Speak up on behalf of your university

 

It's obvious that raising tuition has been a hot topic on the University of Northern Iowa campus this year. From heated Northern Iowa Student Government senate debates and President Walrath's Board of Regents address to opinion columns and talk among unsatisfied students, it seems no one is fully happy with the prospect of a 3.75 percent increase next year.

And they shouldn't be. Most students would likely agree that the cost of a public university education should be such that one can afford it without being tens of thousands of dollars in debt after four years. Sadly, however, that's not always the case. The average UNI student in 2010 left with $25,735 in debt, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, and it's only going to get worse with an increase in tuition.

To give full disclosure, as an NISG senator, I voted to support that increase. However, I didn't vote for it because I liked it; I voted for it because showing solidarity with the other two state universities (whose senates had already passed resolutions) and ensuring that UNI could continue operating as it has are more important than saying we don't support a decision that, quite frankly, would be made regardless of what our piece of paper stated.

That said, I think something needs to be done to curtail this. As President Walrath so aptly put it, "When students are paying for almost 60 percent of the cost of their education at a public university, something in the formula must change." So what can we, the student body, do?

I see two steps. First, we need to pay attention to our governing bodies on all levels, particularly the NISG senate, the Board of Regents and the Iowa legislature. Without first being informed on the issues and what these two bodies are doing about tuition, there's no way we can change the status quo. Ask yourself: what effect can I have on stopping UNI's tuition increase if I don't even know how or why it's happening?

Second, we need to be vocal. Only after we make our voices heard can any change occur. While NISG senators should reach out to their constituents, students should also take it upon themselves to follow what's going on and contact their senators if they would like to express an opinion. Maybe you think my vote on the tuition increase resolution was not taking enough of a stand — that's certainly a valid argument. Tell me. We're here to represent you, and if you don't like how something is being conducted, say so. NISG is the primary connection between the student body and the Board of Regents (who make the final tuition decisions), so it's crucial that you keep tabs on your student government's actions.

In addition, we need to be vocal to the Iowa legislature, as it's what determines the budget the Board of Regents has to work with. We need to let them know how vital UNI is to the lives of so many people as well as to Iowa's economic future. According to a testimony by President Allen last February, "more than 75 percent of UNI's students stay in Iowa for their first jobs or for graduate school." This clearly demonstrates that UNI's impact on the state of Iowa is one the legislature would be foolish to ignore.

While you can look up your legislators and contact them that way, NISG will actually be providing an easy means to make your voice heard this year. Several External Relations committee members will be going around to various student organizations and giving students the opportunity to write postcards to their legislators about what makes UNI so great and why it's deserving of their funding.  If you're not involved in an organization or would like to make sure yours receives some postcards, email NISG at nisg@uni.edu.

Making our voice heard as a student body doesn't need to take a lot of time on the part of individuals, but rather needs to come from the effort of a large number of us. If you don't like your tuition increasing, take part.