This year’s theme of “Challenging Students to Become Their Best” has taken on a whole new meaning for many ISU underclassmen this semester. But the challenge for these students isn’t being involved in an organization or getting an “A” in class. The challenge is finding a class to take.

Thoughts of four-day weekends or sleeping in every day quickly disappear as students search for a class that hasn’t been full since the end of October.

There aren’t very many open classes left.

Iowa State’s enrollment numbers have grown every year for the past several years – a fact the university is quick to boast about at the start of every semester. But the lack of classes for these new students to take doesn’t seem to be worth a lot of discussion.

In an attempt to accommodate the overflow of students, classes that used to be held in sections are quickly being converted into lectures – a solution that only compounds the problem. Students may be able to get the credits, but the actual quality of the class goes down as the size increases. Teachers don’t have time to address the needs of 150 students compared to 45. They have too much extra work and their students’ education suffers as a result. Still, this is more favorable than the other option – not being able to enroll in any classes at all.

Almost all of the 100-level courses at Iowa State are full. Even courses that have never had a problem with numbers before are looking at full class lists next semester. Many of them are classes students need as prerequisites to move into their major’s upper-level courses.

“The end concern is if students can get the classes they need, not necessarily their first choice,” Registrar Kathy Jones said.

In an attempt to stay on their degree track and “get the classes they need,” ISU students are enrolling in classes at the Des Moines Area Community College.

If ISU students have to take core classes at a community college, what good is paying to attend Iowa State? I doubt the administration will be contacting future ISU students anytime soon telling them to go to DMACC for a year or two. If they did that they couldn’t boast about record enrollment numbers.

While degree programs allow for a number of electives, there is a limit. A semester of PE classes is a waste of time if students are still trying to become full students in their college. Everyone knows the university is facing a challenging coming year. One look at the 18.5 percent tuition increase is all the proof needed to know there aren’t any easy solutions. But ISU students should not have to go outside the university for classes to complete an ISU degree.

Record numbers of students are coming here for Iowa State’s high-quality of education and the university is quick to boast. Too bad it isn’t as quick to find an open class for them to go to.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Zach Calef, Omar Tesdell