Student Government wants the Iowa Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds to know that “enough is enough.” 

In a petition released Friday evening, Student Government is asking that Iowa “invest in us.”

“As an institution, we have reached a critical juncture where we face harsh realities if these drastic cuts happen. This egregious disinvestment could result in faculty furloughs, cancelled classes, and discontinued student aid,” the petition reads.

Announced in early January, Iowa State has the potential of facing midyear cuts, in addition to lagging state funding in recent years.

Currently, Reynolds is recommending a midyear reduction of $5.1 million to Iowa Board of Regents budget. The House and Senate, who shape the legislation that ultimately decides the budget, is proposing a $8.1 million and $14.1 million reduction, respectively. 

“In a time where student debt is at historic levels and the barriers to higher education are as restrictive as ever, it is imperative that we maintain our important land-grant mission,” the petition reads.

The petition comes after an announcement Tuesday by the regents that there will not be a tuition increase proposal until April due to the “considerable uncertainty about state appropriations.” 

Josh Lehman, regents communications director, said due to this, an approval of the tuition increase will not be until June. 

Student Government President Cody West and Vice President Cody Smith said in an interview Wednesday that while they are appreciative of the regents proposing just one tuition increase this academic year, that it can be challenging for students and their families. 

“I do appreciate that they are trying to be proactive in that, but at the same time planning for hypotheticals is more damaging to our university,” Smith said. “What we need to do is handle the reality of the situation that we have because I think that a lot of people at the statehouse don’t know how much of an impact these cuts would have — they’re not here.”

Originally, the Iowa Senate proposed a direct cut to Iowa State of $6.9 million. In an amended version, the Senate changed its language to reflect that the division of the reductions would be left to the regents. 

“It’s important that the decision is left to the Regents and that the decision is left to the university as to how these [cuts] will be handled,” Smith said. 

The petition only had 12 signatures Friday evening, many being Student Government senators. 

By Saturday afternoon, however, the petition had 81 signatures. 

“Sign this petition to let our state government leaders know that enough is enough,” it reads.