In the 1930s, the Depression affected university enrollment across the United States; the Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC) was no exception. The tuition, which nearly tripled during the 30s, dissuaded prospective college students (ISTC tuition grew from $9 per term in 1929 to $26 per term by 1935).

However, students of the ‘30s faced the financial troubles with resolve; many went to extremes to cut expenses. In one instance, four male ISTC students rooming in an apartment together learned how to live on $2 per week each. “They are rapidly becoming expert budgeteers,” wrote the College Eye. Across campus, students also looked for work. The Student Relief Employment program for the college went into effect in February 1934, assigning students to clerical, library, research, janitorial, and stenographic jobs; the average wage was $15 a month.

Although economic conditions posed difficulties, President Latham carried out several significant projects to expand the campus during the 1930s. The Commons, which opened in 1933, became a hub for entertainment and socializing: students danced, played cards, listened to records, read books, and tuned into the radio. By 1940, the Commons was promoting itself as the better alternative to a weekend trip back home.

The second improvement to the campus, Prexy’s Pond, came in 1935. In the past, the Department of Physical Education had offered the college’s women students canoeing classes. But the Cedar River, the closest navigable water, was too far from campus and could be and unpredictable. Thus, the program constructed the pond, with a dimension of fifty by eighty yards. By July 1936, students were testing the waters in their canoes and swimsuits. The pond became the site of many organized activities. Unfortunately, it also became the site for hazing and dunking freshman.

Concern about the moral welfare of ISTC students also encouraged college officials to add more dorms for men: Baker Hall (1936) and the first Seerley Hall (1938, unrelated to the main Seerley Hall that came later). The men of Baker and Seerley collaborated often to host entertainment. Their annual tradition, the “Farmer’s Frolic,” featured caramel apples, farm animals, a “corny” dance, and special guests: the president and his wife. Lawther Hall was completed in 1939 and students moved in in 1940.