For those who don’t know, the state of Iowa is mired in a budget crisis that has the potential of uprooting the lives of many college students.

In October, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver ordered 10 percent across-the-board cuts to next year’s state budgets for the current fiscal year, 2010. The governor’s order means a 10 percent reduction to the overall appropriation for the Iowa Tuition Grant. The governor’s order means that every student who receives the grant will see a 10 percent cut in funding.

Culver and Iowa legislators have set Friday as the day they will announce the amount of funding that will be available for each student living in Iowa and attending Iowa private colleges during the 2010 school year.

The governor said the across-the-board cuts in spending is necessary to avoid “picking and choosing.” Iowa Rep. Chuck Isenhart agreed with this assessment.

“You just can’t give more funding to some areas and less to others,” Isenhart said. “You need to keep the amount to funding proportionate. (Otherwise), it is like saying you like one of your daughters more than the other.”

Culver and lawmakers say they are aware of the burden for college students. However, they say that the state needs to consider every all aspects of state spending.

“Our state is faced with simple but painful choices: To increase taxes, cut spending, or both,” Culver said. “I believe now is not the time to raise taxes on hard-working Iowans.

“Access to this financial assistance plays a key part in their ability to continue to attend Loras,” said Julie Dunn, director of financial aid. “The impact to the college is also significant, as access to this program helps Loras to attract and retain students.”

The total appropriation for students attending nonprofit Iowa colleges was $47,213,089, but $4,721,307 will be subtracted from that amount.

Shelly Brimeyer, assistant director of financial planning, encourages students to voice their concerns in a letter-writing campaign to state legislators.

“Legislators want to hear from constituents because it has more of an impact coming from students as opposed to colleges’ boards of regents,” Brimeyer said.

Isenhart said letters from Loras students really hit home for him because he is a Loras (’81) alum.

“I would not have been able to attend Loras without the financial assistance from the Iowa Tuition Grant, so I know where students are coming from and I want to do all I can to minimize the reduction,” he said.

While Culver and the legislators hope some funding can be restored in the following years, the numbers look more dire every day. In September alone, revenue dropped by more than 5 percent. During the first nine months of the year, the state has lost nearly $415 million in tax revenue.

“The fact is clear: Iowa has not spent too much, rather our revenue has fallen off by significant amounts as the result of this national economic recession,” Culver said. “In recent months, the decline in revenue became dramatic.”