Chief Illiniwek wasn’t on the agenda for Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting, but discussion of a possible tuition hike, the appointment of a new University president and approval of a new campus indoor golf facility were.

In a presentation to the board on Thursday in the Illini Union, Chet Gardner, vice president for academic affairs, suggested raising tuition by about $200 per semester for the 2005-2006 school year.

An additional $47 million will be needed in fiscal year 2006 to pay for expenses such as building maintenance and a 3 percent pay raise for faculty, Gardner said. With possible cuts in state funding looming, much of the $47 million might have to come from students’ pockets, he said.

Gardner said the pay raise was needed in order to attract and retain top faculty. Last year, every Big Ten school except Illinois raised faculty salaries. As a result, this fiscal year the University dropped to 18th among its peers in faculty salary competitiveness, he said.

Also, the average class size at the University has risen to 20.6 students – noticeably higher than schools such as Michigan, Northwestern and Duke University.

“I do believe educational quality is at risk,” Gardner said.

Board member Marge Sodemann reluctantly agreed with Gardner about the need to raise tuition.

“I don’t think we can realistically expect to receive more funding from the state,” she said.

Stephen Rugg, vice president for administration, said student fees would also rise next school year. Two-thirds of the funds from the fee increase would go toward the construction of campus recreation centers.

Board members also unanimously voted to name B. Joseph White as the University’s 16th president.

White, the former interim president of the University of Michigan and dean of Michigan’s business school, will take office when the current University president, James Stukel, retires in February. White was named Stukel’s successor last week after a seven-month search process.

In other business, the board approved designs for a $3.2 million indoor golf facility south of campus.

The facility will feature a driving range, study areas and an indoor chipping and putting area the size of a junior high school gymnasium, said Rod Reid, the building’s architect.

The facility will be located at the intersection of Wright Street and St. Mary’s Road and will open by the end of 2005, Reid said.

From the outside, the new facility resembles a barn – a design Reid said complements the Old Round Barns located nearby.

“It’s not your typical Georgian-type facility,” he said, referring to the architectural style of numerous red brick buildings around campus.

In what has become a familiar scene, dozens of supporters and opponents of Chief Illiniwek packed the Pine Lounge during the public comment session at the start of the meeting.

The Chief was the only topic discussed by the six speakers who addressed the board during the 30-minute public comment session.

Wanda Pillow, head of the University’s Native American House, said it was hard to start a Native American Studies program on campus when a mascot like Chief Illiniwek exists.

“Attempting to start a program while the presence of a divisive mascot divides our campus is risky. Attempting to recruit and mentor native students who daily experience this divisive climate is risky,” Pillow said. “At times, even walking across the Quad feels risky, and you as a governing body need to know that these risks exist.”

Nick Klitzing, president of Students for Chief Illiniwek, made reference to a student referendum on the Chief held last spring in which almost 70 percent of voters favored retaining the mascot, and a 2000 survey in which 88 percent of University alumni indicated their support for the Chief.

Klitzing also cited surveys that he said showed American Indian support for the Chief. One survey he mentioned was conducted by the Annenberg Foundation. Of American Indians polled, 90 percent said they had no problem with the NFL team name, “Redskins.”

“What further evidence could anyone want?” Klitzing asked. “The large majority of the student constituency, the alumni constituency and the large majority of the Native-American constituency supports a consensus that includes Chief Illiniwek.”

Board chair Larry Eppley said board members were too preoccupied with the presidential search during the past few weeks to address the Chief issue at Thursday’s meeting.

“We just ran out of time,” he said.

However, Eppley said it was “likely” that board members will bring up the Chief issue during their next scheduled meeting on Jan. 20 in Chicago.

If the Chief controversy is brought up during the January meeting, Eppley said no action would be taken to decisively resolve the issue. Rather, board members would discuss guidelines and finding a framework in which the topic can be discussed, he said.

“What we’re trying to do is break (the controversy) down into discreet steps rather than focus on an end game,” Eppley said. “We need to get to an end game, but up until this point we’ve always been looking at an end game. I think it’s easy to tell we haven’t made any progress.”

Eppley disputed accusations by anti-Chief protesters that the board is ignoring the Chief issue.

“Frankly, considering what’s (been) going on for the prior 15 years, this is significant progress, (with the board) saying, ‘Here’s how we’re going to approach it, here’s a policy, next we can do guidelines,'” he said.