Iowa higher education braces for tax overhaul consequences - Vanessa Miller, Cedar Rapids Gazette

Changes from Washington are coming to Iowa’s higher education institutions and those they serve, and campuses are bracing for — if not protesting — the implications. “Get your phones out,” University of Iowa graduate student Landon Elkind shouted to peers through a megaphone during a rally late last month, urging them to call lawmakers and oppose a sweeping overhaul of the tax code. As the U.S. House and U.S. Senate work to reconcile different versions of tax bills, students, families and higher ed leaders are keeping a wary eye on provisions that would affect not only grad students like Elkind but also charitable donations to campuses, tax protections for tuition and student loans interest, the ability of universities to save money by refinancing debt — and more. http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/higher-education/iowa-higher-education-braces-for-tax-overhaul-consequences-20171209