DES MOINES — The state’s three Regents universities came together Wednesday at the Capitol to lobby state legislators about increasing funding for higher education.

Student government representatives from Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa held a press conference to tell state lawmakers about the urgency for state funding in higher education.

UNI’s student government was in charge of organizing the lobby day. UNI’s student body president, Jeff Scudder, opened the press conference by expressing the importance of reinstating work study, fully funding professors’ salaries and lowering tuition increases.

“We are conveying our message that we want to be a part of Iowa’s future and are concerned about what’s happening,” he said.

Nick Herbold, U of I student body president, said the blame for tuition increases is being placed on the wrong people.

“We feel a lot of the blame right now is being put on the Board of Regents and we feel that blame should be put where it’s coming from and that’s the state,” he said.

ISU student government members said they believe having a presence at the Capitol makes lawmakers more sympathetic to students’ needs.

“When they see you in person it creates quite a bit more reality of the problem and the urgency to find a solution,” said Mike Banasiak, Iowa State’s Government of the Student Body director of governmental relations and presidential candidate in the current election.

Joe Darr, GSB vice president, said that while higher education funding is lacking now, it can get worse.

“We need to have a student voice be heard,” he said. “Things look like they’re worse already, but not showing up could make it even worse.”

T.J. Schneider, GSB president, said they are only asking that funding cuts stop and funding levels start stabilizing.

“We’re not asking for a full-funding of the money we’ve been cut,” he said.

Matt Denner, president of the ISU Campus Greens and candidate for GSB president, was also at the Capitol to voice his concerns to legislators.

“I’m very concerned about the same issues the lobby day was organized for,” he said. Denner said he made individual appointments with legislators to discuss his concerns.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said the Republican Party is planning to cut $29 million out of higher education and $2.7 million out of work-study programs. Quirmbach said he does not believe in these cuts.

“We’ve got some terrific individuals who are going to be great for the state if we can keep them here and in school,” he said.

Rep. Jane Greimann, D-Ames, said she and the rest of the Democrats do not like the proposed cuts.

“I think the University Regents is the most accountable part of the state government,” she said. “It seems dumb to the Democrats and it’s a dumb cut.”

During the press conference, Quirmbach pointed out that no Republicans were present at the conference.

Rep. Jim Kurtenbach, R-Nevada, said he received no notice of a press conference and that was why he did not attend.

Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, said she was not surprised that no Republicans came to the conference.

“The ones that are interested in your issue are going to be the ones who show up,” she said. “You need to outreach to the ones who don’t show up.”

Kurtenbach said there are several other places where higher education funding could come from and people should not lose hope. “My personal view is I would rather promise less and deliver more,” he said.

Heddens said she believes some changes could be made.

“I think there’s still some possibilities for discussion,” she said. “It’s not set in stone because we haven’t passed anything yet.”