As of Aug. 20, Iowa State is the largest university in Iowa when it comes to enrollment. Total enrollment on the opening day of classes was just over 31,000 students, a feat most would say the university should be proud of. But those of us who make up record-breaking enrollment are slowly discovering the downside to fitting a growing population inside stagnant growing facilities.

It was evident the very first day of classes how claustrophobic the atmosphere was. Sidewalks, classrooms, dining centers, CyRides, all were bursting at the seams with students trying to simply navigate from point A to point B.

For returning students, this means changing the routines you have become familiar with during your previous years on campus. Suddenly, the easy commute to class on the bus is going to take you an extra 20 minutes because the first three that arrived were too full to pick up any more students. Wanting to stop by the Memorial Union to grab a quick lunch between classes? You might want to rethink that decision unless you have an hour to get through the food lines and stealthy reflexes to be the first to dive into an open chair and table when one finally becomes unoccupied. Remember being able to arrive at your classes late and still slip into a seat in the back row? This semester you better prepare to be at least 10 minutes early to get an acceptable seat and five minutes early to be stuck in an aisle or the nosebleed sections.

The campus we have now is struggling to accommodate the students this university is bringing in. If Iowa State wants to continue to be the largest university in Iowa, it needs to keep up with the demand for an ISU education. We have students living in dens, students sitting in aisles of classrooms and students struggling to find a place on the sidewalk. The only way to fit on this campus anymore is to fall out of normal routines and practices, a struggle for many students.

ISU President Steven Leath is in support of growing enrollment. Leath spoke to a U.S. Senate committee this summer about affordable college education. During this discussion, Leath said that a college education should be available to all those who wish to pursue it. Leath has also said he would like to see Iowa State’s enrollment increase to over 35,000 in the next five years.

The question then becomes this: Is Iowa State more focused on quantity or quality? With more students come more problems, and these problems can only be dealt with if the university recognizes that something needs to be done. If Leath wants anyone to be able to have a college education, does he want it to be one of quality, or will sitting in the aisles and living in dens suffice for the next decade?