Iowa State President Steven Leath addressed the Government of the Student Body Feb. 12 to cover major issues including student enrollment, funding from the state government and other issues.

On the topic of student enrollment, Leath shared positive feelings for the student enrollment levels and how they’re far exceeding expectations. ISU currently enrolls more than 33,000 students with 22 percent minority diversity.

The university is finalizing a large, university-wide diversity report on how to address current minority issues. President Leath also addressed the GSB’s bill for the addition of a Student Diversity Committee, expressing wishes for the ISU administration and GSB to partner on addressing issues brought up in the report.

Leath suggested multiple variables as to why Iowa State’s enrollment continues to increase. They included communication between alumni and current students to friends and family, the university’s job placement rate, as well as the sense of community with having so many students in a single area.

“Everyone asks me, why we have so many students and why our application numbers are so high,” Leath said. “The truthful answer is, we don’t really know.”

Leath also addressed funding from the state government.

“The governor came through for us this year with a 4 percent general fund increase and he also wrote things into his budget to fund specific programs,” Leath said.

Leath mentioned the university’s promise to freeze tuition if the 4 percent budget increase came through. Leath did mention that he still has to go through the House and Senate to get approved, but he expressed cautious optimism that Iowa State would be able to freeze tuition for a second consecutive year.

“[Feb. 13] when I testify in front of the joint and approach committee, the things I’m going to stress are related to you,” Leath said. “I told them when I got here that providing access and affordability weren’t that hard. Providing access, affordability and quality was the difficult problem, and we don’t want to lose quality.”

Leath told GSB that he would explain what it takes to maintain academic excellence and improving it. He plans to also talk about student success and the factors that contribute, such as affordability and economic development within Iowa as a result of ISU’s focus on helping the state keep jobs and create jobs.

Leath discussed positive feedback provided by the students, including reasonability of class schedules, traditional five-day weeks, instructor availability, high ratings for learning communities, the availability and quality of recreation centers, the presence of CyRide and the overall safety and comfort that the university provides.

Leath recognized some issues that need improving, ranging from overcrowding, especially within the Memorial Union, residence halls, CyRide, Parking and Dining, to inadequate internet coverage.

Leath addressed his promise he made last year to raise $150 million in scholarship money over the next five years.

“I’m pleased to say that in just a year and half we’ve already raised over $70 million of it.” Leath said. “If we get to 150 [million dollars] in sooner than five years, we’ll keep going. Most of that money came from alums.”

A major issue plaguing ISU has been wireless accessibility, which has been addressed before by Department of Residence Director Peter Englin. Leath added additional statistics, with plans to increase wireless speed ninefold, moving $1.5 million to IT to create an additional 1,000 waypoints, and hoping to increase capacity by 2,000 percent.

Leath mentioned the plans to rent an additional 560 beds next fall, as well as the plans for the new residence hall to be built near Buchanan that Peter Englin discussed with GSB last month.