Student government officials are re-focusing their efforts to see how the additional revenue from a 9.9 percent tuition increase will be spent.

The Board of Regents approved last week the tuition increase, which the Government of the Student Body opposed.

With lobbying efforts on hold, GSB members want to work with the administration to ensure the increase in the cost of education will improve the quality of education at Iowa State, said GSB President Ben Golding.

“We’ll be moving on to some of our new priorities,” he said. “Most importantly, we will be discussing with Dr. Seagrave and the governor better methods of spending for this new money that will be coming in.”

Golding was one of the biggest advocates against the nearly double-digit increase in tuition and fees, which he maintained will decrease the availability and accessibility of the regent universities.

He said his main concerns were for the students who are already having a difficult time paying for school and who may not be able to attend Iowa State next year.

“I was really disappointed,” Golding said. “We were hoping that we could get the regents to knock off anywhere between 1 and 2 percent from the proposed figure of 9.9 percent.”

Alex Olson, vice chairman of the GSB finance committee, echoed Golding’s sentiments concerning the tuition increase.

“I was extremely disappointed with the Board of Regents’ actions,” said Olson, off campus. “9.9 percent is just too high of an increase right now. We were more than willing to work with the board and work out a compromise to reduce the hike by 1 to 2 percent.”

GSB Finance Director Steve Medanic said the board members should have kept the students in mind when they made their decisions.

However, Olson said the students were well-represented at the meeting — about 100 students were in the Sun Room while the regents voted.

“I really wish that they had given the students a little more thought,” Olson said. “A compromise could have easily been reached. The student turnout was excellent. They presented a very strong message to the Board of Regents, and I think the board had respect for that.”

Medanic said he was very happy with the student initiative, and it was obvious the students were concerned about the issue.