ISU Cemetery Survey 2002
The Master Plan for the Iowa State University campus is coming up for review in 2004. This Plan
deals with the future plans for space use on the campus and the ISU Cemetery is one of the areas that
will be reviewed. While there is no immediate concern about running out of space, if interments
continue at the present rate, the cemetery will run out of space for new interments (those other than
spouses) within the next 5 to 10 years. This survey is intended to seek your input at the beginning of
the discussion on the alternatives to address the future of the Cemetery.
Background
I thought I would give you some background and facts about the Cemetery and then share with you
some suggestions/comments that have been offered in the last couple years.
Number of Lots available as of July 1 2002 with costs and average lot size
Cremations
94
$200 4’ x 8’
Conventional (double)
15
$600 8’ x 12’
Conventional (single)
2
$300 4’ x 12’
Conventional interment
$350
Cremation interment
$175
Winter added fee
$100
Weekend/holiday added fee
$100
There are no fees to support maintenance. Facilities Planning and Management performs the
maintenance.
Eligibility: Persons who served the University continuously for at least 20 years and attained the rank
of Tenured Assistant Professor or higher (or equivalent non-academic rank of P&S P19 or P20), along
with their spouse and any unmarried children who have not established a home of their own.
Termination of employment through retirement or death of employee is required to be assigned space.
For a person who does not meet these requirements, a request for permission to waive requirements
can be submitted to the Cemetery Coordinator who will consult with the University Cemetery
Committee to determine whether requirements can be waived.
Assignment of Space: Space is assigned at time of need. No advanced reservations can be made.
Markers: Low profile design that are not above ground level except for Memorial Reservation section,
which is reserved for deceased presidents of the University and their families.
Plantings: No trees, shrubs, bushes, etc. may be planted without special permission from the Cemetery
Committee.
Additional information about the Cemetery and its history can be found on their new web site at:
http://www.fpm.iastate.edu/cemetery/
Expansion Comment: Pammel Woods and Clear Creek border the cemetery on the north and west.
The south is bordered by Pammel Drive. Just east of the cemetery is the outdoor classroom and then
the Communications Building. North and west of the Communications Building is the Roy J. Carver
Co-laboratory construction site. Due to these activities the only area available for future expansion is
the outdoor classroom area to the east, which if it were encroached upon would need to be relocated.
Initial suggestions/comments that have been collected and the reasoning behind them (these are
not prioritized): We offer these for your comments.
1. Restrict future interments to cremation only to maximize space usage.
2. Always make sure there are several conventional burial sites available for those whose
religious or personal beliefs prohibit cremation.
3. Expand the cemetery east toward the Communication Building so that it continues to be one of
the few university cemeteries in the nation that continue to accept interments.
4. Expand the criteria for interment to all employees with 20 years of service or more, regardless
of job classification.
5. Expand the employee requirements for interment to include employees who terminate
employment through resignation.
6. Develop more restrictive criteria for interment to extend the length of time space will be
available.
7. Maintain the current criteria for interment but build a memorial structure east of the existing
cemetery to commemorate others who feel strong connections to the university. Use the fees
generated by memorial acknowledgments to fund maintenance of cemetery grounds.
8. Make no changes in the existing criteria and when the current space is filled the Cemetery
would close because the University should not be in the cemetery business.
9. Make the space used for cremations smaller, perhaps 4’ X 4’ and double the amount of space
available for cremations, extending the “life” of the Cemetery by 10 or 15 years.
10. Current regulations do not permit lot reservations. Do you care to comment on this policy?
11. Other suggestions.
How to share your ideas/suggestions or make comments on any of the suggestions above.
You are welcome to email me at wmadden@iastate.edu. You can mail or drop off letters addressed to
Warren Madden, Vice President of Business and Finance, 1350 Beardshear, Ames, Iowa 50011-2100.
And you can fax me at 515 294-1621. Please write “cemetery feedback” on the envelope or subject
line of an email or fax. I ask that you do not call with feedback.