Distribute taxes fairly to universities

To the editor:

As a 50-year alum of Iowa State Teachers College (University of Northern Iowa) I must respond to the guest columns on the Board of Regents' funding proposal.

Nate Willems states 'the proposal ignores the reality of the status quo.” The status quo was why the board undertook an eight-month study to find a more equitable way to distribute Iowa tax dollars to help Iowa college students. They realized that UNI has been treated differently for 25 to 50 years. Status quo University of Iowa gets $14,000 per student and UNI gets $8,000.

Ninety percent of UNI students come from Iowa. One purpose of state supported universities is to make a college education more affordable for Iowans. The last three years the board has held the line on in-state tuition. The two research universities have a much larger percentage of out-of-state students paying higher tuition and large research funding.

Gov. Robert Ray pointed out the Iowa Tuition Grant program provides scholarships to Iowa students to attend private colleges at a cost closer to that of the public universities. The proposal is not taking any funding from the community colleges. The idea it will take students away from either is an exaggeration.

As one of the 65 percent of current UNI alumni who have stayed in Iowa (working for 45 years), I am proud to have helped provide the professional backbone for Iowa. I encourage the legislature to adopt the board's proposal for an even playing field in distributing the Iowa taxes to state universities.

Bill Ashby

Clermont