For many students experiencing the effects of steady tuition increases, the lingering question remains, “Why?”

For the 2001—02 academic year, tuition and fees were increased by 9.9 percent per in-state student. The next year, in-state students found themselves paying 18.5 percent more in tuition. This year, in-state students are faced with a 22.3 percent increase.

The Board of Regents take many different factors into account each year when fixing the price of an education at an Iowa public university. These factors include maintaining educational quality, reductions in state support, cost increases, the national average of college tuition, the average income of an Iowan and money to be set aside for student financial aid.

The main reason for tuition increases over the past few years has been the decrease in state funding to the regent institutions. Since the 2001-02 academic year, the state has reduced funding to the universities by $142.4 million, including $57.2 million to Iowa State.

In efforts to make up this deficit, the regents raised tuition.

Mike Banasiak, ISU Government of the Student Body president, said he plans to focus more on the state legislature this year regarding action on tuition and state funding.

“[Members of the Government of the Student Body] know the problem lies in appropriations from the state,” he said. “We need to work with the regents to send a message to the state legislature that education needs to be a priority in this state.”

Over the past 10 years, the amount of state tax funds provided in Iowa for the operating expenses of higher education has been 26.9 percent, while the national average has been a 60.2 percent increase, according to an Illinois State University survey, http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/grapevine/50state.htm.

During meetings this summer, several regents expressed interest in lowering the tuition increases considerably.

Regent David Neil of La Porte City said he would like to see a tuition increase of less than 10 percent for the next academic year.

“We will have to find some way to provide access to these universities,” he said.

During last November’s meeting, Neil voted “no” on the tuition increase in order to send a message to the state legislature to stop putting the support of the universities on the backs of the students.

“The state hasn’t kept up with the demand for quality,” he said.

Regent Neala Arnold of Hawarden, the student member of the Board of Regents, was the only other regent to vote “no” to tuition increases for this academic year.