DeKALB — The Student Government Association endorsed NIU’s call for the Illinois Board of Higher Education to pass a new Equitable Public University Funding formula on Friday.
EQUITABLE FUNDING ENDORSEMENT
Faculty Senate endorsed the implementation of the formula in a February meeting. They briefly discussed funding cuts and a decline in Illinois state investment in public universities.
In January, the IBHE recommended a budget increase of 3% in public university operating costs for Fiscal Year 27 (FY27). Governor JB Pritzker announced only a 1% increase in funding for Illinois public universities in his State of the State address last month due to federal funding cuts.
NIU will receive $104 million in operating funds for FY27, which is $26 million less than the $130 million NIU requested at a Board of Trustees meeting last November.
SGA’s Senate endorsed the request at their meeting.
“I have been in contact with Mark Van Wienen, faculty senator and president for the United Faculty Alliance,” Senate Speaker Nathan Gonzalez said. “He was enthusiastic about SGA’s own deference to endorse the resolution itself.”
The Illinois Board of Higher Education created the formula to equitably distribute funds to Illinois public universities based on their needs to operate. The funding process takes criteria such as enrollment level and tuition costs into consideration and seeks to distribute funding equitably based on these factors.
The resolution to endorse the University’s call to action passed in a vote of 11-0 with one abstention.
BUDGET PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Senate Bill 57025 reworked attendance requirements for student organizations to require only one executive branch member to attend a budget presentation in order to be eligible for annual funding.
Originally, the bylaw specified that an organization’s president, treasurer and faculty adviser must attend a budget presentation.
Gonzalez explained the amendment was added to prevent unnecessary burdens.
“Those budget presentations are scheduled based on the treasurer’s own schedule, and therefore, to expect any organization to have all available members present at whatever given time and date that is would be extraordinary,” Gonzalez said.
The bill passed in a 12-0 vote.
The next SGA meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center.
