After four years of crippling tuition increases that have dealt a severe blow to the pocketbooks of ISU students and pushed others into community colleges, the Iowa Board of Regents is considering a one-year freeze on building projects at the state’s three public universities.

Although the Regents need to take action immediately to find ways to combat yet another double-digit tuition increase, halting the construction of building projects is simply not the solution.

Since the 1999-2000 academic year, tuition and student fees at Iowa State have increased by 67 percent.

Yes, it is commendable the Regents are exploring every possible way to stop tuition increases, but building projects, both currently in the works and those planned for upcoming months, desperately need to continue.

Just look around. The Memorial Union, once the hub of student life and activity a few short decades ago, has fallen into disrepair.

The stairs are rippled with crevices from generations of student use. The building is practically inaccessible for those who are handicapped. A person using a wheelchair must go through a maze of rooms and hallways, including a kitchen, to gain access to the Sun Room.

The immediate fate of the Memorial Union and other buildings rests partially on this proposal.

If the Board of Regents’ proposal goes through at their meeting in Council Bluffs on June 18 and 19, it could potentially compromise a planned renovation of the MU that is slated to begin next spring.

The construction freeze would take the power out of the hands of the universities, not allowing them to decide for themselves how they will grow in the upcoming year.

The building construction freeze was the brainchild of Regent John Forsyth, who started his six-year term in May.

At their last meeting in Iowa City, the Regents said there may be some exceptions to the proposal. Buildings funded entirely with private money or those funded by homeland security grants may be allowed to continue.

Still, this jerks the power away from the university to decide for itself what needs to be done on campus.

Although the Regents need to explore every avenue possible to thwart another massive tuition increase, the root of the problem stems back to the Iowa Legislature, who has overlooked the needs of the three state institutions over the past four years.

Halting the construction of buildings on the ISU campus and at the other state universities is not the answer to tuition woes. The solution must start with the Legislature.

Editorial Board: Nicole Paseka, Amy Schierbrock, Alicia Ebaugh, Ayrel Clark, Lucas Grundmeier