After receiving the news Tuesday night that Wallace and Wilson halls will close in May 2005, Drew Larson, president of the Inter-Residence Hall Association, sprung into action.

“There’s a lot of people who are very frustrated,” Larson said. He said he received a number of phone calls from concerned students after the announcement was made.

“Given the budget consequences, it’s tough,” Larson said. “A hard decision had to be made.”

Larson said he now faces the challenge of keeping those who will be without a home next year at Wallace and Wilson in the university’s residence hall system.

Shane O’Brien, sophomore in industrial technology, said fellow students had “mixed feelings” about the announcement.

“I think it’s probably for the best,” said O’Brien, a first-year resident of Wilson.

“[The buildings] are falling apart.”

Students got little notice before the decision was made.

“They just dropped it on us. They just said this is how it’s going to be,” said Michael Dale, president of Towers Residence Association. “Honestly, I’m pretty disappointed. We’re all pretty disappointed.”

Dale said about 500 students currently occupy the two towers of the four-building complex.

“People need to stay positive,” Dale said. “We’re going to take some time to let it sink in.”

Dale said he was appreciative of the eight months notice, something that wasn’t given to Knapp and Storms residents when those towers closed in December 2003.

Campustown business owners and managers have noticed a difference on Welch Avenue since the closing of Knapp and Storms.

“Foot traffic has decreased a lot,” said Tim Reger, interim manager of Copyworks, 105 Welch Ave.

Reger said he hopes the addition of apartment complexes will compensate for fewer students who live in Campustown and commute to campus along Welch Avenue.

Tom Zmolek, owner of People’s Bar and Grill, 2428 Lincoln Way, also noticed dwindling numbers of pedestrians.

“Foot traffic on Welch has definitely gone down,” he said.

Zmolek remembers well living at Storms in the mid-1980s.

“I loved it out there,” he said. “It was just a fun place to live.”

Zmolek said his floor used to have keg parties when the university placed “no limit” on the number of kegs of beer.

Zmolek said he was “bummed” that Towers will no longer serve a purpose for the ISU community.

“There’s a lot of history out there,” he said.