Some students who oppose the tuition guidelines policy approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education Tuesday are researching the feasibility of establishing a tuition index which would limit the amount of future tuition increases.

Brian Hopkins, Sangamon State University student Regent, said some of the student leaders in Illinois are “looking to tie future tuition increases to an index.”

The index, which would be based on per capita income in Illinois, would “impose limits on how high governing boards can raise tuition,” he said.

Hopkins said the reasons for the students’ opposition to the tuition guidelines policy are the same as those for the Board of Regents’ “no” vote on the policy.

The policy states that tuition rates “should approximate a one-third share of instructional costs in a university system, recognizing that short-term deviations from this proportion may be necessary.” The previous tuition guidelines policy, established in 1979, did not include formal acceptance of tuition rates possibly exceeding the one-third level.

Hopkins said the students do not believe it is “appropriate” for the policy to focus on the one-third portion that students pay without addressing the “other two-thirds of the equation.”

Dan Wagner, Illinois State University student Regent, said he is opposed to the one-third policy at its present state. He said he would prefer the establishment of a policy that states Illinois legislature provides two-thirds of funding for instructional costs.

Hopkins said if ways for obtaining the other two-thirds of funding “or a reasonable amount” are not explored, then “how do you expect to get the other two-thirds?”

Wagner said if the one-third policy was actually enforced, a lot of Illinois universities would have to cut the number of classes offered.

He said ISU students pay 42 percent of their instructional costs, and if the one-third policy was enforced, there would be a deficit. “I doubt we’d get the money back from the legislature,” he said.

“The problem I have with it (the policy) is the board of education doesn’t fund schools equally.”

ISU receives the lowest amount of funding per student from the state, while NIU is also near the bottom in terms of funding per student, Wagner said.

“There’s not an equitable system in Illinois,” he added.

Wagner said he was pleased that the policy was passed by such a narrow margin, 8 to 6. The close vote and the one hour discussion about the policy showed IBHE members that people are concerned, he said.