Has anyone noticed recently the lack of available parking spaces? Or perhaps the sidewalks have been more packed than usual? The University of Central Florida has a serious problem on their hands: overcrowding.
UCF boasts about having the most students of any college in the United States—66,183 to be exact. When I applied two years ago, the student population was 60,000. It has jumped by thousands of people. The university seems to be admitting students regardless of whether they actually have room to do so. Along with last year's eviction of many upperclassmen residents from Towers (to make room for incoming freshman) and the constant acceptance of new students, UCF is operating at a pace it cannot maintain. This, in turn, puts tremendous pressure on off-campus housing to house an overflow of students. Businesses can spike their rates knowing that the student must pay whatever price necessary to live close to the campus (and on the bus route) if they are without a car.
This excess of people has led to dangerous situations. There have been more car crashes on campus than usual because of drivers trying to take every inch possible when the streets are gridlocked. Even the transit buses have been overworked. Last year, I could always get a seat on the bus despite peak times such as 10 a.m. or noon when most people schedule their classes. This year, unfortunately, is different. The buses have already broken down multiple times which results in using a Transdev van which is much smaller than the standard bus.
Over 20 people wait at one bus stop for their transportation to arrive. Numerous times, I have had to stand and desperately hold onto the bars as the driver speeds to the drop-off area. I have seen people nearly fall when the bus breaks to a stop. When it is especially crowded, there is no room on the bus at all. People have been denied access and were told to wait for another one. They probably ended up late for their classes. Clearly, there are too many students and not enough services capable of handling them. UCF needs to buy more buses or stop admitting as many people.
There has not, however, been enough construction to handle the increase in the populace. The library addition has been under construction forever it seems. It will eventually help lessen the number of bodies taking up every available computer and chair. Colbourn Hall was rebuilt and relocated because of safety issues. The funds it took to create a new building, Trevor Colbourn Hall, could have been used to expand the parking garages or make a new parking lot. Students who do not pay the ridiculously expensive parking pass to be able to park in most garages on campus must come hours early to UCF in hopes of finding a spot. We need more parking garages or spaces that are open to all visitors.
Obviously, UCF has a major overcrowding problem. If they do not stop admitting students or starting building accommodations, it will only get worse.
