With three brothers and sisters currently in college, Melissa Brunia has to find ways to pay for her own education at Iowa State. “Right now, my parents can’t afford to put too much money into my education, so I’ve got to take all the loans I can get,” said Brunia, junior in genetics. While her parents pour their time and energy into a small, family-owned business in Des Moines, Melissa and her siblings try to economize their college budgets. Her youngest brother, who is in his first year of college, opted to attend Des Moines Area Community College this fall to save money. “He did kind of want to go to Iowa State, but he knew he couldn’t afford to go here for four years,” said Brunia, a Government of the Student Body senator representing Buchanan Hall. “He is going to try to come in two years.” The Brunia family’s situation is not unique. This year, students at Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa had to pay more money to attend college after the Board of Regents approved a 4.3 percent increase in tuition for 2000-2001 last October. Due to a severe cut in the budgets of the three regent universities, a student-fee split and higher computer fees, the cost of tuition could rise as much as 10 to 12 percent for next year. This would cost out-of-state students about $900 more per year and in-state students about $300 more. As the cost of tuition continues to rise, student leaders say Iowa families may no longer be able to afford the cost of a four-year, state-school education. This, in turn, may cause dips in enrollment at the regent universities. “This is going to hurt the in-state student who can’t afford to go anywhere else,” said Andy Tofilon, GSB co-director of intergovernmental affairs. “We have such low tuition here, so it won’t drive students out of state.” However, Tofilon said more students may choose to attend community colleges or decide not to continue their education after high school to avoid the double-digit tuition increase. “If they work two jobs to get by now and have to take on a third, will they still be able to take classes?” asked Alex Olson, GSB off-campus senator. Many graduate students also will suffer from the projected tuition hikes. “A lot of them have families and more responsibility, and they have to pay for things that a lot of undergrads have taken care of for them,” said Todd Doorenbos, graduate student in economics. Millions of state dollars were cut from the regent-school budgets last spring, and university students are beginning to realize the full impact. Since the schools will not receive as much state funding, the students must pick up the slack to pay for quality improvements. Those include enhancing technology on campus and reducing class sizes, which plays a major role in the quality of education for some students with disabilities. “In my case, it is harder in larger classes to hear the professor and understand the lecture,” said GSB Disabilities Sen. Katie Greiman, who is 80 percent deaf. “In a smaller classroom situation, it is easier to hear and understand what the professor is saying.” GSB is joining forces with student leaders from the other two regent universities in an attempt to minimize the expected tuition increases by about 5 percent. The students will make a presentation to the Board of Regents at its September meeting in Iowa City, and the regents will vote on the increase at their October meeting in Ames. “The 7 percent [increase] is even going to be more of a burden than it is now,” Brunia said, “but it is better than 12 percent.”