Its painfully obvious that the men at Elon are vastly outnumbered. Just by looking around a typical classroom its easy to see that there are nearly three female students for every two male students. Its even apparent from the housing offered on campus; Carolina, Staley and West residence halls are dedicated to housing solely female students, while the only mens residence hall is Smith.

It turns out that Elon is not the only school experiencing this phenomenon. The 40 to 60 percent male to female ratio is almost exactly the national average for private liberal arts universities, according to student tour guide John Sirabella.

Its not a new phenomenon, either. Colleges nationwide have experienced a shortage of male students for nearly thirty years, according to a Jan. 26 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Elon is no exception. That demographic has hovered around 40 percent male for the past decade, with 1997 weighing in at 37 percent male.

Dean of Admissions Greg Zaiser said the reason for skewed numbers at Elon is the applicant pool; admissions can only use what they have to work with. According to Zaiser, applicants are typically just under 40 percent male and just fewer than 40 percent of male applicants are admitted.

He attributes these numbers to the primarily feminine approach of the application process and appeal of a liberal arts university.

Women are just more in tune with deadlines, Zaiser said of the application process. The planning and preparation that are so vital to a successful application simply comes more naturally to women.

The nationwide gender imbalance has caused many colleges, including Elon, to take measures to bolster higher male enrollment. Rumors of a so-called affirmative action for men are brewing, asserting that men may have an advantage in the admissions process because of the high demand for male students.

According to Zaiser, Elon does not practice any sort of affirmative action for men. Instead, Admissions works to recruit more male applicants by appealing to more masculine interests. They emphasize the achievements of the athletic department and that Elon is placed in the Southern Conference. The university also introduced an engineering program designed to attract more male applicants.

The demographics of the incoming freshman class are not expected differ from those of the past years. Although he cannot be certain, Zaiser predicts that the incoming freshman class will also be 40 percent male. Admissions is working to balance the ratio, but the demographics are not expected to change dramatically anytime soon.

Just like most Elon rumors, the lack of male students is often exaggerated. When asked, most students thought that the ratio was even more skewed than it is in reality. A few were even under the impression that male students are outnumbered three to one.

Zaiser, an Elon alum, said that the gender imbalance was similar during his time as a student twenty years ago, but the student body was not so aware of it.

Elon men do not mind being in the minority; in fact, some said that they enjoy the imbalance because it makes for a more convenient dating scene.

Some students find the student make up a nice change.

I like it better than my old school, freshman Thomas Rudderow said. It was the exact opposite ratio.

Freshman Josh Brigham thought the ratio of men to woman wasnt bad. I havent noticed much of a difference, he said. Its not extremeit doesnt really stand out.

So no matter the rumors about about Elons lack of men, whether it is exaggerated ratios or complaints about the difficulty in finding a date, take comfort in knowing youre not alone.

Reporter: Rachel Cieri - 03/15/07