Student Senate will hold its Fall Semester Blood Drive today on Wednesday, October 17 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the Muse-Norris Conference Center.

To give blood one must be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 lbs. and be in reasonable health. The time commitment for giving blood is approximately 45 mintues to one hour.

A sign-up table for appointments is used, but walk-ins are also welcome and encouraged. For those unable to give blood or choose not to, but who would still like to help, Senate will also be taking monetary donations which will be given to the American Red Cross.

Susan Mackey Editor Need cash and don't have time to run all the way into town for an ATM machine? Or maybe you forgot your checkbook back at the dorms so you can't write one for cash at the Business Office?

Well worry no more. NIACC has an ATM in the Activity Center.

"The more it is used, the better," Sandi Gobeli, NIACC vice president of Administrative Service, said about the new ATM on the main floor of the north end of the Activity Center. This is not the first time that there has been an ATM machine here at NIACC.

Bank of America used to have one here.

They had to remove it because it wasn't being used enough.

"There just wasn't a big enough volume to keep it here and it had to be removed," Gobeli said. First Citizen's Bank decided to put this old ATM machine in here because it was just sitting in storage.

The ATM provided by First Citizen's does have a set limit on how much money can be withdrawn.

According to Gobeli, the largest bill the machine may issue varies and that means some days the largest denomination may be in ten-dollar bills.

"The more it is used by students, staff and visitors the better," Gobeli said. "It will stay on campus if it is used enough."

Alicia Allen
Assistant Editor

Now more than ever, getting an education at NIACC may be straining students'pocketbooks. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack announced new cuts to the already dwindled community college budget recently on Thursday, September 20.

Community Colleges will see cuts of $10 million, for NIACC that means $600,000 to $700,000.

These cuts come on top of 6% cuts, $14.6 million, that occurred last spring. "I believe there's going to have to be reductions, but I don't think the scope has to be as severe as they are proposed to be," NIACC President Dr. David Buettner said.

NIACC will manage according to Buettner. "We don't have to sound the sirens or send the ambulances charging over the hill," he said.

Although it will be a struggle Buettner said, "We have appropriate reserves in place that would allow us to take a measured response to all of this."

The college has several ways to deal with these budget cuts. According to Buettner options are resisting the proposal, reducing expenditures or increasing tuition.

Buettner encourages students to get organized and write Iowa legislators. "We need students to organize students," he said. "If they bring political organizing skills and tactics to the task they can make an impact."

According to an article in the Des Moines Register, many schools are considering midyear tuition increases. Buettner said NIACC will implement that only as a last resort.

"I guess technically raising tuition is still an option, but I don't plan to recommend it," Buettner said.

Buettner has the same attitude about potential program cuts. "We don't have programs that aren't important, so anything that will be cut will be difficult," he said.

Another issue is K-12 education which is exempt from the cuts. While Buettner said he feels that improving those sections is a worthy idea, he said he doesn't agree with singling out community colleges to take the blow. "It doesn't make any sense to decimate the higher education system in our state in order to afford those improvements," he said.

Another concern is the effect these cuts have on part-time students who may not qualify for financial aid. When tuition gets higher and higher, these students are driven away and lose valuable opportunities, according to Buettner.

"Community colleges have been there for students with traditionally less educational opportunities and we are watching that being threatened right in front of our eyes," Buettner said.

Buettner said he is also concerned about what this means for the future. "What will society be like if only those with significant resources can attend school? " he said.

But ultimately Buettner remains confident that a compromise will be reached. "My experience tells me there's a light at the end of the tunnel. We will come out of this," he said.