As the Iowa Legislature finishes up its first week after reconvening, expectations are already high that state universities will see more support from Des Moines in the new session.

For the 2008 budget year, the Iowa Board of Regents has asked the Legislature for appropriations totaling nearly $72 million.

Regents Executive Director Gary Steinke said three main components of the request are a 5.2 percent inflationary increase to the general operating budget, additional funding to raise faculty salaries and making the $8.4 million one-time budget increase approved last year permanent.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy iterated the regents’ request in an e-mail sent to faculty Jan. 7.

“Those budget items have to be funded on an ongoing basis,” Geoffroy said. “If the state funds do not materialize, it will be necessary for us to reduce our budgets elsewhere in order to cover those costs.”

Geoffroy has also asked department heads to prepare for up to a 2 percent budget reduction in case of funding shortfalls. Tuition at Iowa State is expected to increase 5.2 percent for in-state students and 3.2 percent for out-of-state students if the regents’ request is fulfilled.

Herman Quirmbach, associate professor of economics, declined to comment on salary funding, but said he would like to see progress in lessening the burden for students, including making sure the one-time energy surcharge assessed to students last year is not necessary again.

“My main concern is holding down tuition,” Quirmbach said.

Quirmbach added that it is hard to predict this early in the session how much money will be available to fund the regents’ request.

“We don’t know right now our overall budget situation,” Quirmbach said.

“We have to make it add up at the end of the day.”

Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, said primary and higher education will be among her top priorities for the new session of the Iowa Legislature.

“We have had an opportunity in the last couple of years to replace some of those dollars,” Heddens said.

“We are not exceeding way beyond, but we are trying to replace some of what was there.”

The regents and the ISU Government of the Student Body both have ongoing lobbying efforts in Des Moines.

Emily Jensen, GSB president and a senior in political science, said the GSB is restructuring its lobbying strategies and she expects to see more support for education from the new Legislature.

“It would provide students a chance to go to the regents institutions without looking for a double-digit tuition increase each year,” Jensen said.

Steinke said he is also expecting more funding to offset what he called “draconian” cuts that have occurred in previous years.

“I think all we have to do is remind the Legislature that tuition has increased almost 90 percent for students in Iowa, and at the same time state appropriations have decreased about $75 million dollars,” Steinke said.

“If you look at the actual state appropriation in 2001 and the actual state appropriation for 2007, we are $15 million dollars less than we were six years ago.”

Governor-elect Chet Culver will take the oath of office Friday, cementing control for Democrats who have gained a 10-member majority in the Iowa Senate and an eight-member majority in the Iowa House of Representatives.

Quirmbach stressed that lawmakers would continue to work in a bipartisan spirit.

However, he also said Democrats will work to legitimize the majority given to them in November.

“We intend to make as much good on as many issues as we can,” Quirmbach said.