Transfers, freshmen, and staff discuss the positives and negatives of Eureka College following the schools largest new student class with a total of 242 incoming students. Fresh perspectives and returning faculty talk about student body involvement, the dining hall, and on campus safety while also discussing the admissions process.
These new students have experienced the Red Devil way for about a month and they all have their own opinions of Eureka College. The quality of the dining hall is a large critique on campus as it is only one of two catering choices for students, costing 2,800 dollars per semester. Junior transfer student from Spoon River College, Alyssa Zarello, only had one opinion on what the school could do better for the student experience and said “Eureka College needs to improve its dining hall food.” On a positive note, Zarello discusses her appreciation on how consistent student involvement has been at sporting events and how easy it has been to connect with others. She praises the support she has seen at volleyball and football games and emphasizes the love of togetherness she feels on campus from both students and faculty.
The security on campus falls into the cons category as various events on campus had involved police activity in late August and early September with little to no explanation from the school. Freshman Cadence Geiser from Tri-Valley High School gives her thoughts on Eureka and said “I think Eureka has a few things it could improve on, but the most important thing I would say is safety.” Geiser calls back to seeing and hearing about theft and violence on various occasions at Eureka college, furthering a sense of uncertainty on campus. Geiser had no issue in the admissions process and acknowledges how easy it was for her to navigate. The one problem she did face was a late financial aid package and wished she could receive it earlier than she did.
The process of admitting new students was interesting for the admissions staff as they tackled this record setting accomplishment. Interim Dean of Admissions and Director of Marketing Melody Crickman shares her story this past summer and said “It turned into an amazing year thanks to the whole team. All of us working together were able to make this such a record year.”
Although it was in fact a record breaking year, there were some challenges that the admissions staff faced regarding FAFSA. Crickman said “We are usually able to give out FAFSA offers to students in October, we didn’t start giving out offers until March.” This caused worry for the staff that a large number of recruited students will choose somewhere else where the FAFSA is already offered. Going into next year, Crickman shares that strengthening the partnership between the admissions staff and athletics is a goal to meet to further allow a smoother process in hopes of bringing in even more students.
Although there are no public plans to acknowledge these students’ criticisms, the school’s growth is a sign of the beginning of improvement. There is a chance for students to be heard in the Commons with a suggestion board and notes welcome for all to fill out.
