The Illinois Board of Higher Education today is expected to approve a proposal that would make stricter college entrance requirements advisory instead of mandatory.

owever, a representative for the Board of Regents, which governs NIU, plans to vote against the advisory proposal.

Clara Fitzpatrick, the Regents’ IBHE representative, wants to make the requirements mandatory to “reaffirm the board’s policy in 1985.”

The IBHE meets at 9 a.m. in Chicago.

State legislators and others opposed the plan to make the new 15-unit requirements mandatory in fall 1990.

Under the new requirements, incoming freshmen would have to complete four years of English, three years of social studies, three years of mathematics, three years of science and two years of electives in foreign language, music or art while in high school.

Fitzpatrick said she will follow her conscience and vote to make the new requirements mandatory “unless I hear something different.”

At the Jan. 26 Regents meeting, the Regents chose not to take a stand to make the admission requirements advisory or mandatory. Regents Chancellor Roderick Groves said at the meeting the Regents should suggest that the IBHE “take another look at this whole thing.” He said the IBHE needs to re-evaluate the issue in a more “rational and deliberate” manner.

“I believe the requirements are not too stringent to be met by students who plan to go to college,” Fitzpatrick said.

Minority students will benefit if the new requirements are mandatory, she said. Minority students planning to go to college will know that it is necessary for them to meet the standards to be accepted into colleges and to remain enrolled.

Opponents of the mandatory requirements said they would hurt rural and inner city schools that cannot offer all of the courses outlined by the IBHE.

Sen. Miguel DelValle, D-Chicago, has introduced a bill to the General Assembly calling for the postponement of the requirements until 1998.

DelValle argues that all Illinois high schools are not equipped to provide an equal opportunity education to all students.

He said he is not opposed to the stricter requirements, but more time is needed before they should go into effect.

Fitzpatrick said she believes legislators will make sure funding is available to rural and inner city schools to allow them to offer the needed courses to students.

An IBHE report shows that Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville is the only public university planning to initiate the 15-course specific requirements in fall 1990. The SIU-Carbondale campus plans to initiate the 15-unit requirements in 1993.

NIU officials have said NIU will not adhere to the IBHE requirements unless they are made mandatory.

NIU admission policies require students to have completed one year less in each subject than the IBHE recommendations.

At the Jan. 26 Regents meeting, NIU President John LaTourette told the Regents, “I’m very satisified with where we are now. We will move carefully to a higher level over time.”