Space Crunch

Columbia's chronic space shortage was on display again this shopping period as Introduction to Language and Culture, a Barnard anthropology course, nearly had to cut half the registered students from the course because the classroom was too small. A suitable classroom was finally secured early this week, but by then, several dozen Barnard and Columbia students had already withdrawn. The events of the past two weeks are a consequence of insufficient classroom space on the Morningside campus, and the University must take steps to alleviate the disruption that students face when they're forced to change their schedule.

Over the summer, it became clear to the anthropology department and the registrar that no available classroom could accommodate the 135 students who had registered for Language and Culture in May. Barnard's registrar provisionally assigned the course to 328 Milbank Hall, a room designed for only 58 students, and continued to search for an alternative classroom. Even though no such room had been located by the start of classes, students were not notified that it might not be possible for them to stay in the class. They did not learn of the situation until the first overcrowded class session on Wednesday, Sept. 5. Keeping this problem from students was a grave mistake on the University's part. Students should have been warned about the space problems during the summer so that they could have considered reorganizing their schedules before classes began.

The registrar continued to look for a suitable space during the first two weeks of school. Those efforts were not successful until Friday, Sept. 14, the last day on which students could register for new courses. In the interim, enrollment declined from over 120, at the start of the shopping period, to under 80, as of this past weekend. Both Barnard and Columbia have expressed sympathy for affected students and a willingness to let them back into Language and Culture—students who withdrew from the class may speak to their respective advisers and registrars to return to the section. But given that delays in finding a room prompted many students to switch courses before the end of shopping period, University officials should do more: they should allow former students the chance to re-enroll simply by bringing an add/drop form to the registrar. The successful resolution of the classroom crisis does not undo the harm done to dislocated students who were forced to change their schedules in the second week of the semester.

While last week's difficulties were certainly not the fault of Barnard's anthropology department or the registrars at Columbia and Barnard, it is unfortunate that a small scheduling error could become such an inconvenience due to lack of space on campus. Especially this academic year, as construction of the Nexus exacerbates space shortages on Barnard's campus, the University must do whatever it can to prevent such mix-ups from occurring again. Capping classes from the start is far more preferable to cutting their enrollments in the end. The University owes it to its students to keep them informed about the most pivotal part of campus life—what classes they can and can't take.