By Signe K. Skinion

A resolution calling for a Student Programming Council advisory board has general support among Graduate and Professional Student Council members, but there are still problems, council members say.

The resolution asks for $3.60 per student each semester to be taken out of the student activity fee and be given directly to SPC. It also asks for an advisory board made up of USG, GPSC and faculty members to monitor the funding of the organization.

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Doug Phebus, GPSC vice president of administrative affairs, said the council should decide on the SPC resolution at tonight’s meeting.

There is some general support from the council in forming an advisory board for SPC, Phebus said. But there is definitely some debate over having to fund the group right off the top because that cuts into some of the events we fund. And we won’t be able to do quite as much if this passes.

The resolution facing GPSC passed the Undergraduate Student Government last week and is now awaiting a GPSC vote before going to the SIU Board of Trustees.

Mark Terry, GPSC vice president for graduate affairs, said the resolution will be presented to the council tonight in a team effort to explain its impact.

As a team, four of us will present the background of the resolution and where we stand right now on it, Terry said. Then the council will make an informed vote on the matter.

Terry said the four team members making the presentation tonight are Fred Jacobs, GPSC representative; Ed Ford, GPSC representative; Phebus and himself.

Jacobs said there are two overall problems the council will have to address with the proposal.

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The two problems I see with this resolution is the fact they (USG) dialed it all up into one issue, Jacobs said. And two is the way it was presented to GPSC. Basically, it was a gun to our head.

Jacobs said USG gave GPSC the resolution asking for an advisory board and a decrease in the council’s funding all at once. And he said the council is feeling pressure from the SIUC administration that the council should vote for the bill or have the money taken away anyway.

I have been working on an implementation proposal acknowledging the credible threat of this resolution, Jacobs said. The administration can do whatever they want and take the political heat.

Terry said there are three important issues facing the council on this resolution.

The first issue is whether or not GPSC is adequately funding SPC, Terry said. Second, is whether allocating funding to SPC is the best funding structure for them and GPSC. And third, is there an oversight that relates to the need of forming an advisory committee for the group?

The GPSC meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Student Center Illinois Room.