IRHA passes bill opposing budget cuts

Jill Pearson

Members of the Inter-Residence Hall Association will travel to Des Moines today to deliver a bill opposing budget cuts in the Iowa Legislature.The bill was passed to show IRHA’s disapproval of the proposed cut during their meeting Thursday night. Parliament members will attend senate hearings with members of the Government of the Student Body.”I understand where legislature needs to make cuts because of the understated tax revenue, but I don’t think that they need to come directly out of the regent university budget,” said Paul Duncan, IRHA president. “I think a better proposition is to make cuts on everything.”Richardson Court Association At-Large Representative Chris Knight said he will be heading up IRHA’s protest against the proposed cuts, and he said an e-mail campaign is being organized to allow students to voice their disapproval as well.”We need to mainly raise awareness and get the word out,” he said. “We need all students to realize that if this goes through, professors who haven’t been tenured could be out of a job and possibly 100 positions could be canceled.”In other business, Duncan said he was also pleased with the turnout of the Internet cap forum held before the IRHA meeting.”I was very happy to see the amount of participation from [Academic Information Technologies] and students both,” he said. “I was very pleased with the amount of discussion, and the suggestions and solutions that were given by various people.”Duncan said AIT and IRHA will sit down together within the next few weeks to discuss the feedback that was received.A gender-neutral guest visitation policy was also introduced to parliament during the meeting. The bill was authored by Andy Walling, RCA president and will be considered for the 2001-02 Terms and Conditions.”The current policy discriminates based on gender and is not enforced nor enforceable,” Walling said.