monday, October 9, 1978
page 2
daily nebraskan
Overcrowding, high enrollment plagues Iowa State
. . .n;,rc .ir.in't pnniiffh " he said
By Denice Smee
Imagine it is the first day of school, you
discover you have been cut from half of
the classes you need for graduation and
then find out you are going to have to stay
in temporary housing because a room was
not available.
There are just two of the problems
faced by many students at Iowa State Uni
versity in Ames, Iowa.
Jim Blume, editor of the Iowa State
Daily, said he thinks overcrowding is the
major problem facing students at ISU.
The university characterized by a lack
of housing, long lines for every activity and
a lack of openings in classes, Blume said.
Three or four years ago, he said, about
one-fourth of the dormitory rooms were
changed from accommodating two persons
to house three.
"Only seniors would realize this is a
problem because they are the only ones
who can remember before there were three
to a room," he said.
No single rooms
There is no such thing as a single room
at Iowa State, he said.
Recently, the Iowa State Department of
Residences opened up housing previously
used for married couples to any student,
and they have been assisting in the con
struction of more apartments, Blume said.
There are no plans to build more dorms,
he said.
Robert Parks, president of the univer
sity, said he thinks enrollment will level
off, then decline, making new dorms un
necessary .
"I think most universities have reached
their peaks in size," he said.
Parks said students have been moved
out of temporary housing quicker this year
than in the past.
"All the women are out of temporary
housing. All of the men should be out by
next week."
He said this is because there are more
available places to say in Ames and more
commuting students.
The Ames Chamber of Commerce has
worked with the university in asking the
community to find available sleeping
rooms for students, Robert Mickle the
chamber's executive director said.
There has been some talk of limiting
enrollment, according to Fred Schuster,
student body government president.
"I think there is a state law that the uni
versity has to admit anyone in the upper
half of their class in high school," Schuster
said.
But Parks said the administration has no
plans to limit enrollment.
"I don't think we're going to have to
find it necessary except in some depart
ments," he said.
Limited enrollment
The veterinary medicine department
always has limited its enrollment, Parks
said.
Cnmp ctikipnt in certain majors aren t
able to get in classes they want or need.
This has been more severe in the last
couple of years" he said. "It's an incon
venience to students but it all works out.
Schuster said the department of in
dustrial administration (business admini
stration) and the College of Engineering
are "really overcrowded." He said the
College of Engineering is trying to limit en
rollment. Blume said the administration has been
trying to hire more professors but is having
financial difficulties because the Iowa legis
lature has become tighter with its money.
"If you want my personal opinion, they
(the administration) haven't been doing
enough," he said.
New system
Another problem facing Iowa State is
that they are switching from a quarter
system to a semester system over the next
three years, Schuster said.
The agriculture and engineering colleges
will face the most problems from this
switch-over, he said.
Some students "farm-out," that is they
work on their family farms part of the year
and go to college part of the year," Schust
er explained.
While on the quarter system, there was
little difficulty for the "farm-out" students
because they could choose the quarters
best suited to their need, he said.
Continued on page 9
Photo by Mark Billingsley
Change is seen on the Iowa State campus when windows in the new addition reflect the old Iowa State Student Union.
Businesses count on students for support
Ames, Iowa, is a college town.
Of 47,000 population, 23,000 are regis
tered students at Iowa State University,
according to the executive director of the
Ames Chamber of Commerce.
Bob Mickle said the city and its
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UnCW
businesses get $80 million yearly from stu
dents. "And that's not counting that big
money from instructors and faculty."
Terry Sprenkel, city manager, said the
city is definitely "aware of student involve
ment." Mickle said, "I would hate to see a 10
percent decline in enrollment."
The university is also the largest
employer of the city, Sprenkel said. The
university has 6,000 employees.
They said being a college town does
create some problems, though.
Sprenkel said there is a "continual
battle to face needs with a limited tax
base."
Mickle said about 46 percent of the land
inside the corporate limits of the city are
state-owned and therefore tax exempt.
He said he does not think this large
amount of tax-exempt property has really
affected the city because it is continuing to
grow.
"Taxes are high everywhere," Mickle
added.
Both Sprenkel and Mickle said the city
is encouraging industrial and business
growth.
The city finished a redevelopment pro
ject last year designed to revitalize the
downtown area, Sprenkel said.
The project was concentrated in a four
block area that was "not in a progressive
situation," he said.
"It has improved the business climate
downtown," Sprenkel said.
Mickle said there are "certain types of
industry that are not compatible" for the
type of city that Ames is.
"We're kind of picky and choosy any
more (about the types of industry coming
into the city). We seek industries instead
of being sought," he said.
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