Isa Hinojosa ’25
Arts and Entertainment Editor and Chive Editor
On September 8, I attended the campus forum for faculty, staff, and students in McCormick Auditorium. This forum was originally intended to discuss sexual misconduct at Lake Forest College and the school’s protocol. While this was a hot topic of the evening, in which newly inaugurated President Jill Baren and Dean of Students Andrea O’Connor answered students’ questions on stage, the conversation shifted to many other issues facing the student body.
What stuck with me most after the forum was a student’s question that I had personally never considered: “The College continues to celebrate having its largest first-year class in history, but at what cost?”
I think we’ve all noticed the effects of the increased volume of students at the school this year, good and bad. While it is great to live in a growing community that continues to become more diverse and unique, the school does not seem to have the resources to accommodate this influx of residents.
The first change I noticed when arriving at campus this August was my room situation. Previously being home to only two students, the school managed to double the number of inevitable-splinter-causing desks and wardrobes they could fit into the room. Packing four people into a room meant for two people has definitely been a comfort downgrade from last year.
Several dorm lounges have also been turned into living quarters due to the overenrollment of students as well. There are not enough rooms on campus to house the students admitted to the College.
However, I cannot say comfort is my only complaint. I must admit I have gotten used to my “cozy” space and have learned to live with my closet of a bathroom. However, it is difficult to grow accustomed to the sleepless nights I know myself and many others have had due to the lack of air conditioning in the school’s dormitories.
You may think, “Well, you only need air conditioning for about a month while you’re at school in Illinois.” You may be right, but the lack of modern technology is not the only temperature problem in the school’s buildings.
This semester, students on South Campus have complained that their heaters have not been turned on or haven’t been working when turned on. It is undeniable that not having heat is unacceptable in Illinois.
Basic resources in these buildings are either outdated or simply out of order. This past week, I went to the laundry room in Gregory to do my laundry to find that two out of four of the washers were out of order and the other two were in use. This is the laundry room for the whole building.
The next day, my roommate went to get her laundry out of the dryer and came back with her clothes still dripping wet. Especially when many other schools include the cost of laundry in tuition, the machines we pay to use should at least function properly.
Perhaps an even larger problem is the cafeteria. There is often a lengthy line, sometimes even 20 minutes just to get into the cafeteria, not even to get food. It is often a struggle to find a table, a fork, or even a bowl.
The students are aware that the Parkhurst Staff are extremely hard-working and doing the best they can, but the LFC cafeteria and the Parkhurst Dining Staff simply cannot physically handle the volume of students that will come to lunch between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the daily.
In my personal experience, there was a night I went to dinner at the cafeteria later than usual, and after about 15 minutes of wandering around the stations, there was no food to be found. The dishes were empty and the options lacking. No pizza, no salad ingredients, only a few cold pieces of chicken and some crusty rice from the bottom of the dishes.
When the sticker price to live and study at LFC is $64,800, this should NEVER happen.
For years, students have complained about the lack of appointments with counselors available for mental health in the Health and Wellness Center. If the school could not accommodate its students prior to over enrollment, how will Health and wellness meet the needs of their students this year?
I can only imagine the horror that will be class registration this year.
