Students who chose to enroll as freshmen at Iowa State more than three years ago had no way of realizing what they were getting themselves into financially. Between an economic downturn and an almost $60 million cut to Iowa State in state appropriations since the 2000—01 academic year, Iowa State has been forced to cut programs, raise tuition and reallocate funds across the university.

Thousands of tales of budget cuts, tuition hikes and the price of higher education are floating around on campus today. From increased class sizes to debt incurred from loans, ISU students have shouldered the burden of budget cuts for the university.

A change in plans

Because of budget cuts, one ISU student will not be able to complete college in four years as planned.

Christi Page, junior in aerospace engineering, began at Iowa State in the fall of 2000. Although she was offered a full scholarship for mechanical engineering to attend the University of Virginia, she opted to attend Iowa State because of the research opportunities Iowa State had to offer.

“[At the University of Virginia], you were guaranteed a job, but you weren’t guaranteed the knowledge to do that job,” she said.

Little did she know, state funding for the 2001—02 school year would be reduced by $81.9 million to the three Iowa public universities. This cut would have a major effect on Page’s remaining college career.

During her sophomore year, several teachers from the aerospace engineering department left their positions. Without adequate funding, the university was unable to refill these positions. The smaller number of professors combined with larger student enrollments in classes led to larger class sizes and a less personal learning environment.

“Not only did my tuition go up, but my class sizes went up by about 20 people, which in aerospace engineering is a lot,” she said. “You expect the class sizes to drop as you go further [into the program], but that didn’t happen.”

She said the larger class sizes created more work for both the students and professors. Students were less likely and unable to speak up in class, she said. Professors who had never taught classes of that size before had to change their routine and spend more of their research time to attend to students.

“Professors put off what they are doing and help us, which is nice, but they should not have to,” she said.

Aside from fewer professors, Page said she was forced to adapt to the new structuring of the aerospace engineering program during her sophomore year. Many of the classes in her program offered every semester were now being offered only once a year, she said.

“If you miss one class, you are off by a year,” she said. “I have missed two classes, and it has put me behind a whole year.”

She said most students in the aerospace engineering program take five years to complete their program, but she had originally planned to be out in four by taking 17 to 19 credits each semester. After missing one class in her program and not being able to take it again for another year, she said she lowered her credit numbers each semester.

“There is no sense in killing myself when I have to stay another year anyway,” she said.

This semester she has dropped down to 13 credits and has dropped classes from her remaining semesters in order to fill up her fifth-year schedule. Without taking 12 credits each semester during her fifth year, she will have to start paying back her student loans before she graduates, she said.

Page also said many students in aerospace engineering have passed up golden opportunities in the way of co-ops and internships to finish the program in less time.

“Now if you go out for a co-op and you are gone for one semester of school, you are put off by a year,” she said. “They have made it less likely for people to be able to get internships and co-ops.”

Without a co-op or internship experience, students are less likely to be placed after graduation, she said.

Page said she hopes to find an internship during the career fair later this semester.

“The budget cuts have had a serious effect on me. I probably would not have gone here had I known my classes would not be 30 to 40 people,” Page said. “That’s not what I had signed up for when I came into this program.”

Deep in debt

Brad Banwarth, fifth-year senior in mechanical engineering, plans to graduate this December. He began his college career at Iowa State in the fall of 1999. When searching for a college to attend, he said he looked for a public university.

“I couldn’t work enough in high school to make enough money to save and my parents don’t have enough money to help,” he said.

Banwarth said he has financed his entire college career through loans. He said he believes it will take him 15 to 20 years to pay off his loans once he graduates. He said he did not foresee the 9.9 percent tuition and fees increase for the 2001-02 school year, nor the 19.7 percent in 2002-03 and the 22.3 percent increase for this year.

Now beginning his fifth year at Iowa State, Banwarth said taking the time to finish will be worth the extra semester in loan payments.

“I would rather do a few less credits and do better in the course than load up, do horrible and finish in four years,” he said.

He is also working 12 hours a week for the Woodward Resource Center in the Adaptive Equipment Center, he said. He said he began that job in search of experience and money.

Banworth said he has also run into another unexpected financial burden with his living situation.

“Because I am graduating in December, it puts a crimp in the financial situation just because it is harder to find someone to live with,” he said.

Banwarth said he had to move from his three-bedroom apartment into a two-bedroom apartment, which raised his rent.

At this point, Banwarth does not have a job lined up for after he graduates, but said he open to leaving Iowa.

“At this point, I think it is in [my] better interest to go where the job is,” he said. “I am going to go wherever I can to get a job, just to get started.”

No regrets

One recent alumnus fears he will be paying on his student loans for the next decade and a half.

Jerry Zamzow graduated from Iowa State in the spring of 2002 with an undergraduate degree in animal science.

During his first semester, he paid much of his tuition, but used loans to pay for the remaining three and a half years of school.

Currently, Zamzow is paying more than $400 in loan payments every month and said he is experiencing some trouble paying back his loans.

“That’s well over half a paycheck,” he said. “I’ve got a pretty good job, but that takes a good chunk out.”

Zamzow said he expects one loan to take about 10 years to pay off and a second will take 15 years.

He said living in Ames is expensive and having to pay his loan payments every month does not make it any easier.

“You had money, but now it’s all gone,” he said. “So now it’s basically paycheck to paycheck.”

Zamzow said he looks back to what his life would be like without a degree and loan payments, but does not regret going to school.

“There are guys in my class who didn’t go to school who are making a lot more [money] than me, and they don’t have anything to pay back,” he said. “I am glad I have a degree, but it sucks paying it back.”