Last spring when Penn State housing changed from a first-come, first-served system to a lottery system, some students were unhappy.

When many students didn't get a permanent contract, they panicked and began to look downtown for the necessary living space — a difficult and stressful process for some students, worried about not having a place to call home in the coming semester.

That left a larger number of spaces available for those who found themselves in supplemental housing as concerned students who had already found other alternatives to on-campus living canceled their contracts.

However, the university accepted a record number of incoming freshmen this semester, leaving some students crowded into temporary housing in study halls across campus.

With the increasing numbers of students admitted to University Park, and with the same amount of housing available as in other years, the administration needs to re-evaluate the system of housing students.

The lottery system solved some of the problems students had while attempting to obtain housing in previous years, like long lines at 8 a.m. in the cold.

Perhaps the problem lies not in the way the housing system is run but in the fact that Penn State accepts more students than it can hold.

There is certainly nothing wrong with admitting a large number of students, but Penn State accepted approximately 6,250 freshman, up 8.5 percent from the previous year's 5,623. While the amount of on-campus housing remains static, that's a big burden.

Kathy Krinks, manager of the assignment office said the university plans to house 98 percent of the estimated entering class.

That leaves little room for the upperclassmen who would prefer to stay on-campus.

Last spring, Penn State initially accepted 9,000 contracts, knowing that only 5,500 spaces would be available to students in permanent housing.

Penn State needs to think about accommodating its students more logically in the future to keep so many students from inferior living arrangements.