Written by Julia Rodriquez, Asst. Opinions Editor

Application submissions are up just as hoped thanks to the VSYOU campaign.

It is still early and many more applications are hoped to come; but already, expectations have been exceeded.

“As of right now this year we are significantly up in applications which is encouraging,” Terrell Mitchell, director of admissions, said. “We are a little over 100 percent up in applications this year compared to last year.”

Earlier this semester, VSU announced its campaign of Ignite becoming the VSYOU campaign.  As described by Editor-in-Chief Jordan Barela in a previous article, this new campaign is designed to keep the individual in mind and, of course, bring in more students.

In addition to the campaign, this is the first full year that VSU is offering in-state tuition to Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina; which has also positively impacted admissions.

Every day, an application report is run comparing data from today to data from a year ago today.  Comparing day-to-day gives the admissions office a chance to see how much better this year is going compared to the previous year in a way much more detailed than on overall report of the year.

According to these reports, applications are up in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida.  In fact, last year there were two total applications from Jacksonville, while this year there have already been 57.

“This is exciting, but it’s too early to get too excited, though we are trending in the right direction,” Mitchell said.

Thanks for a rise in applications are not just due to the VSYOU campaign, but to a number of factors.  VSU sends a search piece mail out that includes all basic info and a contact card on the back.  This is helpful because students out of state may not even know that VSU exists, let alone that they can get in-state tuition.

It is still very early and the amount of applications will only increase.  Overall, there is evidence of VSYOU working and in-state tuition for Alabama, South Carolina and Florida helping as well.

“I am confident our enrollment numbers will trend upwards,” Interim President Cecil Staton said in an email. “VSU is often referred to as a hidden gem in Georgia higher education. We are going to make sure it is hidden no longer, and that this gem shines with all the luster it deserves.”