The Government of the Student Body has been keeping in close contact with the State Legislature in order to vocalize requests that are in the best interest of ISU students.

Requests made to the State Legislature include issues such as eliminating the tax on textbooks and lowering tuition, said Daniel Fischer, GSB president and senior in agricultural business.

Dialogue between the State Legislature and GSB began two years ago, when the student government asked for “commitment” from the state, Fischer said.

“In the past, there has been a history of poor funding from the state,” Fischer said.

He also said the communication between GSB and State Legislature was concentrated more on discussing the “consequences of not funding higher education.”

This year, however, GSB has decided to take a more positive approach when interacting with the State Legislature. Fischer said instead of dwelling on the consequences of state action, GSB intends to thank the Legislature for what it does fund. GSB has recently written thank-you notes to legislators who supported the university.

GSB has found 20 state officials who have agreed to bring attention to issues important to college students, such as tuition increases, to the Iowa Senate. The Legislature has discussions in committee meetings about which requests made by GSB are most relevant. This year, as in years past, GSB made a request to the Regents for a salary appropriations bill for higher education, which “affects tuition the most,” Fischer said.

The salary appropriations bill is voted on every year by the Senate. It accounts for salary increases for ISU faculty and staff. Daniel Fischer noted the primary expense of running a university is paying salaries, which is the most common reason tuition raises for students.

Fischer said the results of GSB’s requests in the past were “encouraging,” with $41 million being allocated toward salary appropriations last year, which was 90 percent of the funds requested.

“In the past few years, funding has been very healthy and [the Legislature] has recognized the need to fund higher education,” Fischer said. “And I think most of the legislatures are very receptive to what we’re saying.”

This year, however, Fischer said requests for capital will be coming from many additional places because of the floods and tornadoes. Fischer emphasized GSB’s continuing efforts to make the Legislature aware of the importance of funding higher education. Fischer said funding higher education is “really a long-term investment” because educating the public will ultimately lead to a healthier economy.