Editor’s Note: Part of an ongoing series about Iowa State’s response to state budget problems.

Although the Graduate College has not yet seen the effects of state budget cuts, a shrinking budget may soon begin to negatively affect education options and financial support for students.

“The current year has been reasonably stable,” said John Mayfield, associate dean of the Graduate College. “They haven’t announced next year’s budget, but if there is a cut, we have to cut support to the students.”

The budget cuts from the last three years have been a problem for the Graduate College, but never to the point to where students were affected as directly as cuts to their financial support.

“With the last cut, we got rid of things that didn’t seem to be noticed too much,” said Mayfield. “We eliminated the grad English exam requirement — but that was also a piece of someone’s salary.”

Unlike undergraduate classes, class size for graduate courses has not been affected.

“[The budget cuts] haven’t hit class sizes,” Mayfield said. “There has only ever been one class section, so we can’t offer bigger classes.”

Although class sizes are still the same, the frequency of classes offered has decreased.

“We’ve certainly seen courses offered less frequently,” Mayfield said.

“Some classes have gone from being offered every year to every other year.”

Mayfield said the biggest effect could be with the financial support of the students.

“Half of all the [graduate] students are supported on grants,” he said.

“If the state cuts the budget, we may have to have fewer teaching assistants, but with the same money being offered before. The problem is then how to teach classes.”

Diane Egdorf, graduate student in Human Development and Family Studies, said less financial support could hurt many students.

“Being a grad student is hard work,” she said. “It involves a lot of hours and some students are running out of money. It’s disheartening to see grad students drop out or transfer.”

Egdorf, president of the Graduate Student Senate, said international graduate students may face larger problems than those of their American peers.

“International students are limited to working only 20 hours per week,” she said. “There’s not extra money coming in from a job at McDonald’s.”

If budget cuts continue to plague students, the Graduate College may see a decline in student satisfaction.

“There are going to be detrimental effects on the student population if tuition keeps rising like it has in the past three years,” Egdorf said. “Students are taking the brunt of [the budget cuts] with increases in tuition. We need to minimize the direct hits to students.”

Mayfield said the budget cuts are a direct effect of what the people of Iowa want to support.

“If [Iowa citizens] don’t want to fund the universities they are saying that they don’t want a university of this size and nature,” he said. “It’s like the old saying, ‘You get what you pay for.’ “