University students urge lawmakers not to cut higher education

Students from Iowa's regent universities turned out en masse Monday at the Statehouse to lobby lawmakers in opposition to more state funding cuts that they say are beginning to affect the quality of the education they are receiving and forcing tuition increases that are pushing their already heavy debt loads even higher.

“We've taken our share of cuts over the years,” said Lee Henely, a University of Iowa student and governmental relations liaison, who was one of several hundred college students from the UI, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa who sought budgetary forebearance from legislators who are beginning to formulate the fiscal 2012 spending plan.

Some of the roughly 300 students who rallied in the Capitol rotunda waved signs with messages like: “$7,417? Not my father's tuition,” “Got debt?” and “UI students sentenced to debt” while student government leaders decried cuts in state aid to higher education that have translated into fewer academic programs, larger class sizes, more crowded laboratories, fewer elective course choices, and fewer faculty teaching more students.

“We realize we're dealing with a very limited budget and there are a lot of tough decisions that have to be made,” said Jared Knight, a sophomore from Mount Vernon studying political science at Iowa State. “At this point, cuts are starting to reach the classroom and we're really seeing a deterioration of classroom quality, we're seeing bigger classes, less funding is available. So, the efficiencies we can reach from an administrative standpoint and staff, we've reached them and now it's how badly do we want students to be affected by the decisions that happen here.”

David Miles, president of the state Board of Regents, told the assemblage that state aid for regent universities has dropped $141 million over the last two budget cycles. Officials from regent universities said another $42 million in reductions were included in Gov. Terry Branstad's fiscal 2012 budget proposal and the cuts would be even deeper under budget targets set by majority House Republicans.

“These disproportionate cuts are unfair and they put students at risk. It's time to change course before the damage to quality and affordability become irreversible,” Miles said.

Not everyone who traveled from campus to the Statehouse was in unison.

A small band of Iowa State University College Republicans delivered a counter message that the universities should cut waste and be more efficient with the state allocations they are receiving. They said they paid their own costs to travel from Ames to Des Moines while ISU officials recruited students to come attend the “stop the cuts” rally and provided transportation funded by student fees.

“The budget cuts might actually be a good thing. There's some wasteful spending going on at our universities,” said Andrew Metzger, an ISU freshman from Lyon County.

Jeremy Freeman, an ISU sophomore from Ames, suggested cutting the salaries and benefits paid to ISU President Gregory Geoffroy and faculty members and questioned other spending that has taken place.

“We are supporting the budget cuts because wherever government spends money, they waste money. It is a false statement to say that if the budget cuts happen, they have to raise tuition. That's completely false. They can choose to cut budget areas. There are some really dumb things that they spend money on,” Freeman said. “We can find these places to start cutting money but nobody wants to do it.”

Joel Anderson, UNI student government president, said tuition increases that force higher student debt loads make it more difficult for Iowans who would like to stay and work in the state to do so because it forces them to seek employment in larger cities outside Iowa where wages and salaries are higher.

“It's time to stop viewing the regents as a money pit but as the economic engines that they are,” he said. “Budget cuts mean debt that pushes talented Iowans out of this state.”

Lyndsey Harshman, a Centerville native and president of the UI graduate and professional students, from Centerville who is slated to graduate from medical school in 10 weeks, said she would prefer to work in a smaller Iowa community but likely won't be able to because she will have to repay $135,000 in debt.

Rep. Scott Raecker, R-Urbandale, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the university students provided good input to legislators but he noted the reality continues that the state cannot continue to spend more money that it collects in revenue, which is going to require reductions to make up for one-time federal and state money that was used to balance this fiscal year's state budget.

“We're going to try to deliver a budget that protects core priorities for Iowans and I certainly believe that education is one of those priorities, but there's probably not going to be very many areas of government that aren't going to see reductions next year,” he said.

Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, noted that his two daughters were among the university students who participated in Monday's event. He said Democrats who control the Senate plan to push for a status-quo budget for the regent institutions during upcoming budget negotiations involving the split-control Legislature and Branstad.