Student Regent John Butler held his first Student Regents Committee Meeting Monday to discuss Board of Regents issues with the student members.

The purpose of the meeting was to inform the students of issues under discussion by the Regents.

The main issue during the discussion was the recommendations made by the Illinois Board of Higher Education to cut certain programs at state universities, including NIU.

Butler explained that the IBHE had changed the missions of the universities governed by the Regents to limit the kinds of programs the universities offered.

Butler said he believes NIU President John La Tourette is not in as much opposition to the IBHE as he had thought. He said La Tourette feels the doctorate programs were protected by the new mission statement.

Butler said IBHE Chairman Art Quern is targeting the BOR for political reasons.

“This is extremely political,” Butler said. “The only way to keep these programs is by raising taxes. Quern is trying to save money by cutting programs.”

Butler also said Quern is doing this to help save Jim Edgar’s career.

Student Association President Paul Middleton said Quern “still has a grudge because we got the law school in the first place.”

NIU’s law school is one of the programs recommended by Quern to be cut.

Also discussed at the meeting were the actions being taken by NIU to purchase the Social Science Research Institute which is located on Third Street. Butler said the university is looking into buying the building which it leases.