Even a malfunctioning elevator didn't dim the enthusiasm of Southeast Missouri State University officials Friday as a steady stream of students moved into the dorms.

Officials trumpeted freshman-enrollment gains and residence hall renovations for the fall semester during a luncheon with the news media in Towers cafeteria. During a tour of newly renovated Towers North later, university officials and reporters were stuck in an elevator for 10 minutes.

School officials said elevator problems aren't uncommon at the start of school.

Freshman enrollment is expected to be up by at least 200 this fall from last year's class of 1,200. School officials said this is the largest single-year increase in the freshman class since 1981.

School officials are thrilled with the turn-around after years of decreasing enrollment.

"We don't have to prove they are coming. They are here," said Dr. Kala Stroup, Southeast's soon-to-be-departing president.

"We wanted to bring you over here to see the excitement," she said, raising her voice to be heard over the din of students in the cafeteria.

After lunch, reporters and school officials set off to tour the newly renovated Towers North residence hall.

Eleven people crowded into one of two elevators for a ride to the 10th floor. A hand-lettered sign nearby said, "This elevator is for small loads and people. This elevator works normally."

But in this case, it barely moved.

Al Stoverink, the school's facilities management director, was among those stuck in the elevator. He used the elevator telephone to report the problem.

A workman soon arrived and manually opened the door. The tour began again with the group using the second elevator.

At the end of the tour, officials and reporters decided to walk down the stairs after tiring of waiting for the elevator.

Stoverink said the heavy use by students moving in with their belongings throws the elevator timing off.

Students began moving into the residence halls Thursday.

By Friday, more than 1,300 had moved in or about 65 percent of the 2,100 students slated to live on campus this fall. Many of them are freshmen.

There are so many students signed up for campus housing the university has had to open up rooms in the Dearmont building. As of Friday, nearly 70 students had been assigned housing in Dearmont.

The university several months ago closed the building as a residence hall and announced plans to use it only for offices.

But with other residence halls expected to be full, the university reopened Dearmont.

Stroup credited enrollment gains to higher admissions standards, major renovations to residence halls, campus computer improvements, national accreditation of academic programs and the move to Division I in athletics.

By the end of 1996, Southeast will have spent about $40 million on campus improvements over a 3 1/2-year span.

That includes $11.5 million spent to renovate Towers West and Towers North, and $15 million for the College of Business building.

Stroup said the $40 million is the largest amount of money ever invested in the school's physical facilities.

The renovated high-rise dorms, which combined can house 548 students, are arranged in suites on each floor.

SueAnn Strom, vice president for student affairs, said more students wanted to be in Towers North and West than could be accommodated.