More than half of the members of the Student Committee On Political Action agreed that last night’s meeting was unlike any SCOPA meeting held before.

About 25 students representing a variety of political views discussed the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting about the firing of CHANCE counselor Martha Palmer.

SCOPA member Tom Rainey said an 8 p.m. open meeting will be held in the Holmes Student Center Pow Wow Room today, sponsored primarily by the John Lennon Society and SCOPA.

Rainey said Palmer will be at the meeting to answer questions, and a videotape of a summer demonstration to protest her firing also will be shown.

CHANCE Director Leroy Mitchell will be invited to the meeting said SCOPA co-chairman Fritz Fiebig.

Rainey said repeated questions about the exact reason why Palmer was fired have gone unanswered.

In regards to another meeting, the committee decided to pass out fliers and carry signs in support of Palmer. This 6:30 p.m. mandatory meeting for CHANCE students will take place Thursday in the Holmes Student Center Ballroom.

A long debate also took place about the issues that will be addressed via a protest during the Sept. 15 meeting of the Board of Regents at NIU.

The committee decided to address the problems of the tuition increase and funding for higher education and former NIU president and current professor Clyde Wingfield’s paid leave of abscence to attend a fellowship with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in Washington D.C.

This motion was passed after a long debate about protesting the Regents’ meeting in an effort to eliminate the governing body and to appoint a different one. The committee said this will be addressed when the Regents hold their next meeting at NIU in either December or January.

Young Democrats President John Morreale said he will contact State Sen. Patrick Welch, D-Peru, and College Republican Gary Stittgen, said he will contact State Rep. John Countryman, R-DeKalb, about attending the protest during the BOR meeting.

The committee also passed a motion demanding the administration to increase by 100 percent the hiring of minorities and to equalize the pay of NIU male and female employees.

Committee member Tana Titre’s motion to provide “alternative programming” during Unity through Diversity Week was passed.