The Illinois Student Association has begun the two-week countdown to the Day of Action, when 15 colleges and universities statewide will protest Gov. James Thompson’s budget cuts while state legislators meet in Springfield for a two-day veto session.

The Day of Action, slated for Oct. 21, represents the last chance this fall for students to solicit for a supplementary budget for higher education.

The idea of the Day of Action was first conceived in August by ISA board members, including NIU Student Association President Jim Fischer, when effects of the budget cuts were imminent.

Fischer said the ISA developed a three-phased program aimed at restoring cuts in the state’s higher education budget through the Day of Action. “First, we will deal with the various governing boards to see if they will consider putting off the tuition increases for the present time.

“We would like them to wait until the General Assembly has a chance to vote on the tax increase or at least enact roll-back provisions, which would repeal all tuition increases in case of a tax hike,” Fischer said.

Fischer also said the ISA discussed plans to “take its case to the public.” He said the Day of Action will be the “centerpiece” of this part of the plan.

“We plan to bus people to Chicago and Springfield for rallies, in addition to holding one of our own at NIU. There also are plans to combine our efforts to raise public awareness of the problem with students at Kishwaukee Community College.”

The final part of the ISA’s plan will be to develop “a lasting and meaningful tuition policy based on what students actually get, rather than what the colleges or universities may perceive it needs,” Fisher said.

Fischer and SA Public Relations Adviser Paula Radtke attended the ISA Annual Fall Summit, entitled “The Budget Crisis—A Call to Action,” Sept. 25-27 in Springfield.

A final resolution was made at the summit, stating “that the ISA calls upon Thompson to convene a special session of the General Assembly, during or subsequent to the Fall 1987 Veto Session, to consider and act to increase state revenues and restore funding to Illinois higher education.”

adtke said, “We’re not getting anything for the tuition increase that was just passed as far as an increase in quality goes. In fact, there’s a good chance quality will go down. This is really unfair to the students.”

Fischer said, “The state constitution says the state has to provide educational opportunities for each individual to develop his or her capacities to the fullest extent possible. However, the state isn’t fulfilling its responsibility by making the students pay more without providing for higher quality in education.”

Brian Monohan, a member of the Day of Action planning committee from Sangamon State University in Springfield, said NIU and Southern Illinois University in Carbondale are reacting the strongest to the budget cuts.

NIU’s Student Committee On Political Action, an SA committee, has so far accumulated 1,000 letters of NIU students protesting the budget cuts.