will be expanded and renovated by December.
UCSD has also recently completed the Student Health and Wellness expansion; the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center; the Women’s Center; and doubled the Biomedical Library.
UCSD is also on the home stretch of raising $1 billion to fund its many academic endeavors as part of the campaign called “Imagine What’s Next.” The university launched the campaign in 2000 and expects to reach $1 billion by June 2007. So far, it has raised $920 million.