Approval of Revised Four-Year Plan (FY 2000 - FY 2003)
and FY 2001 Rates for Tuition, Fees, and Room and Board, SIUC
[Amendments to 4 policies of the Board B]

Summary

In April of 1999, the Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate and Professional Student Council passed referenda in support of a proposed Student Technology Fee. The referenda approved a flat $25.00 per semester technology fee assessed to all full-time students.

This matter gives notice that the President, upon recommendation of the SIUC Chancellor, will propose to the Board of Trustees at its November 11, 1999, meeting, approval of all changes in the four-year plan and FY 2001 rates for tuition at SIUC as shown in the accompanying Tables 1 through 3. This proposal does not call for a separate technology fee. Instead it determines the amount to be collected from each student based upon the number of credit hours enrolled per semester, thus providing a more equitable distribution of the cost to each student while raising approximately the same total amount as a flat $25.00 fee.

The proposed change to the SIUC tuition for FY 2001 will add a $2.00 per credit hour 'technology surcharge to the tuition rate approved at the May 13, 1999, meeting. The projected FY 2002 and 2003 increases shown on Tables 1 through 3 are informational estimates only. The total undergraduate costs as shown on Table 3 will be the basis of controlling the annual increases for undergraduate students.

Proposed and projected tuition rates for graduate students and for students enrolled in the professional School of Law are shown on Table 1.

Rationale for Adoption

The Carbondale campus has four Computer Learning Centers (CLC) located in Fanner. Hall, College of Applied Sciences and Arts, Rehn Hall, and the Communications Building. The equipment inventory in these Class includes 468 computers, 10 servers, and various pieces of infrastructure. The collegiate units in the aggregate have at least 48 different computer labs. In addition to the 468 computers housed in the CLC's, the collegiate units house an additional 949 computers for student use.

These computer facilities have been financed with special grants or with residual money at the end of the fiscal year. Most departments have not been able to upgrade the hardware on a regular basis because there is no dependable stream of revenue to fund upgrades.

Computers are said to have a viable life-cycle of three to four years, and the nationwide, unofficial industry standard is to upgrade all desktops on a three-year cycle. The proposed technology surcharge will be dedicated to the systematic upgrading of computers in all open areas (including labs), upgrading and addition of computers making them sufficient to ensure fuller availability to all students, supporting the student computing infrastructure, improvement of the dial-up system, and the provision of funds for additional student work hours to maintain and staff the public labs and expand the hours the labs are available to students.

Funds will be used to upgrade the "public access" computers-facilities that are intended for use by students either in connection with their studies in general or in connection with specific courses. Enhancements include replacement of technology equipment in computer learning centers, additional computer software for student labs, addition of public computer laboratories on campus, expansion of student help desk services, extension of public computer lab hours, increasing dial-up access for off-campus students and improving e-mail services, and provision of e. mail only stations in areas of campus other than labs, e.g., Student Center, Library.

The Computing Advisory Committee has estimated that $2,611,884 is needed to upgrade the computers in the labs controlled by the collegiate units. Information Technology has 'estimated that $1,001,000 is needed to upgrade the equipment in the CLCS.

A $2.00 per credit hour surcharge will generate approximately $867,000 based on the assumption that we have constant enrollment and credit hours remain at their current levels. Although this charge will not be enough to upgrade all facilities, the technology surcharge will provide a dependable pool of resources that will be specifically targeted towards improving technology for the students at SIUC.

There will be three separate advisory boards representing the undergraduates, the Graduate School, and the School of Law that will make recommendations on how the technology surcharge funds will be allocated. Reports will be available to students showing how the funds collected from the technology surcharge have been spent on their dedicated purposes.

Considerations Against Adoption

University officials are rightfully concerned about increases in the cost of attendance and their possible negative effect on access and affordability.

Constituency Involvement

In April 1999, undergraduate students and graduate and professional students passed a referendum in support of a proposed Student Technology Fee. The Undergraduate Student Government supported the technology fee by resolution in April 1999, but has since expressed concern about the proposed tuition surcharge and how additional funds will be used. In September 1999, the Graduate and Professional Student Council voted in opposition to a proposed fee and in October, 1999, opposed the proposed tuition surcharge.

