A van full of Government of the Student Body members traveled to the Capitol in Des Moines Tuesday to discuss the state’s budget crunch and show legislators the student faces behind the cuts.

New numbers coming out of the Statehouse would cut 6 percent across the board to state-funded agencies, including the regent universities. This would translate to a $15.8 million shortfall for Iowa State to bear.

“This is still a very difficult situation,” said GSB President Andy Tofilon.

Sen. Maggie Tinsman, R-Davenport, said the state Legislature needs advice and ideas about how to deal with the pending cuts.

“The problem is we don’t have the funds,” she said. “There is no way to manufacture them, and the public has said they don’t want more taxes. We hope this is just a blimp, and hopefully next year revenue will go back up.”

Education is the state’s highest priority, Tinsman said, but every area is going to take a hit from the slowing economy facing the state.

“The consensus is that the legislators are going to do everything they can so we do not get pillaged during the budget talks,” Tofilon said.

GSB members said they felt their point was well received at the Statehouse.

“We laid good groundwork at the state Legislature, and I think [legislators] will take it to heart,” Tofilon said.

Before the multi-million dollar cuts to the state’s agencies become an annual trend, lawmakers are searching for ways to stabilize Iowa’s economy. The main objective is to get the state’s tax structure under control so people stay and create jobs, said Sen. Kitty Rehberg, R-Rowley.

“If we were the only state going through these budget problems, we would question our leadership, but we are not,” said Rehberg, vice chairwoman of the senate education committee. “The whole nation is going through downsizing.”

Charlie Johnson, GSB vice president, said the legislators are receptive to students’ concerns.

“We wanted to drive home the real consequences, job losses, department cuts and tuition increases,” he said.

Tofilon said a real concern is that Iowa State will not have the money to pay teachers’ salaries.

“If we cannot afford the good teachers, we will not continue to be the best agricultural university in the nation,” he said.

GSB members will return to the Capitol April 24 along with student representatives from the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa. There will be a rally at 12:30 p.m. on the steps of the building to protest the cuts to higher education.

Tofilon stressed the importance of the three schools acting together in the discussion of the budget.

“We are all facing the same cuts – anything that happens at ISU happens at the other universities,” he said. “If we don’t stand together, we won’t be able to stand at all.”