Student leaders seeking additional state funding

By Sarah Small

Student body president Jaclyn O’Day, student trustee Paul Schmitt and other university students are working on multiple projects to raise awareness for the University’s need for state funding and contact legislatures to secure additional funding, O’Day told the University of Illinois’ Board of Trustees Thursday morning.

“Students are concerned on our campus,” O’Day said. “With this, we take it upon our self to increase our lobbying efforts.”

In the coming semester, students will be holding a letter writing drive to draft letters intended for members of the General Assembly regarding University funding.

O’Day and Schmitt are also creating a video highlighting the value of the University as a state interest. This video will be sent to each member of the Illinois General Assembly.

O’Day also addressed the contract negotiations between the University’s Urbana campus and the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District.

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The contract between the University and the MTD was extended by one year, and O’Day urged the Board to extend the contract further. She said the bus system helped to keep students safe on campus.

O’Day also told the Board about students’ concerns about Global Campus.

In November, the Board decided to seek independent accreditation for Global Campus, despite discord from the student-faculty senates on the three University of Illinois campuses. In particular, the senate on the Urbana campus spoke against Global Campus and independent accreditation.

“Students stand by the student-faculty senate’s stance on Global Campus,” O’Day said. “More details are needed, lot of questions have gone unanswered.”