The Graduate and Professional Student Council unanimously approved a resolution at its meeting Tuesday opposing the University’s recent decision to no longer present tuition and fee increases more than a year in advance.

GPSC President Amy Sileven said the resolution reflects one that was drafted and presented to the board last year. The former resolution was in favor of the previous practice that has been in place for more than eight years.

Sileven plans to present the resolution to the board at its May 12 meeting in Carbondale.

The resolution reflects how the Illinois Board of Higher Education praised the University for preparing increases in advance and also recommended other Illinois universities adopt the process. GPSC said it hopes to see the proposed increases beginning fall 2006 on the board’s agenda this summer.

Last year, the board requested the vote for proposals be delayed because most of its members were new. Sileven said everyone agreed to the decision under the impression that it would not become habitual.

Ed Ford, outgoing student trustee and incoming vice president of Graduate Student Affairs, said the board’s reason for the change is the state’s shaky budget.

“The main justification they’re using is uncertainty at the state level,” Ford said. “I don’t believe that’s really their justification.”

But Sileven said when GPSC presented its previous proposal at the board meeting last year, Glenn Poshard, SIU Board of Trustees chairman, guaranteed the process would return to normal.

Sileven said she is unhappy with the board’s decision because it will hurt students, and the new timeline allows for less input by student constituency groups.

More importantly, Sileven said, she is concerned with the little time students have to prepare for their upcoming school years.

“Financial exigency is the No. 1 reason graduate students fail to complete a degree program,” Sileven said. “Students won’t be able to take into account any of these increases.”

While the resolution passed with little debate, intense discussion and debate about the increases did take place in previous meetings.

Several of the fee increase proposals were rejected by GPSC during the March 29 meeting. Eric Waltmire, vice president for Administrative Affairs, said by approving those revisions, GPSC would be accepting the University’s decision not to follow the normal timeline.

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at [email protected]