This spring neither our legislature nor our governor saw fit to actively pursue a tax increase to support higher education as well as many other social services. Although the General Assembly granted us a budget that contained enough money for a 5.7 percent faculty increase, the budget is essentially flat. In fact, fewer tax dollars are committed to higher education this year than last.

For each $150 generated by the tuition increase last year, the General Assembly allocated $150 less per student this year. The legislature has not for three years even taken into consideration increases in inflation, in prices of books and equiptment nor in the rising costs of utilities.

—This means that students will again be forced to make up the difference between the amount of money allocated by the legislature and the amount of money needed to operate the university; another tuition increase.

—This means the university library will again stop buying books, but this time earlier than January.

—This means that we will continue to have faculty resignations, which totaled 90 last year.

—This means no new faculty will come to Illinois because of its poor reputation of supporting education.

—This means that no new students will be admitted for the spring of 1989.

—This means that students will again be unable to complete their class schedules and register for the classes they need to graduate.

Everyone must take an active role in changing this situation by registering to vote, voting, writing letters and continuing to pressure the legistlature and let them know that they have acted irresponsibly. We have had the Day of Action, but now it is the time for a year of action. The decay has already begun but we can stop it before it has diminished te worth of NIU and quality of its graduates.

Paula Ann Radtke

SA President