by Wendy J. Allyn

The SIUC Undergraduate Student Government will join the Graduate and Professional Student Council’s effort to influence academic department budget cuts if a resolution requesting student representation on University budget committees is approved tonight.

GPSC passed a similar resolution last week, which stated that because students are affected by University budget decisions, they deserve to be part of the decision-making process. That process will include determining where each college will take its share of the total $1.3 million in cuts, a result of decreased enrollment and state funding.

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USG President Duane Sherman said the senate will work with GPSC to ensure the University’s quality of education for students is minimally affected by the cuts.

It’s kind of a joint resolution. We both want representation on the same committees, Sherman said. Once we have the backing of the senate, (GPSC President William Karrow) and I will probably make a presentation at the next dean’s council meeting.

Mark Terry, GPSC vice president for graduate school affairs, said the council is already in the early stages of attempting to gain administrative cooperation. The resolution will be presented to SIUC President John Guyon, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Benjamin Shepherd and the dean’s council, Terry said. He said he is optimistic administrators will comply with GPSC’s request.

I’m very confident about it. I think we’ll get support from President Guyon and Dean Shepherd, Terry said. This is a reasonable request and I think the deans will take this to heart.

Guyon said USG and GPSC already have representation on the President’s Budget Advisory Committee. Additional representation must be secured through individual colleges and departments, he said.

Sherman said the existing representation on the president’s committee is not enough. Because the proposed cuts will be made to individual colleges, the students need a representative voice in each one, he said.

We’re talking about smaller changes in each department and college, Sherman said. We’re talking about buying a new computer or hiring a professor and things that might not make it all the way to the president’s committee.

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Sherman said he is not certain what the outcome will be, but he thinks a fair request has been made for SIUC students.

If you really look at it, it’s our money, he said. We’re like consumers purchasing a product, and we should have a certain level of say in what that product will be.