NIU president John LaTourette called on student leaders earlier this week to continue work toward a tax increase for higher education.

LaTourette said at Sunday’s Student Association meeting that redistributing state allocations cannot produce more funds for higher education.

“I don’t see how (House Speaker Michael) Madigan or anyone can pull it (funds) out of a hat without a tax increase,” LaTourette said. “I think we need to work together to get more equitable funding for this institution.”

SA President Paula Radtke also spoke in favor of a tax increase but criticized the Board of Regents who govern NIU for not looking at cutting costs at universities.

“It’s very easy for them (the Regents) to raise tuition without justifying it,” Radtke said. The Regents have approved a $125 tuition surcharge to take effect at NIU this spring.

Radtke spoke in favor of an Illinois Board of Higher Education proposal to tie tuition charges to some form of price index.

Radtke said she favored the plan because it would limit the power of governing boards to raise tuition. But the IBHE took no action on the proposal at their meeting Tuesday.

Kenneth Beasley, assistant to LaTourette, said at Sunday’s meeting that the elimination of the SA’s political action committee would hinder efforts toward a tax increase for higher education.

The SA is considering the elimination or change of SCOPA, the Student Committee On Political Action. The SA might take action on a proposal to replace SCOPA with a political action group limited to 15 voting members. Actions of the new group would require approval by the SA senate.

SCOPA is open to all fee paying students, and their actions do not require senate ratification.

Beasley said that last year the group wrote letters, made telephone calls and traveled to Springfield to work for a tax increase for higher education. “My experience with students (on SCOPA) was very positive,” he said.

However, Beasley said he did not support acts of civil disobedience such as last April’s demonstration in which 79 students were arrested after a sit-in on Lincoln Highway.

It was rumored that SCOPA was involved in the highway demonstration, but Beasley said he was told they were not involved.

“If the purpose (of the sit-in) was to draw attention to students at Northern, it was successful…. (But) it was detrimental to getting a tax increase,” Beasley said.

Radtke said she also supports the continuation of a political action committee. “It is important we (the SA) have a political arm. It’s important we have people to work outside Sunday night (SA senate meetings.)”