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The Daily Iowan • Iowa City, Iowa • Wednesday, April 3, 2013 | 3
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caucus
Continued from front
appropriations still must
pass the Senate, whose
members ask where the
budget appropriations will
come from.
Last week, Regent
President Craig Lang
wrote to the Senate, saying,
“The board looks forward
to working with the
Legislature regarding
our fiscal 2014 appropriations
request, particularly
with respect to a 2.6
percent increase in general
fund appropriations
that will allow the board
to freeze tuition for the
next academic year for
the first time in over 30
years.”
UI students drove
home that issue on Tuesday
by talking face-toface
with those senators,
explaining the benefits
Iowa has brought them
and the state.
On the first floor of the
Capitol’s rotunda, officials
from the Pomerantz
Career Center, Alumni
Association, University
Foundation, along with
almost 40 other organizations
showcased their
impact on the state.
“We think the Iowa Legislature
does a great job of
supporting the University
of Iowa,” said Vince Nelson,
the president of the
UI Alumni Association.
“So many of them are big
Hawkeye fans, and support
us, and support the
institution … We are very,
very grateful.”
The Executive Council
of Graduate and Professional
Students focused
on informing legislators
of the impact of UI graduate
students. Executive
Council President Michael
Appel spent Caucus
Day articulating these
points.
For instance, UI nursing
and law graduates
practice in every county
in the state. Doctors from
the UI practice in 88
counties, by the council’s
count.
Graduate and professional
students have other
impacts, too, such as
providing around 30 percent
of the total semester
hours of undergraduate
instruction, and they
have helped “accelerate
the growth of 30 startup
companies, which created
103 new jobs,” Appel said.
Near the end of the day,
the students gathered on
the central staircase of
Hawkeye Caucus
Day
Hawkeyes affect every
corner of the state. There are
99 counties in Iowa.
• Physicians in 88 counties
• Pharmacists in 95 counties
• Nurses in 99 counties
• Engineers in 91 counties
• Educators in 99 counties
• Dentists in 92 counties
• Lawyers in 99 counties
Source: Hawkeye Caucus
the Capitol behind UI
President Sally Mason
for a photograph.
She said the tuition
freeze was a central point
this year because in the
recently tough economic
times, it’s important to
keep school as affordable
as possible.
“It’s a great opportunity
for students,” said
UISG Vice President
Jessie Tobin. “For a lot
of students, they haven’t
lobbied before. This is
their first introduction
to the Capitol and speaking
to their legislators.
It’s a win-win situation.
Students like doing this,
and legislators are happy
they’re here.”
UI students Brianne Bakken and Laurie Swanson represent the College of Dentistry at the State Capitol on
Tuesday. (The Daily Iowan/Sarah Sebetka)
budget
Continued from front
growth is the highest tax
rate — if we receive something
under that, then
we’ll receive less,” Hansel
said. “We published what
we felt would be the highest
tax rate we expect.”
The allowable-growth
rate determines how
much the state and district
spend per student
from one year to the next.
Gov. Terry Branstad has
proposed a 0 percent allowable
growth, which
would cause the districts
to spend the same on each
student as the previous
year.
The projected expenditure
budget per student
for fiscal 2014 is $10,282
per student, but Hansel
said this isn’t necessarily
what the district would
spend. It serves more as
a cap on spending. The
majority of expenditures
on students come from instruction,
administration,
and maintenance.
This topic was up for
discussion; however, no
member of the board or
the public chose to comment.
Although there was
no discussion, one board
member did not necessarily
feel satisfied with the
vote.
“The issue is a lot of
unknown,” board member
Jeff McGinness said,
noting a decision hasn’t
been made at the state
level. “I didn’t want to artificially
cap ourselves.
Honestly, I’m not sure if
it matters right now if we
call, email, or signal to legislators
what we’re doing.
I’ve talked to legislators,
and unfortunately, I don’t
know who’s dragging their
feet [in this decision].”
The district spends substantially
less per student
than other districts across
the country. In order to
raise the money spent
per student to the national
average, the state
would have to use an allowable-growth
rate of 16
percent.
The Iowa House of Representatives
proposed a
growth rate of 2 percent,
and the Senate proposed
a 4 percent rate, the same
recommendation the
School Board made.
Board member Patti
Fields said the district
wanted to be proactive in
the decision, even if other
districts have not been.
“The [legislators] could
make a decision anywhere
between 0 and 4 percent,”
she said. “We hope there’s
no 0 percent. Right now,
that’s what it’s at, so a lot
of districts assume the 0
percent.”
The board was pleased
with the speedy decision
of the proposal and is also
excited for the next step of
the decision by legislators.
“We always want more,”
McGinness said. “Because
you’re talking about more
money for the education,
which helps hiring teachers
and creating smaller
class sizes.”
world
Israeli planes hit
Gaza
JERUSALEM — Israeli
warplanes struck targets early
Wednesday in the Gaza Strip in
response to rocket fire toward
southern Israel, the first air
strikes launched by Israel since
an informal cease-fire ended
eight days of cross-border
fighting between Israel and
Hamas-ruled Gaza.
An Israeli military statement
issued Wednesday said its
planes targeted “two extensive
terror sites” with “accurate
hits.” Palestinian officials said
no one was hurt in the air
strikes, and no damage was
reported in northern Gaza.
The air raids followed the
third successful rocket attack
on Israel since the November
cease-fire. The military reported
that Gaza militants on Tuesday
fired at least one rocket
toward southern Israel. No one
was hurt, and no damage was
caused. The attack was the first
since rockets were fired during
President Obama’s visit to Israel
two weeks ago.
There was no immediate claim
of responsibility for the rocket
fire. The Israeli military says
it holds Gaza’s Islamic Hamas
rulers responsible for any attack
against the Jewish state.
Rocket fire has been rare
since an informal cease-fire
was reached last November.
During eight days of violence in
November, the Israeli military
said 1,500 rockets were fired at
Israel, including the first from
Gaza to strike the Tel Aviv and
Jerusalem areas. The rocket
attacks killed six Israelis and
wounded dozens. Israeli air
strikes killed 169 Palestinians,
many of them militants, and
caused considerable damage.
Earlier Tuesday, Palestinian
prisoners rioted following news
of a fellow inmate’s death of
cancer, and Israeli prison guards
fired tear gas to quell the disturbances,
an Israeli official said.
Palestinian officials said
Israel was responsible for the
death of Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh,
charging medical negligence.
The 64-year-old was serving a
life sentence for his role in a
foiled attempt to bomb a busy
cafe in Jerusalem in 2002.
As news of Abu Hamdiyeh’s
death spread, Palestinian
prisoners in several jails began
banging on their cell doors and
hurling objects. Later, protests
spread to Jerusalem and parts
of the West Bank.
Prisons Authority spokeswoman
Sivan Weizman said
three prisoners and six guards
were evacuated for medical
treatment after inhaling tear
gas.
She said Abu Hamdiyeh was
treated well by Israeli specialists
and died in a hospital in
Beersheba.
Weizman said the prison
service asked the parole board
for the prisoner’s early release
after his cancer was diagnosed
as terminal last week, but the
appeal was still being processed
at the time of his death.
— Associated Press