The state Board of Regents will be voting today on how much to increase the tuition of the three state universities for the 2001-2002 school year.

The regents, who are meeting in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union, are proposing a 9.9 percent increase at Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa and a 9.3 percent increase for the University of Iowa.

Members of the ISU Government of the Student Body and the UNI student government will be proposing at the meeting a reduction in the increase to 7.2 percent. The U of I Student Government will be giving a separate presentation in favor of a 9.9 percent increase, detailing where students want the money to go.

The regents will vote on the increase between 9 a.m. and noon. Andy Tofilon, GSB co-director of intergovernmental affairs, said the student governments will each have five minutes to make its presentations.

“I expect that the tuition increase will be one of the larger issues on the agenda,” said regent Roger Lande.

Lande said he thought the student governments made good presentations at the September meeting.

“I think they were effective,” he said. “They were refreshing in some of their approaches.”

Regents Executive Director Frank Stork also thought the students did well.

“They were very articulate and presented some good information,” he said. “I think clearly they had done some research, which was productive.”

Although GSB is encouraging students to go to the meeting, Lande said he thinks the message in the governments’ presentations will be most effective.

“I think the content of what they have to say is more important than the number of bodies that they bring,” he said.

Stork also said student presentations are most important.

“I think the presentations are really what’s particularly effective, and the board members do listen to the information provided,” he said. “I believe it’s clear students have a real interest in the subject.”