DES MOINES — Students from Iowa State, the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa gathered at the Capitol building Monday to discuss budget cuts and higher education funding with legislators for Regents Day at the Capitol.

The Government of the Student Body was in charge of developing the event, inviting both other schools as well as clubs from Iowa State to promote their purposes on campus.

Students were able to discuss their roles with government leaders, take tours of the Capitol and hear all three student body presidents speak with Gov. Tom Vilsack.

Mike Banasiak, GSB president, said the event was a push for students’ visions of higher education.

“We hope that by giving the students and legislators the chance to interact, it will help the legislators understand the actual implications of budget cuts on individual students,” he said. “We need stability. Once we get that, we can rebuild.”

Emiliano Lerda, president of the Northern Iowa Student Government, said he feels budget cuts are affecting the future of Iowa.

“Budget cuts will, in the long run, bring down the quality of education,” he said. “Students and their families are paying more than their fair share for higher education.”

Vilsack addressed the group on what the state government is planning to help universities.

“We need to continue our support so we can continue to call them ‘our’ universities,” he said.

Vilsack said student voices will help legislators see the impact of cuts.

“You get to put a face with the story for the need to provide adequate funding,” he said. “Your stories are important. Your participation is important. In a state that prides itself in education, this should be unacceptable.”

Angela Groh, director of government relations for GSB, said she agreed with Vilsack that putting a face to the numbers was the most important part of the event.

“We hope that when the legislature is debating budget cuts, the legislators will think back to these students and realize how it is directly affecting them,” she said.

Many representatives of student clubs and organizations were there to help GSB push for more funding.

Laura Walter, member of the Textiles and Clothing Club, said she participated in the events because of the opportunity to show what her program offers.

“If [legislators] cut our funding, they will be taking away one of the best programs in the country. We rank very highly, and our students go on to succeed greatly in life,” said Walter, sophomore in apparel merchandising, design and production.

Joel Smeby, president of Iowa State’s Society of Automotive Engineers and senior in mechanical engineering, said students graduating with experience from the group have more success in their job searches, but like most other groups, budget cuts have hurt them as well.

“Budget cuts really hurt every student organization. The students are being shortchanged,” he said. “I think [legislators] should take into account what benefits the students most and avoid those cuts.”

Nicholas Sly, director of external relations for the Northern Iowa Student Government, said this opportunity was all about students developing their voice in politics while lobbying for their school.

“The financial situation is tough for everyone, but we’re hoping through this we will gain some fiscal certainty,” he said.

A correction to this article was printed on Feb. 18, 2004:

Due to a reporting error, the Feb. 17 article “The state of education” stated Laura Walter was a member of the Textiles and Clothing Club. The name of the club is MODA, which stands for Marketing, Organizing, Designing, and Analyzing Fashion, not the Textiles and Clothing Club. The Daily regrets the error.