About 50 fewer students, but more new freshmen, are expected to register this week at the University of California, Davis, than did last fall -- contributing to a record enrollment of freshmen throughout the UC system. A student body of 22,435 is anticipated, down slightly from last fall's 22,486. Enrollment has dropped gradually each year since fall 1990's high of 23,898 but is expected to start to grow again in 1995-96. The reduced enrollments were the result of careful planning after several years of higher-than-desired enrollments and after continuing shortfalls in state funding. This year, Governor Wilson and the Legislature agreed to a 4 percent increase in UC's budget -- the first increase in four years. Seventy-six more new freshmen and 202 more new transfer students likely will register this week, though undergraduate enrollment is expected to decline by 46 because more students than usual graduated last year. Upper-division students are likely to total 58.7 percent of the undergraduate student body in 1994-95, compared to 61.2 percent last year. New graduate students are expected to increase their ranks by 102. Twenty percent of the admitted freshman class are students from underrepresented ethnic groups -- a 5 percent increase over any previous year. One half of all new transfer students will have participated in the Transfer Admission Agreement program with 55 community colleges throughout the state. Here's a snapshot of what this fall's students will find as they arrive this week: • Course availability. Students should find an adequate number of courses available, despite the large number of budget-coaxed faculty retirements, says Carol Wall, associate dean of the College of Letters and Science. "In Letters and Science alone, we had over 50 faculty members retire, causing a potential reduction of approximately 200 courses this year," Wall said. The courses will be covered, she says, by recalled faculty and by junior scholars teaching on a temporary basis. "In the long term, however, we will have to continue to streamline our majors, teach larger classes of students, and explore the contributions that advances in information technology can make to the delivery of instruction," Wall said. Most students were able to enroll in a full load of 12 or more units: 86.8 percent of freshmen; 85.8 percent of sophomores; 83.8 percent of juniors; and 73.6 percent of seniors. Those without full loads have many opportunities to sign up for additional courses, Wall says. For example, in Letters and Science and the Division of Biological Sciences, where enrollment pressures traditionally are the greatest, almost 300 courses -- with nearly 8,000 seats -- remain open. • Finish in Four. This fall, UC Davis is launching a pilot program designed to help undergraduates complete their degrees in four years. The program's thrust is to encourage more students to take advantage of academic advisers on campus. Faculty and staff advisers explain which courses are required, and in what sequence, for completion of majors and for graduation. The graduation rates of students who enter UC Davis as first-year students are among the highest in the University of California. At the same time these rates have climbed, however, the percentage of students taking more than 12 academic quarters to graduate has increased in recent years, a trend experienced by the UC system as a whole. The traditional time to degree is 12 quarters, with three quarters each year. Currently, the average time to degree at UC Davis is 13.2 quarters. Often students become lost in a maze of choices and fail to take the courses they need at the appropriate times, or they experience several false starts, said Wall. Seeing advisers early and often can help, and that's what the campus encourages through Finish in Four. • Financial aid. Approximately $94 million in undergraduate and $23 million in graduate financial aid is expected to be awarded to 14,625 students -- up from $89 million awarded to 12,401 students last year. Scholarship assistance increased from $7.15 million in 1992-93 to $8.5 million in 1993-94. Grants dropped slightly from $33.8 million in 1992-93 to $32.8 million in 1993-94; loans grew from $33.8 million to $39.1 million. Work-study funding decreased from $2.4 million to $2 million. The "Students First" fund-raising campaign launched by the campus last fall to increase private financial support for UC Davis students and their families has raised to date nearly $6 million of its $15 million goal. • Housing. The no-vacancy sign is out at all undergraduate residence halls. Family housing is also full, but graduate students will find a few vacancies in Leach Hall. • Building construction and renovation. It's moving-in time at the newly completed Social Sciences and Humanities Building, offering a new front door to the east end of the campus. Internationally known architect Antoine Predock designed the four-story building, with a fifth floor below ground, keeping in mind California's natural history. The building has two center wings set at angles that slope upward four stories, simulating the geological uplift that formed the Coast Range and Sacramento Valley. Funded by revenue bonds approved by the state Legislature, the $25.8 million building includes 340 offices, classrooms, computer teaching laboratories, conference rooms, research and library/study rooms and a 370-seat lecture hall. Construction of the life sciences addition to Briggs Hall began last month and is expected to be completed in October 1996. The 118,000-square-foot, three-story building will provide teaching and research laboratories and suport for molecular and cellular biology. Funding for the $31.8 million building project will come mainly from a state bond measure passed by voters that sets aside revenue for capital construction and renovation projects. The remainder of the funding will be provided by the UC Office of the President and private donors. • Parking and transportation. This year, the campus's parking system, entirely funded by user fees (which won't increase this year) should again be able to handle parking demand, according to transportation and parking manager Brodie Hamilton. Many lots were repaired and resurfaced over the summer and 150 new spaces were added (40 spaces in Lot 30/Extension Center Drive, 50 spaces in Lot 5/Solano Park, 60 spaces at Putah Creek Lodge). Assistance is now available after 5:30 p.m. to campus motorists with flat tires, empty gas tanks, or keys locked inside their vehicles. For help, call 769-1234 or 762-9985. A free noon-hour shuttle service between the campus and downtown Davis will begin Oct. 3, sponsored by the Davis Transportation Management Association (which includes UC Davis). Bike-riders will find several hundred more high-security bike racks on campus, most near the new Social Sciences and Humanities Building or east of the Coffee House. They'll also find that summer renovations have made the Russell Boulevard/Orchard Park Drive and Russell Boulevard/Sycamore Lane intersections more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly. ###