The Iowa Board of Regents approved a 6 percent increase in tuition yesterday and the campus is already buzzing with opinions.

When the surcharge first came around, $100 caused a huge uproar among students, already walking financial tightropes.

We hope those students find a way to continue their education and that this increase doesn’t over-complicate the decision to get an education.

As a board, we wanted to come down hard on someone, to stand up for students, and find a way to approach this and form a plan of action. The problem is, there may not be a “bad guy” here.

The general tone during our meeting was that we dodged a bullet in some sense. A 6 percent increase is non-negligible, but compared to some increases nationwide, we can breath a tiny sigh of relief.

Tuition is skyrocketing everywhere. The state of Iowa’s budget, as a whole, was slashed. A 6 percent increase feels more like a flesh wound than the gash to the jugular some of us were expecting.

For some schools in California, tuition increases of 30 – 50 percent have been levied.

The problem is that, while comparatively small, $346 — $692 for out-of-staters — is significant, unless you were planning on “treating yourself” to an iPad. When families are already cutting budgets to the bare essentials, another $300 may be the last straw.

From this increase, however, we can see that the regents are trying to lessen the blow to pick-pocketed students; pending a proposed $31 million restoration of state funding to the regents, the controversial tuition surcharge will disappear. So, if it makes you feel better, that’s $100 previously spoken for that can be subtracted from the increase.

Unfortunately, and sorry if that actually made you feel better, today’s events still resulted in a $246 net for Iowa residents.

There are a few things to take away from this mess:

First and foremost, keep things in perspective. Families nationwide are desperately compensating for tuition increases. If you’re an Iowa resident, laugh at your out-of state friends.

Most importantly, remember you’re not the only one pouring more cash into this bachelor’s degree cyclone (pun intended). Remember, too, that we kind of dodged a bullet.

Second, pester Chet Culver and the Iowa Legislature. Make sure that Iowa’s government makes good on its commitment to education. If $31 million dollars — or any dollars for that matter — can be returned to the universities, then it certainly should be.

Any state appropriations that can ease the burden placed on tuition is an investment in the future of Iowa.

Third, try really hard not to complain. Paying extra money, on top of an already exorbitant amount of money, for a service still facing scathing cuts is especially painful, but take solace in the fact that our student fees won’t increase until next year, when the recreation renovation takes effect.

Finally, if you hear someone complaining about the increase while wearing brand-name clothes and new shoes, and sporting an iPod and a Blackberry, call them out.

You can find your local legislator’s contact information here.