KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee saw a stellar football season, which leaders said helped increase the number of applications from new students to an all-time high.
Some members of the campus community said they wanted leaders to control UT's growth, as they struggled to find space for essentials like housing and parking. A decade ago, around 17,000 people applied to attend UT. That number climbed to around 49,000 this year.
"The university is pursuing a strategy of growth at any cost," said one student during a rally Thursday.
"I'd like to see them commit to controlling enrollment in a way that's going to keep parking and rent control," said another student.
The rally was organized in response to a recently revealed ten-year master plan. In it, they said around 62% of facilities at UT were in at least "average condition." There are several plans to redesign or demolish existing buildings in order to replace facilities, including plans to demolish Dunford, Greve and Henson Halls to expand the Haslam College of Business.
The plan also found that UT needs 5,000 new or replaced beds through 2031 to keep pace with its growing housing demand.
"Rent's been going up. Apartments are hard to find for students," said another student.
The plan also plans to create interdisciplinary hubs across campus, where facilities are shared by programs. They also plan to create "student life clusters," including one in South Knoxville across a proposed pedestrian walkway over the Tennessee River.
That walkway would also help the campus better connect with the South Knoxville community, according to the Master Plan. They also plan to strengthen connections with the downtown and UT Research Park areas.
"While changes will be disruptive over the next several years, they will position the campus to provide the best possible experiences for our entire campus community," UT said in a statement.
They said their main goals with the plan are to create stability and meet the needs of the campus community without disrupting it. By the end of the ten-year plan, they said they plan to build a "housing village" behind Andy Holt Avenue.
Within five years, they plan to expand Greek Housing and create a Second Creek Student Housing development, possibly in partnership with the City of Knoxville. Two new residence halls are also in their design or construction stages, UT said in the Master Plan.
"It's not just affecting UTK. It's not just affecting Knoxville. It's affecting the state of Tennessee," said one student at the rally.
