From new students to new faculty to an influx in the political scene, this year can surely be referred to as one for the record books.

In fall 2011, Iowa State welcomed a record-breaking 29,887 students, an increase of 1,205 from 2010. With this record came the issue of where to house all these students.

“I think the increase was handled very well,” said Thomas Hill, vice president of student affairs. ”It is a testament to the faculty, students and the Ames community. I have been here for 15 years, and this year Iowa State had the biggest enrollment in our history, and this has also been the smoothest start. Everyone is to be complimented in my view.”

This year Iowa State has seen transitions in faculty at all levels, including at the top with the exit of President Gregory Geoffroy. It was announced in September that Steven Leath, hailing from the University of North Carolina, would take Geoffroy’s position.

“I think [Leath] will do excellent,” Hill said. “He is off to a great start. He has been put into a situation where he is getting to know the university. Geoffroy has done a very good job in his time and given over the reins, leaving the university in very good shape.”

In October, the political scene, which was already getting some notice from the Iowa Straw Poll in August, gained momentum with Occupy Iowa.  The movement started with Occupy Wall Street, which turned into a nationwide protest against the amount of corporate money in the political system.

“The political scene impacts campus greatly,” Hill said. “It’s a significant learning experience for students, and it helps them become productive citizens in our society.”

Throughout the year, politics would gain plenty of attention with such events as the caucuses in January and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Iowa State’s campus in early March.

Continuing into the second semester, more records would be set and broken. Dance Marathon, the largest student-run organization on Iowa State’s campus, had its annual event “Kickin’ it for the Kids.” This year they raised a record-breaking total of $380,742.15 for the University of Iowa Children’s Medical Center, a $116,452.01 increase from last year and highest in ISU Dance Marathon’s history. Attendance at their big event was another record-breaker with over 810 participants.

In February, Iowa State would become acutely aware of an issue lurking on campus: discrimination. A controversial submission was printed in “Just Sayin’s” in the Daily, where someone used the word “squintey.” This caused an uproar among ISU students some of whom believed it was referring to “squinney,” a Central Iowan term used for ground squirrels, while others believed it was a racist term referring to people of Asian ethnicity.

The ISU and Ames communities came to realize just how prevalent different types of discrimination were on campus. Actions were taken to combat and raise awareness of discrimination. The “Just Sayin’s” were removed from the Daily, and students were educated in many ways, including the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity, to learn more in-depth about how detrimental to society discrimination can be.

Another bout of change would happen in April when Gov. Terry Branstad came to Iowa State to discuss the recent issue of “lean finely textured beef,” also known as “pink slime.” The event, “The Truth: Lean Finely Textured Beef” was held as a forum to show the scientific side of the issue. Both protesters and supporters of the issue appeared at the forum.

As the 2011-2012 ISU school year comes to a close, the recording of change and action will continue with the students, faculty and staff who will remain at Iowa State.

As Hill put it: “This has been an excellent year. The transitions at the top went very smoothly and the faculty, staff and students have worked very hard to ensure that there is a positive feel to campus. It is a credit to everyone involved.”