SPRINGFIELD—An Illinois Board of Higher Education interpretation of a recent state law is leaving NIU officials worried about the possible lowering of university entrance requirements.

General Assembly Senate Bill 112, ammended by Gov. James R. Thompson, establishes high school graduation requirements and requires the IBHE to inform the State Board of Education of course-specific requirements for the admission of high school students entering college in 1993.

A committee, suggested by the IBHE will be formed to develop universal course-specific requirements developing a consistency among the universities. Members from universities and community colleges will be on the committee, according to the IBHE.

NIU President John La Tourette said the IBHE is putting the public universities in a “catch-22 situation.” He said while universities are deciding course-specific requirements, the IBHE might later change what the requirements would be in the committee.

Current state law calls for 15 hours of core classes: English, math, social studies, science and foreign language or vocational education. Alternatives offered to these college requirements are four years of English, two years of science and two years of social studies.

NIU Provost Kendall Baker said NIU’s 10 course-specific hours are “far more rigorous in terms of preparing students (for NIU) than the 15 hours required by current legislation.”

NIU students should not worry about any changes in NIU’s standards because according to Baker, “We (NIU) won’t lower our standards,” Baker said.

Baker also said he thinks the universities will have a hard time communicating these possible changes to high schools and community colleges.

The differences between two proposed course-specific requirements proposed by the IBHE include either four years of foreign language and three years of math or two years of math and vocational education classes instead of foreign language.

One regent suggested caution in response to the change in college entrance requirements. The change would be “opening a can of worms,” said Regent David Murphy.

Student preparation for college “should start in grade schools to get students on the right academic track,” Murphy said, adding many high schools do not have the money or the facilities to prepare students for college.