To the editor:

The process of covering potential budget cuts has been very skewed by the Daily, and the administration hasn’t been telling us the whole story ,either.

So when an organization faces budget cuts, the first thing reporters do is find people to blame, as if an organization were entitled to that specific sum of money. This time it turned out to be the evil Republicans in the Iowa legislature attacking the quality of education Iowa college students will receive.

The March 21 story did nothing to address why Iowa State is facing cuts to begin with. Since the Daily is usually the only news source for students who don’t read other newspapers, this plays into the hands of the administration. This creates an “us vs. them” attitude. Instead of having all the facts, all students know is that they were facing less money from the government, which means it’ll have to be made up in tuition increases.

Lt. Governor Pederson (a Democrat) visited the Government of the Student Body to explain the cuts, but GSB had their minds set on protesting the cuts, urging students to do the same.

Isn’t this the same administration students refer to as the one that doesn’t care for the welfare of students, puts fund raising in front of education, creates an atmosphere of repression and has no concept of student rights?

Suddenly, we’re agreeing with everything the administrators say because they threatened us with another tuition increase and elimination of a college!

Let’s evaluate this money Iowa State says it needs so desperately. Iowa State would still receive a base fund of a quarter billion dollars from the state, and Iowa State is fighting over getting more to finance strategic goals, costs of inflation, library and academic information technology expenses and mandatory cost increases in utilities and materials.

Not half a year ago, the reason for the tuition increases we have seen have been to cover rising costs associated with inflation, utilities, and materials.

Few noticed that while inflation has been under 2 percent for several years, the regents more than doubled the rate of increase in tuition to over 4 percent. Now Iowa State is requesting an allocation increase from the state to cover those costs it already overcharged students for. Very suspicious.

“Strategic goals” is Jischke’s catch phrase. I’m not sure what it means. Perhaps the Iowa Legislature doesn’t, either, and that’s why it decided not to waste Iowa’s money on it. Every time Iowa State receives a big donation or tuition increases, we hear about “strategic goals.”

Perhaps we hear so much about huge donations and corporate research that Iowa State is looking less like a state institution and more like a corporation leeching Iowans and out-of-state students of their money.

Another request for money is for “information technology expenses.” The mandatory computation fee assessed to students is intended to double next year, resulting in about another $2.5 million in revenues.

Now, these are all illustrations of the poor communication the administration has with students as to why it thinks it needs more money from the government. But even the regents believed it was a bit much, so they slashed Iowa State’s request in half. Iowa State apparently didn’t get its point across. Vilsack’s office then cut the increase to almost zero, and the Legislature wants to cut the base funding Iowa State receives.

The blame is not all the Legislature’s. There was a breakdown in communication, and perhaps the cuts are a result of some trivial funding requests on Iowa State’s behalf.

What it comes down to is the money Iowa State wants is being applied toward other education purposes in the new budget.

Maybe that’s something students should think about before they go protesting budget cuts.

Perhaps students should consider if they want to protest fund increases toward two-year colleges, Iowa grade schools that were once best in the nation or the application of this money toward high schools.

Maybe we should protest tax cuts that resulted in a few less dollars for the ISU corporation that helped lower- and middle-class families afford a two-year college for the first time.

Before students spout off their disapproval of the government, they have to first realize why. According to the Lt. Governor, “you’re not our only constituents.”

This is true. We must realize why we have less money. Perhaps more importantly, the university should tell us why it thinks it wants more money.

Until we understand that, we’re just helping the Jischke administration rob us blind. And next time you go marching to the state capitol, spell check your list of demands.

Eric Vymyslicky

Junior

Veterinary medicine