CEDAR FALLS — The state Board of Regents approved the UI’s plan to cut costs by the millions Thursday, but decided to postpone a final vote on a $100 tuition surcharge until December.

“I want students to know these [decisions] are not received lightly,” said UI President Sally Mason.

Passed by a 5-4 vote, the plan to cut a total of $24.7 million from the budget includes reductions in building renewal, redirection of stimulus funds, decreased retirement benefits, and use of the pending surcharge.

Over the last year, the loss of 400 positions along with “normal” losses through attrition and retirement allowed Mason to all but eliminate layoffs as an option.

“Very few, if any, layoffs will be needed to reach the original budget target cutbacks,” she said.

But if the surcharge is not officially approved in December, Mason suggested the university may have to resort to layoffs as an option.

The regents had mixed feelings about the surcharge. Regent Michael Gartner adamantly opposed the idea of the one-time $100 fee that would generate $2.2 million.

“I think that it’s a heavy burden on Iowa families at a time when they’re already burdened,” he said, suggesting universities cut deeper into retirement benefits instead.

Regent Ruth Harkin also denounced the surcharge, pointing out other options in Regent President David Miles’ eight suggestions available to the institutions.

“I think there is still a lot of runway in these budgets,” she said. “There were opportunities to cut before going to the students.”

As the regents’ only student member, Iowa State University senior Greta Johnson called for a compromise on the surcharge, despite her general opposition to surcharges as a student.

Mason said she is always cognizant of the financial burden on students.

“I do hope [students] will think very carefully if they can afford to help,” she said. “Our hope is that there will be a willingness.”

UI Student Government President Mike Currie maintained his support of the surcharge but said it was not an easy decision.

“I’m not happy by any means,” Currie said. “It’s bittersweet … but it’s probably the best direction for the university.”

In addition to asking students to make sacrifices, all three regent-institution presidents turned down their performance-based incentive payments — essentially taking a pay cut — to aid in closing the budget gap.

Mason was eligible for up to $80,000 in incentive-based compensation.

“This year, our budget difficulties are extraordinary,” she said. “I, too, must do my part.”

Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy not only refused his incentive pay but criticized the idea altogether.

“I would urge [the regents to think about other ways to structure compensation,” he said. “I don’t like the concept of a performance-based bonus.”

Although Miles did not respond to Geoffroy’s suggestions at the meeting, he commended the presidents’ choice.

“Those are real dollars,” he said. “I think some have inaccurately categorized bonuses as simply gifts.”

With regards to the 6 percent tuition hike to be voted on in December, Mason requested that they amend the UI’s tuition proposal by folding the proposed $60 retention fee into that 6 percent instead of keeping them separate. This would lower the total cost asked of students by 1 percent, she said.

“This is just a horrible time to ask people to be paying more and to ask people to be giving up money as well,” she said.