The Board of Regents are looking at several options regarding the future of Iowa State’s educational quality. Even though budget problems and tuition battles have dominated discussions about Iowa State, enrollment is still going up. Enrollment was at 27,823 in the fall 2001.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said Iowa State’s student-to-faculty ratio has increased 20 percent in the last six years. And while record enrollment figures may sound good, they aren’t necessarily a good thing for the university. With more students coming in year after year, and with resources being slashed year after year because of debilitating budget cuts, a problem arises.

The Iowa Legislature must be reminded time and again of the importance of Iowa’s universities; higher education must remain a high priority in the minds of the legislature.

That being said, the universities themselves can do their part to alleviate the pressures that arise during times of an economic crunch. And, in terms of enrollment, there should be changes implemented regardless of the economic climate. The Regents, concerned about the volume of students, is discussing limiting enrollment and making admission requirements tougher for potential students.

Regent Clarkson Kelly put it best: “We have a lot of pom-pomers and a lot of beer drinkers. Universal education is not meant to take everyone as far as they want to go, unless they apply themselves.”

Iowa State may be a public institution, a land-grant university, but that does not mean that anyone who can sign his or her own name should be able to get in. Let’s face it – college isn’t for everyone. Some students can’t cut it at a major university. Some students realize this and drop out; others stick it out and slide by.

Iowa State needs to make it harder to be able to enroll. Major universities are not the place for below-average high school students. And for a university pledging to be working toward becoming the best land grant university in the nation, the screening process should be a bit more stringent.

We’re not talking about putting Grinnell-like qualifications on potential students. This, after all, is a public institution. But at the very least, there needs to be a change when it comes to allowing some students to enroll.

Critics would argue that this would hurt a lot of students who would develop and hone their educational skills at the university level. But this isn’t true. Community colleges exist to do just that. Didn’t make it into Iowa State? It’s not the end of your college career. Go to a community college for two years, and if you make the grade there, transfer to Iowa State.

Changing enrollment requirements would alleviate a lot of problems on campus, especially now during these times of budget cuts and tuition problems. Though this may be a drastic change, it is an important one. Less students coming in year after year will begin to work toward providing better resources for the entire student body. And that, not enrollment records, is what the university should be trying to achieve.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Charlie Weaver, Omar Tesdell