The agenda for Wednesday’s University Council meeting seems rather dry, but plans are being made to make sure old issues are not left out in the cold with the onset of budget problems.

J. Carroll Moody, executive secretary to the UC, said he is not expecting an avalanche of issues, just routine faculty appointments and various reports from committees of the council.

“(The meeting) has a particularly barren agenda,” he said.

But, one hot topic will be the budget situation. Moody said he learned of NIU President John La Tourette’s intention to discuss the budget issue by reading an article in the Northern Star on Monday.

David Ripley, faculty adviser to the IBHE, said he also expects budget problems to be the main focus.

However, he said he intends to make sure old issues, such as the early retirement plan and the reprioritizing of academic departments program, are not forgotten.

“I’m concerned (that) with all the current issues, these issues might be forgotten,” Ripley said.

He said he is “very concerned” with the underfunding of the early retirement program. The plan was designed to encourage early retirement of some of the most experienced and skilled workers in the state, therefore reducing the state payroll.

He said the reprioritizing program, which judges academic departments according to the number of degrees they were awarded over a three-year period and the early retirement program, is still being discussed by administrators.