“Cody and I are encouraged to see that the Board of Regents are taking steps to look at tuition and tuition increases as more than just numbers and figures. This is an important step in showing legislators and Regents that their decisions have an enormous impact on students in Iowa and the quality of the education they are paying to receive. It is encouraging that the Board of Regents are no longer taking a back seat to the decisions of the Legislature and is working to include legislators, students, and other stakeholders on the task force. We look forward to working with members of the task force to develop solutions to our current predicament.”   -CODY SMITH

 

Cody West’s Comments to the Regents:

“Good morning everyone. First off I would like to start by congratulating Dr. Richards for being selected as the next board President. We look forward to seeing the change you will implement in the coming year.

I would like to start by acknowledging that none of us here want to be having this discussion. In fact, when I entered my previous role at this time last year, we were in a very similar situation. Just a year ago, the Regents gave us their word that we would not do this again. We would not increase tuition in such a rushed manner over the summer after our students had just finished final exams. It is disheartening to me that we need to be here today, but I understand the role of the Regents and the difficult decisions that must be made.

Now it is true that Iowa State is the one of, if not the lowest in our peer group when it comes to tuition. This is constantly pointed out in meetings with our administration but I would like to make it clear that does not give us an excuse to continuously raise our price. If anything it should be a point of pride that we strive to protect. The cost of a degree at Iowa State compared to the quality and reputation it holds with employers and other institutions is unmatched. Iowa State is an incredible institution and that is not in any way a product of our tuition rate. It’s an incredible place because of the students, faculty, staff and administration that work day in and day out to ensure that we provide the best possible educational experience for students. I fear that if we do not change the narrative in our State, and the way in which we fund higher education this may not be the case in the future.

I would like to add that the students are in support of the board’s approach in a flat dollar amount, regardless of classification. We believe this sends a powerful message to the State legislature that we are no longer going to give the break to resident students if our state government continues to show that higher education is not a priority.

Although it has been made known that the $216 increase will be applied to all classifications. It is, however, overlooked how much this will truly impact Iowa State students in the fall. As all of you know this increase will be on top of the 2% increase in tuition that was approved last December. That coupled with new differential tuition for a number of programs and the second phase of the international tuition increase makes this increase unbearable for some. Some classifications could face up to a 15% increase from last semester. In the coming weeks, we would ask the board to to explore some alternate options, specifically for our international students.

I look forward to working with you all over the coming year to raise awareness for the importance of supporting higher education in the State of Iowa. As a collective body we must make a persistent effort to change the status quo that has developed at the Statehouse. I hope that together we can set the state of Iowa apart as a state that values a quality education for all at a price that makes sense and to ensure that we do not find ourselves in this situation a short year from now.

Thank you all for your time. “