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NorthernIowan

the university of northern iowa’s student-produced newspaper since 1892

‘STOP THE CUTS’ March 11, 2011

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Volume 107, Issue 43

FRIDAY

Cedar Falls, Iowa

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northern-iowan.org

Students lobby for higher education funding at State Capitol during Regents Day JOHN ANDERSON ‘You can’t spend what you don’t have’ Executive Editor

Roughly 250 students from Iowa’s public universities flooded the state capitol Monday with one message written in purple, black, cardinal and gold: stop the cuts. The students gathered as part of Regents Day, a collaborative effort between students of the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Iowa to discourage legislators from reducing funding to Iowa’s public universities as they consider cuts that could mean an $8.3 million reduction in funding to UNI for next year. “After years of doing more with less, after too many tuition increases that have been too high, and with a brighter outlook for the Iowa economy, we ask ourselves, is now the time for the state to cut support for Iowa’s public universities even further, or is it time to turn the tide and reinvest in our universities, relieve pressure on student tuition, and further protect outstanding educational quality,” Board of Regents President David Miles said during a press conference that day. “And for me, the answer is clear; it is time to stop the cuts!” “I can give you all the stats and figures in the world for why higher education is important, but in all honesty I ask you to listen to the stories of your constituents who love

Freshman public relations major Sadie Range discussed with Rep. Jeff Smith, R-District 6, how recent cuts have been raising the costs of public universities to the point that students simply can’t afford it. “I know, coming from Okoboji, that about 90 percent of my grade ended up going to community college or out of state simply because they can’t afford in-state tuition here in Iowa, which is really, really sad,” Range said. “I know I’ve faced that same issue, because my program is also offered out of state…. I picked UNI simply because I stepped on campus

Several members of the Iowa State University College Republicans traveled to the State Capitol Monday to protest Regents Day and express support for the proposed budget cuts to Iowa’s public universities. The group gathered in the rotunda with signs featuring pictures of Ronald Reagan, statements questioning the bipartisan nature of the Iowa State Ambassadors and statements supporting the proposed cuts, such as ‘You can’t spend what you don’t have.’ JORDAN WEAVER/Northern Iowan The College Two students from the Iowa State College Republicans decided to Republicans hold signs in protest of Regents protest in response to Day. a “one-sided” email sent by the Iowa State Ambassadors that encouraged students to attend Regents Day and oppose the cuts, said Logan Pals, the president of the College Republicans. “We all decided as College Republicans, let’s go down, show the legislature that there’s actually people at the university that understand what they’re doing and why they have to be doing these budget cuts,” Pals said. “So we’re down here to oppose what everybody else is down here for; we’re actually here to support the budget cuts. “We understand that we’re on an unsustainable path – we can’t do this anymore. We’re hundreds of millions of dollars in debt at the state level alone, we’re $14 trillion in debt at the national level – an unimaginable number… We’re broke. It’s not if we run out of money, it’s when.” Pals and the College Republicans mentioned several “inefficient” university activities, including Iowa State University’s recently established $300,000 book renting program and the $46,200 installation of 11 solar-powered trash receptacles on campus. While the group supports budget cuts to Iowa’s universities, they do not stand behind tuition increases. “Every government entity on the planet is inefficient –

See REGENTS DAY, page 7

See PROTEST, page 7

JUSTIN WEAVER/Northern Iowan

Rep. Steven Lukan (left) speaks with Megan Kammarmeyer, a junior leisure, youth and human services major, Ian Goldsmith, a junior theatre and psychology major, Natalie Greve, a junior leisure, youth and human services major, and Emily Mollman, a sophomore anthropology and sociology major, in the State Capitol during Regents Day.

Iowa and might have to leave this great state to pay back their education,” UNI student body president Joel Anderson said during the press conference. “But the question remains: when we leave, what will bring us back?” After filling the rotunda with booths set up by different student organizations, including the Northern Iowa Student Government, UNI Student Admissions Ambassadors, UNIBusiness, UNI Democrats, UNI Dance Marathon and Pi Sigma Epsilon, students lobbied in groups organized by hometown legislator, sharing with their representatives how the proposed budget cuts will affect them.


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