Students might remain unrepresented on the Joint University Advisory Committee if a recommendation is approved at next week’s University Council meeting.

NIU is the only Regency school without a student member on JUAC, which monitors Board of Regents activity. JUAC includes five representatives from each university governed by the Regents—NIU, Illinois State University at Normal and Sangamon State University at Springfield.

Both the Supportive Professional Staff Council and the Student Association asked for JUAC representation. However, External Affairs Committee Chairman John De Lillo said at Wednesday’s Faculty Assembly meeting that it “considered the issues individually.”

SA President Huda Scheidelman said she understands faculty concerns over losing a seat on JUAC to a student representative but feels students need positions on both JUAC and the BOR. Having a seat on JUAC would give students formal access to the Regents, Scheidelman said.

The council wants to increase the number of JUAC representatives to six in order to accommodate an additional NIU professional staff representative, De Lillo said.

The external affairs committee reached its decisions after discussions with staff, SA members and students not in the SA, De Lillo said. Even the students “were not in agreement (on whether) student representation is necessary,” De Lillo said.

If the board approves the recommendation of additional JUAC members, a change in university bylaws would result, De Lillo said.

Scheidelman said she does not think NIU or the other Regency schools will get another seat on the JUAC. She said the UC introduced the recommendation because it “truly wanted to help the operating staff.”

The assembly also expressed its disapproval of a mailing from the office of NIU President John La Tourette which asked for signatures denouncing racism. The assembly voted to send a delegation of members to La Tourette to express their disapproval of the mailing.

Assembly member Sherman Stanage said the mailing insulted faculty members and was an simplistic response to the complex racism problem. Stanage said he was concerned that people receiving the pledge forms might think their response could affect their job status. Faculty Assembly member William Monat said he threw away the mailing he received.