This matter has also been discussed by the Chancellor's Planning and Budget Council, the Deans' Council, and the Computing Advisory Committee. These committees expressed their support for the priority of improving the technology provided to students at SIUC.

Resolution

BE IT RESOLVED, By the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois
University in regular meeting assembled, That effective with the collection
of tuition for FY 200.1 that a technology tuition surcharge of $2.00 per
credit hour be assessed for SIUC students.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That since these funds are dedicated for a specific use, the technology tuition surcharge be granted as an exception to the Board policy limiting tuition increases to the Consumer Price Index.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, By the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University in regular meeting assembled, That the four year plan and FY 2001 rates for tuition at SIUC be amended, as outlined in Tables 1 through 3, and are hereby approved; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the President is authorized to take whatever actions are necessary to implement the plan and to incorporate the FY 2001 rates into Board policy.

Mr. Seyfert made the following comments:

Data from the Carbondale Budget Office indicates that per year average for technology expenditures over the last five years is more than $9 million. Some of these expenditures are internal-unit based, both academic and administrative, and thus do not figure in directly to the s surcharge issue. Although they have been requested, expenditures over the same period for the campus center use facilities, such as the main server, dial-in connections, and general use labs, still have not been provided. The technology surcharge has been sold as a supplement to already existing on-going central use expenditures. Until it is clearly shown what these have been, how can we determine what future expenditures should be? Although I do not doubt the word of Chancellor Jackson or Vice Chancellor Poshard, at the present time we still have nothing concrete to indicate that this additional revenue is nothing more than cost shifting. Based upon the previous information, I cannot approve the modification of the four-year plan at this time. Perhaps it should be permanently laid to rest. However, if the Board feels strongly that the additional revenue is needed, it seems imperative that an audit process be implemented to insure that past expenditures be supplemented by the additional surcharge revenue. That is, the Carbondale campus total technology expenditures for the next three years should be at least $11,200,000. This is based upon the $10,300,000 figure that the Board has seen in fiscal 99 plus the additional $900,000 raised by the surcharge. The $900,000 though should be added to the per year previous expenditures for central use facilities whatever those may be. I think we understand that there is a budget within that budget that goes to student computing and that's the number that we need and we need to add this money to that. This Board has recently been made aware of instances where funds designated for a specific purpose were swallowed into general unit budgets. Given the constant change in upper level administrative positions recently, I believe this Board must maintain a more pro-active stance upon insuring that planned and approved expenditures are actually carried out and that the money generated or earmarked is indeed used for its original purpose. As long as I am a member of the Board I will continue to pursue this objective. Thank you.

Trustees' Vote & Meeting Closing

Dr. Jackson stated that the key response had two elements; one, that we are going to have, as you know from the Board item, three student-driven oversight committees. He explained that they were going to have access to all the data and also going to help make the decisions about how the money will be spent. Dr. Jackson said that an audit at the end of the first, second, and third years, is a fine idea. He continued that he thought they could satisfy an audit and satisfy the student driven boards that the funds were being used for the benefit of the students.

Mr. Seyfert stated that he wanted the students to get the value for the dollar that they pay and he hoped that would be what happens.

Mr. Norwood stated that it was incumbent upon this Board to make sure that the funds are monitored and that they be used for the function that they were intended.

Mr. Rowe moved approval of the resolution. The motion was duly seconded. Student Trustee opinion in regard to the motion was indicated as follows: Aye, none; nay, Ben Seyfert. The motion carried by the following recorded vote: Aye, Elizabeth Bell, John Brewster, Molly D'Esposito, William R. Norwood, Harris Rowe, A. D. Van Meter, Jr., George T. Wilkins, Jr.; nay, none.

The Chair stated that the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees would be held February 20, 2000, on the Carbondale campus. He announced that a news conference would be held in the Video Lounge immediately following this meeting.

Mr. Norwood moved that the meeting be adjourned, The motion was duly seconded, and after a voice vote the Chair declared the motion to have passed unanimously.