The Iowa Senate recently approved a bill geared toward bringing more financial assistance to college students and universities in both public and private institutions, said Sen. Kitty Rehberg, R-Rowley.

The bill will increase total education spending for the fiscal year 2000 by $35 million, Rehberg said.

However, Iowa State will see only a slight increase in appropriations, said Sen. Johnie Hammond, D-Ames.

“It has a very small additional increase [for ISU],” she said.

Rehberg said ISU will receive $2.6 million, a 1.06 percent increase. The University of Northern Iowa was awarded a 1.2 percent increase, or $850,000, and the University of Iowa will receive a .91 percent increase of $2.7 million.

“The initial request and the governor’s request were both substantially more than that,” Hammond said.

Iowa’s private colleges were awarded a total increase of $3 million for tuition grants, and community colleges will receive the largest increase of 4.59 percent, or $6.2 million, because they did not receive much funding in the past, Rehberg said.

Earl Dowling, director of the ISU Student Financial Aid Office, said the university was appreciative of the state’s response to the students.

“One thing that has always impressed me is the state’s commitment to financing post-secondary university education,” he said.

ISU will use the increased allocations for the State Scholarship Program, the Iowa Grant Program and the Iowa Work Study Program, Dowling said.

“We at ISU are especially delighted with any increases to the state of Iowa scholarship, as ISU enrolls the largest number of state of Iowa scholars and has since the program’s inception,” he said.

Students said they were glad to see the state spending more money on education but maintained the assistance would not be needed if schools kept their costs lower.

“They are making it a lot harder for those who aren’t from higher income families to go to school,” said April Verlo, senior in biology. “Public institutions should keep themselves at a price that the public is able to afford.”

While state-sponsored financial assistance to students is important, Rehberg said she also feels students need to take a proactive role in financing their educations.

“I’m all for students paying a portion of their college costs,” she said. “It is a privilege to go to school, not a right.”