Last week at the University Faculty Senate, Penn State President Graham Spanier addressed the issue of an "enrollment ceiling" of 42,000 students including about 7,000 freshmen, being maintained at the University Park campus. This semester at University Park, Penn State accepted more than 8,000 freshman students, the largest freshman class in history.

This enrollment ceiling is a good idea because as it stands right now, a class of more than 8,000 freshmen is quite simply too large, because of the logistical concerns, which include the availability and cost of housing and other services. Penn State's overpopulation has been aptly illustrated in previous years through housing problems for freshmen and other students as resident assistants had to share rooms with underclassmen.

Essentially, Penn State students aren't really seeing any benefits from a large class, except that it indicates the popularity of the university. Thus, the enrollment ceiling would be a positive step toward maintaining a more reasonably sized freshman class.

Having therefore established the need for a smaller class, it is important to note that if a cap of 42,000 students is more reasonable, then an even smaller student body might prove to be more manageable. Perhaps then, the answer would be capping the freshman class at a number smaller than 7,000 and should be considered, for logistical needs.

Penn State should feel secure in capping this limit on the number of students because of the number of other educational opportunities available throughout Pennsylvania. These options include Penn State commonwealth campus locations, the state system of higher education and other state-related institutions such as Temple University or the University of Pittsburgh.

Ultimately, when one considers a college career, it is important to recognize the fundamental truth that a collegiate education is not merely academics and tuition, but also the quality of life. Ample facilities in which to each lunch, live and participate in activities are necessary to maintain this quality of life. If one were to consider the case of the HUB-Robeson Center or many other on-campus restaurants at lunch time, it is evident how densely packed these facilities can become.

An expanding number of students may decrease the overall college experience for students if it is not addressed, either through an increase in the number of facilities available or a reduction in the number of students who use the facilities.