Incoming freshmen at EWU break 2005 record

Joe Constantine didn’t want his daughter Maria to choose Eastern Washington University. Maria, a 4.0 student, had scholarship offers from Stanford, Notre Dame and the University of Washington.

“I did whatever I could to dissuade my daughter from going here,” Constantine said.

On Friday, Constantine stood on the curb as Maria Constantine moved into her EWU dorm. The 18-year-old exercise science major had two main reasons for picking EWU.

“The size, and it felt like home,” she said.

About 1,700 students make this the largest freshman class in school history, with most of them checking into dorms Friday. The previous record was 1,610 in 2005, said EWU spokesman Dave Meany.

Many of those students echoed Constantine’s rationale for choosing EWU: small size, combined with relatively cheap tuition – especially for in-state students.

“I think that’s one of the things we pride ourselves in,” Meany said. “People come out here and they’re surprised by the sense of community and support.”

The combination of community and lower tuition continues to draw new students, said Stacey Foster, vice president for student affairs.

“College is very expensive still,” Foster said. “But when you compare us to the cost of going to other schools, Eastern is an amazing deal.”

Foster points out that just because Eastern is affordable doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer a variety of competitive programs and majors. Several students moving in Friday cited specific programs that persuaded them to attend EWU.

“Affordability comes into the mix,” Foster said. “But you have to have the programs first.”

Kelly Roberts said a big factor in her daughter Ellery Roberts’ decision to attend EWU was that the university offers a doctorate in physical therapy. An added bonus was how close EWU is to their home in Battle Ground, Washington.

“I guess I chose it because it’s close to home and I get homesick,” said Brenna Kremer, a computer science major from Wenatchee.

Other students told similar stories: EWU often is the closest, cheapest and highest-quality option for Washington students.

“Well, we’re a regional university,” Meany said. “Sometimes people don’t want to go to a large school. Sometimes they want to go where it is medium-sized.”

The tension is then how the university can maintain a sense of community while still growing. Because the campus doesn’t have 500-seat lecture halls, Foster said, growth has to be balanced with the infrastructure and the desired campus culture.

“I think you can keep that cultural value as long as you’re growing in ways that are sustainable,” she said.