If you are interested in keeping your tuition from continuing to skyrocket, now is the time to act. I suggest you ask the government of the state of Iowa to step up with better support than it has garnered in the last two years. Each student at Iowa State has an opportunity to effectively lobby their hometown representatives and senators, but it must be done now.

On Feb. 13 your president, Dr. Gregory Geoffroy, spoke with the other Regents presidents before the Education Appropriations subcommittee at the State house.

They are asking for a very modest increase in funding. Iowa State is asking for $4 million more than we received last year. The modest request made by the Regents will not meet the actual needs of the universities. They are also asking for full funding of the salaries budget and a reinstatement of the work study program.

These are proposals I fully support; however, I fear I am in the minority.

I need your help in lobbying the Legislature, especially the legislators from your hometown.

The Board of Regents has been very good at telling the story of how each university serves more and more students with less and less resources, and how they are reaching out to the people in the state with services and economic help.

However, legislators listen best to people from their own districts. If each ISU student would e-mail their own senator or representative with stories of your debt load and work schedule, as well as describing the difficulties you have in making your own budget stretch, it would make more of an impression than generalities expressed by your leaders. Tell your own story, talk about your goals and ask them to step up their support for this fine land grant institution.

As your legislator in Ames, be assured you can count on my energy and votes to bring as many resources to Iowa State as possible. I am an alumna and life-long supporter of the work done at our fine university. Send a copy of your story to me as you write to your hometown legislator so that I can talk about your story with those legislators in the Statehouse.

As I campaigned, I had a slogan that said, “Democracy is not a spectator sport.” Now is the time for each one of you to participate in our democracy.

Go to www.legis.state.ia.us to find a complete list of all legislators. Each legislator can be e-mailed by firstname.lastname @legis.state.ia.us.

Jane Greimann

Ames representative