Proposed student representation on SIUC budget committees when academic departments propose budget cuts has not met with much success, SIUC’s Graduate and Professional Student Council president says.

Bill Karrow, GPSC president, said even though the idea of students on the budget committees received favorable responses when presented to the SIUC Dean’s Council and the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Ben Shepherd, not much has been done about it.

I’d say 75 percent were really interested, Karrow said. Everybody said it was a good idea.

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Due to budget problems at the University, GPSC and the Undergraduate Student Government passed resolutions to have graduate and undergraduate representation on SIUC budget planning committees.

SIUC colleges will take a share of the $1.3 million cuts brought about by decreased enrollment. GPSC and USG passed resolutions stating that budget decisions affect education at the University and students should be able to participate in the budgeting process.

Karrow said the College of Liberal Arts is the only college that has taken steps to let students in on the college’s budgeting processes.

COLA Dean John Jackson said the COLA Council, a council made up of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students within the college, voted to add student representation to its council budget committee at its Nov. 8 meeting.

Jackson said the undergraduate and graduate students on the council were asked to choose a student representative for the college’s budget committee.

Jackson said students are welcome at the council meeting and that it is better for students to receive the information first hand than receiving the information from him or the faculty.

It is easy and appropriate to add students to it, he said.

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USG President Duane Sherman said the idea was presented to the dean’s council last week and it is encouraging to see one college taking steps to put students on its budget committee.

Thomas Britton, dean of the SIU School of Law, said having student representation on the budget committee is not something all departments within the University need.

Britton said the law school has an ad hoc committee that does the long-range planning for the school. He said this committee deals with sensitive issues, and no students are allowed on it.

The Student Bar Association president will be consulted about issues directly affecting students, he said.

Thomas Keon, the College of Business and Administration dean, said COBA does not have a separate budget committee. He said when it gets to the point of discussing the budget, COBA will invite the involvement of the business students.

It seems to me that having students more aware of the full planning process an understanding of where the money is going is more important than where it is coming from, Keon said.