Budget Cuts

After speaking with Kivanc Kahya, a fourth year international student from Turkey, I have found that international students don't always have problems created by being from a different country. Kivanc did not seem to find problems with being an international student alone, but just as a student in general. When asked if it was difficult being an international student, Kivanc responded that it depends on the individual. He, himself, is outgoing, intelligent, and can speak English very well, so he has not experienced very many problems.

As an active member of student government and a resident advisor for the Towers, Kivanc seems to be very well aware of what takes place on the Iowa State campus. Overall he is happy with everything that concerns him. However, he has some ideas in improving education. The Board of Regents cut a grand total of $35 million from Iowa State's budget this year. Because of this budget cut, 160 faculty and staff have been eliminated; courses have been cut out of every college, and class sizes have grown. This means every aspect of education has been cut back, and that is one area, especially in a school, that should get sufficient funding and attention. Education is a very broad area, but to narrow it down is hard because it groups teachers, class size, and quality of learning all in one subject. Specifically, a student's education should not suffer from the current budget cuts at Iowa State. Therefore, I propose that funds get reallocated back into the education budget, in order to improve the quality of learning here at Iowa State.

Do people know what happens when a significant amount of teachers are laid off? They may think they are saving money, which they are, but they also are hurting the students who are here paying for their education. A drop in the number of teachers at a school causes a whole string of problems. Since there are not as many teachers there can't possibly be as many classes. However, students still need to take...