An ISU student said he is concerned with the new agreement between the University of Iowa and AIB College of Business because he fears the agreement would shift the performance-based funding model to decrease Iowa State’s portion of state funds.

Alex Yasa, senior in computer engineering, said he “wants answers” about Iowa’s agreement with AIB at the ISU open forum on Jan. 30 at the Memorial Union. His concern is based around the performance-based funding model the regents approved in June 2014, which essentially models state funds to follow in-state students.

“My belief is the University of Iowa may be trying to game the system by trying to take up the [AIB] property without actually going through the Board of Regents and trying to beef up their numbers without changing their fundamental mindset toward in state students,” Yasa said.

The performance-based funding model is based 60 percent on a university’s resident undergraduates, which is why Iowa State and Northern Iowa would receive more money from the state.

The University of Iowa had the fewest number of in-state students at 17,000 last year, which is 55 percent of the student body, while Iowa State has the largest number of the three universities with about 22,000 last year, which is 66 percent of the undergraduates.

“I believe the new funding model helps out Iowa State by acknowledging that we have made significant gains in in-state enrollment and total enrollment that Iowa hasn’t,” Yasa said. “And it also helps out UNI because they need crucial funds.”

AIB announced Jan. 26 that it would become the University of Iowa’s Des Moines campus. The transition is expected to take at least a year, but eventually Iowa will own AIB’s land and buildings, according to the initial release. AIB students will also become Iowa students.

Jeneane Beck, the University of Iowa director for media relations, said she understands where the student’s concern is coming from, but said that the change won’t happen overnight.

“It doesn’t immediately tomorrow add 1,000 AIB students and we get credit for them,” Beck said.

As for concerns regarding the performance-based funding distribution Yasa raised, Beck said that hasn’t been thought of much, as no major decisions of the transition have been made.

“It’s kind of premature,” she said. “If students would come in and become University of Iowa students, we would believe they would be included in that formula. The board asked the University of Iowa to grow and this is a way to do that.”

Performance-based funding portions are based off of the school’s previous fall enrollment numbers, Beck said, so even if AIB students were considered students this upcoming fall, she said she didn’t know if that would affect the model.

Yasa said although he is graduating, he still cares about what happens to Iowa State.

“I want some reassurance that what the University of Iowa is doing is not a deliberate attempt to undercut Iowa State or UNI or any of the other schools in Des Moines or the rest of Iowa and to make sure it’s in the best interest of all three regent institutions and everyone else in the state,” he said.