The state Board of Regents voted unanimously Thursday to make higher education higher — 3.9 percent higher.

This means undergraduate residents will be paying $108 more in tuition and fees a year. Non-resident undergraduates will pay $344 more.

Resident graduate students will have to pay $126 more and non-resident graduate students will have to pay $358 more.

The increase isn’t all that surprising. For the Regents traditionally have voted to make the cost of a college education higher, while at the same time university officials insist Iowa State is still a best buy.

That is true.

ISU offers a good deal for students who receive full-rides or significant amounts in scholarships or grants.

However, there are a great many students at ISU who don’t have these financial resources to help them through college.

Money is a problem for many ISU students, and a tuition hike will only cause these mounting debts to increase.

One student who should have been especially concerned about the proposed tuition increase is Lisa Ahrens, a sophomore in agronomy who is the student member of the Board of Regents.

Ahrens represents all college students from the state universities. And like the other Regents on Thursday, she voted in favor of the tuition increase.

If Ahrens had opposed the increase, it most likely would not have affected the final outcome, given the Regents approved it without debate, according to a Daily reporter who attended the meeting.

However, an opposing vote, especially from Ahrens, would show she was concerned about the affect increasing tuition may have on many of her peers.

But let’s not put all of the blame on Ahrens’ shoulders. How many of us called the Regents, emailed them or wrote letters to explain the problems we had with the tuition increase?

How many of us ever call the Regents to express our dismay at any issues which involves our university?

We all like to bitch about having to spend more money to attend ISU, but we never actually take a stand and try to stop what is happening.

We all need to get off our butts and do something. It takes five minutes to write a letter to a Regent.

Come on, let’s stand up now and stop relying on one student to be the voice for all of us.

Imagine what an impact we would make if 25,000 students called Regent President Owen Newlin.

Change can only happen if we make it happen. The next time you’re complaining to your friends, pick up the phone and let Owen know.

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Iowa’s Board of Regents

Owen J. Newlin, President

3315 48th Place

Des Moines, Iowa 50310

(515) 276-5673

Lisa Ahrens, Student

Friley 4601 Palmer

Ames, Iowa 50012

(515) 296-4177

James Arenson

4250 Grain Lane

Center Point, Iowa 52213

(319) 849-1233

David J. Fisher

P.O. Box 1462

Des Moines, Iowa 50306

(515) 228-3358

Ellengray G. Kennedy

504 S. Summit 50517

Bancroft, Iowa

(712) 362-2604

Roger Lande

515 West 2nd St.

Muscatine, Iowa 52761

(319) 264-5000

Nancy C. Pellett

RR2 Box 13

Atlantic, Iowa 50022

(712) 243-4534

Beverly A. Smith

2526 Laurel St.

Waterloo, Iowa 50702

(319) 291-4800