Post 6: Limited Space

One of my last blogs discussed the hill top location of St. Olaf College. Walking past the construction for the new Tomson Hall this morning, I began to consider the hill in a different way. As St. Olaf continues to become more well-known and renowned, the number of applicants and accepted students continues to rise. In order to accommodate these growing numbers, organizational and architectural changes occur throughout the college. At this point, it hasn't become a significant problem and there are enough classrooms and housing available; however, will St. Olaf ever reach a point where another academic building will need to be constructed, or more likely that additional dorms will need to be integrated into the landscape of St. Olaf? Being on a hill unquestionably limits the opportunities that the college has for expansion. Perhaps this won't be an issue if St. Olaf firmly remains a "small, liberal arts college." Yet if it doesn't stay the size that it is now, it seems likely that changes will have to be made for the school to be contained on this hill alone.