Low Enrollment Leaves Empty EIU Dorms

When school starts at Eastern Illinois University later this month, several floors of a major campus dorm will be closed.

That's because enrollment at the campus in Charleston is down.

The Mattoon Journal Gazette and Charleston Times-Courier reports that eight of the 17 floors at Carman Hall will be empty and kept closed.

Mark Hudson is the director of university housing. He says university officials want to use resources efficiently while enrollment is down.

So far there's no word of layoffs.

The university's freshmen enrollment dropped by approximately 200 students in fall 2010 after declining by about 100 students the year before.

At EIU, only freshmen are required to live on campus. Classes start Aug. 17.