The three student Regents will ask the Board of Regents Friday to make a public statement to Gov. James Thompson and the state legislature to express displeasure about Thompson’s budget cuts, which are expected to bring NIU a $150 tuition increase for the spring.

NIU Student Regent Nick Valadez said the statement the student Regents will present to the board will be similar to the one Student Association President Jim Fischer brought to the University Council last week.

That resolution called the budget cuts, which left NIU with $3.3 million less for this year, “highly regressive” to higher education.

Valadez said the purpose is to have the Regents publicly support students because students will be hurt most. He said the student Regents will discuss their statement and its exact wording with the board when it arrives Thursday.

“The statement, for the most part, will say the board believes what happened was not a budget decision—it was fiscally irresponsible,” Valadez said. “It was not in the best interest of Illinois. What happened was a gross miscarriage of justice.”

Valadez said the tuition increase will be necessary to keep the university running. That is the only reason the student Regents support it, he said.

owever, he said he expects the Regents to lessen the hike if the Regency system receives any relief from the legislature.

“The money will come straight from our pockets, and in exchange, we will get nothing,” Valadez said.

“The governor is saying higher education and everyone else will have to make adjustments, but the end result is students will have to feel the brunt of it. I suppose an argument can be made for faculty who will not get pay raises,” he said.

“We would like to see the students there (Friday) so the board can see what the students feel. We also hope to have some kind of statement or some formal action to limit tuition increases. The only prerequisite is that the statement be a strong one.”

Valadez said he has not told the Regents or NIU President John LaTourette about the proposed statement. He said he would wait until Thursday.

Illinois State University and Sangamon State University Student Regents Chuck Sutton and Brian Hopkins could not be reached for comment.

Student Committees on Political Action, an organization within the SA campus organization, has proposed a student/faculty strike. The strike will be only part of “The Day of Action” Oct. 21 that the Illinois Student Association has proclaimed.

According to a letter sent to all university organizations, the day also will include rallies on Illinois university campuses, at the State of Illinois Building in Chicago and at the State Capitol in Springfield.

The letter said the issue will be discussed Wednesday at a meeting in Holmes Student Center Room 406.