Mike Andrechak, associate provost for budgets and resource planning, met with members of the UC-Senate Student Life Committee Thursday morning to answer some questions that members had about the University budget.

Among some of the financial issues addressed were lagging state funds, increases in the cost of tuition, and the status of donations as a source of revenue.

Both Andrechek and Renee Romano, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, emphasized that the University will be prudent in dealing with fiscal issues by restricting the number of new hires on campus and cutting down on purchases. Additionally, Andrechek said that the state and nationwide economic situation would not be overcome quickly.

“This is not the type of climate where we’re going to bounce back in a few months,” Andrechek said. “In these challenging times, we want to be as transparent and as clear as we can on what we’re doing.”

He also said that the University would find ways to run “more efficiently and more effectively” even though the state of Illinois had not been forthcoming with its own plan of action for getting out of debt and paying off the $100 million it owes to the University. Andrechek also assured committee members that students will have a say in how the University will become more stable financially.

“Students will be part of the dialogue,” said Andrechek. “We value the role of students in helping us understand what we’re doing and how to do it better.”