Minot State expects lower enrollment

MINOT (AP) — Minot State University officials are preparing for a 10 percent drop in enrollment this fall, after record Souris River flooding in the city this summer. They also are preparing for housing and parking crunches despite the fewer students.

University President David Fuller told the Minot Daily News in a story published Tuesday that University of North Dakota personnel have told him to expect such an enrollment drop based on what happened at the Grand Forks campus following the 1997 Red River flood. A 10 percent drop from last fall’s MSU enrollment of 3,866 students could mean a $1 million hit to the university’s budget, Fuller said, and he is asking faculty and staff to make money-saving moves such as dropping classes that have few students or combining them with other classes.

The university itself was spared when the Souris River swamped much of the city, displacing about 11,000 people and damaging about 4,100 homes. The school still is planning for a shortage of parking in the area, and Fuller is asking faculty and staff to consider carpooling when fall classes begin next week.

Housing might be in even shorter supply than parking. Fuller said 120 faculty and staff members either lost their homes or were displaced by floodwaters, and new hires also have had problems finding a place to stay. The university has rented eight efficiency apartments near campus but they are filled and 10 people are on a waiting list.

With many students who lived in houses or apartments close to campus losing that housing to floodwaters, the university has hundreds more student housing applications than it has residence hall beds. Single-occupancy rooms have been eliminated, lounges have been turned into temporary dorm rooms and the school is erecting temporary housing with bunk beds.

The university also has hired an ombudsman to handle flood-related housing questions.

Tags: news, minot, education, flood, enrollment