As if there weren’t already enough problems with available housing from semester to semester. Now the residents of Maple Hall, at least 520 of whom are women, will be displaced in the fall of 1998.

They will be displaced by renovations at the residence hall — exactly $13.9 million worth of renovations to correct structural deficiencies in the building.

The renovations include cleaning of the exterior, replacement of the roofing and roof insulation system and the replacement of the heating and cooling system.

However, the issue is not with the renovations. We believe the renovations are definitely needed on the building, but it still doesn’t answer how the 520 displaced residents will be accommodated during the construction.

That is quite a number of students who might have to find new places to live. But it doesn’t stop with just the displaced residence; these renovations are likely to affect many of the other students in the residence halls.

Think about it — where will these students be placed when it comes time to assign housing in the fall? More than likely many of those students who presently live in the dorms and have designated their rooms as the ever- popular “double as a single” will have to share a room.

That may be the answer, but in reality it will likely be just another inconvenience for ISU students living in the dorms.

Sure, the renovations are needed but what about the needs our students have for adequate and comfortable housing. Living in the dorms should be about convenience and comfortability. Not about inconvenience.

These renovations, no matter how much they are needed, may cause more problems and more upset students than they might be worth to the university.