by Wendy J. Allyn

Graduate and Professional Student Council President William Karrow says he is concerned about financial cuts to SIUC academic departments that could adversely affect students a topic on tonight’s GPSC meeting agenda.

The department cuts are funds SIUC must pay to the state because of enrollment decreases over the last five years. According to a memo written by John Jackson, dean of SIUC’s College of Liberal Arts, the University needs to make up for an overall $1 million cut in its tuition income fund.

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There are going to be cuts to departments, Karrow said. I’d hate to see anything cut that really affects students.

Mark Terry, GPSC vice president for graduate school affairs, said he thinks nothing within academic departments will be protected from the cuts. It is important for students to voice what programs are important to them to avoid losing the funds to continue them, he said.

The council will discuss cuts in particular that may affect graduate students directly, Karrow said. Decisions regarding the cuts are going to be made soon, and Karrow said he wants to hear concerns and opinions of council members before that time.

Other GPSC business for the meeting will include an election for vice president of administrative affairs, a guest speaker from the SIUC Fee Safety Board and discussion of possible membership renewal in the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students.

Karrow said Safety Fee Board member Charles Van Rossum will address funds going to the SIUC night safety van, which has not been running since mass transit has been in effect.

This Safety Fee Board is getting money for the night safety van now that the mass transit is in effect, Karrow said. If there are no safety vans, we want to know where the money is going, and what’s going on.

GPSC meets tonight in the Student Center Illinois Room at 7 p.m.

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