The running mate of the only Republican contending for the office of Iowa governor said Thursday he hopes to put in place a system that would allow Iowa students to know exactly what their tuition will cost them before they decide to enroll at a university.

Bob Vander Plaats, gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle’s running mate, said during a visit with students and community members at Lagomarcino Hall that he wants full tuition disclosure to prospective students before they commit to a university.

“I want the universities to tell students, ‘This is your tuition every year,’ so it’s a four-year commitment to the student,” Vander Plaats said.

He rejected the idea of a tuition freeze, an option discussed by Democratic gubernatorial candidates, as impractical.

“They have no idea the implications [of a tuition freeze]. Instead, let’s give students a four-year lock-in,” he said.

Unlike the Democrats vying for the office of governor, Nussle and Vander Plaats face no opposition within their own party and will not have to take part in a primary for their party’s nomination, a situation Vander Plaats said gives them an advantage for November’s general election.

“The Democrats will chew each other up and spend all their money before November,” he said, “while we have one organization and we’re campaigning for one election.”

ISU College Republicans President Nicole Woodroffe, senior in political science, said the Republican candidates have an edge on Democrats because they won’t have to exhaust their campaign funds too early.

“Their main advantage is that they’re not spending money against anyone right now,” Woodroffe said.

Vander Plaats said he and Nussle have yet to make up their minds on the Iowa Board of Regents’ Transformation Plan for Excellence, a four-year legislative package that asks the Iowa General Assembly for annual $40 million increases to general funds. This session, legislators have proposed as little as $6 million for the Regents institutions.

“Jim [Nussle] and I aren’t ready to comment on the transformation plan,” Vander Plaats said. “I appreciate the incentive for change and maximizing results, but we try to resist multi-year commitments.”