Carbondale moved one step closer to having a voting member on the SIUC Mass Transit Advisory Board Wednesday as the Graduate and Professional Student Council voted to amend the board’s by-laws.

Also, the council passed a resolution in opposition to proposed cuts by Congress to federal financial aid programs for college students.

The Mass Transit Advisory Board is comprised of seven representatives from the SIUC administration, GPSC, SIUC’s Undergraduate Student Government and a city representative. However, the city representative currently serves and advisory role, without a binding vote to determine policy for the University-based bus system.

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GPSC member Adam Kantrovich, the council’s representative on the board, said at the council meeting Wednesday that it is important to give the city a binding vote on the board to facilitate cooperation between the University and the city.

I also think another reason is because of all the help the city has given (SIUC) in planning for the mass transit, Kantrovich said. It’s something in good faith that can maybe stop the competition between the University and the city.

GPSC President Bill Karrow said he has heard concerns that since the mass transit system is funded by student fees and not by city funds, the city should not have a binding vote on the board.

Basically it would be giving a non-school system a say in a University system, Karrow said. This is not my own personal feeling, but it is a concern I have heard voiced.

Kantrovich disagreed with this stance, citing that the city has helped in the funding of some elements of the transit system such as curb cuts, areas on the roadsides that buses can pull into to pick up passengers.

The bottom line is you can’t take the University out of the city, and you can’t take the city away from the University, Kantrovich said. This is a good face step by giving the city a vote.

Some members of the council pointed out that giving the city a vote on the board could encourage the city to take an active role in helping funding the transit system.

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Though the council voted to give the city a binding vote on the board, the action will not take effect unless USG approves a similar resolution.

In other business, a resolution drafted by Mark Terry, a GPSC vice president, calling for the preservation of federal student financial aid programs, such as the direct student loan program, was passed by the council.

Not all council members, who are also graduate students, were in favor of the resolution, however.

GPSC member Ed Ford, a graduate student in linguistics, said the council should have been reasonable and agreed to some cuts in order to balance the federal budget.

The budget has to be balanced somehow, Ford said to other council members. Maybe we (students) need to cut a little bit too. Rather than saying there should be not cuts in education, let’s be reasonable.

Terry said it would not be politically wise for the council to recommend cuts in funding for college students.

Terry signed a letter earlier this week, which was written by the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, calling upon President Bill Clinton to veto any legislation that Congress might pass to cut financial aid.

The council also heard a presentation by Bill McMinn, director of the SIUC Recreation Center, regarding a proposed $11.20 fee to be charged to students for two semesters in order to fund lighting for University playing fields near Rt. 51.

The council briefly discussed the issue, but no action was taken.