About 50 students from Iowa, Iowa State and U-N-I rallied at the statehouse today to protest the Republican budget plan for the Regents institutions.The students chanted they want higher education now.The students contend the G-O-P budget plan cuts the general operations of the universities in Ames, Cedar Falls and Iowa City. Iowa State University senior Matt Craft of LaPorte City is majoring in political science and pre-law. He says the budgets for the Regent’s universities aren’t being funded at adequate levels.The University of Northern Iowa’s Nick Arnould of Iowa City says if there’s not enough state support of the universities, there will be double-digit tuition increases. He says they want legislators to see the real people who’ll be hit by the cut.Arnould and the other students were wearing bright yellow t-shirts which featured a picture of a tombstone. The picture signifies that legislators are killing higher education.University of Iowa student body president Andy Stoll, a communication studies major from Iowa City, says Republicans are trying to mislead Iowans by playing with the numbers to hide what they’re actually doing.Republicans say they will provide MORE money to the Regents universities in the next fiscal year. While the G-O-P IS cutting the general operating budgets for Iowa, Iowa State and U-N-I, Republicans intend to provide the universities more money for professors’ salaries.
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