Members of the Illinois Student Senate went through several resolutions and appropriations at their weekly gathering Wednesday.

In addition to approving items that called for increased out-of-state student enrollment and the use of online ICES course evaluation forms, the senate also discussed transfer student tuition rates.

Yousif Al Rawi, senior in LAS, authored a resolution that pointed to a difference in tuition assessments between transfer and traditional four-year students.

“(Traditional students) are paying more in their first two years than they are in their last two years, and it evens out at the end,” Al Rawi said to the senate. “Transfer students are paying the same amount as freshmen, so the idea is to leverage that out a little bit.” According to the item, the University budgets costs students early on and then eventually pays four-year students back. This makes it unfair for transfer students, who are charged similar rates to freshmen entering the University. The resolution called for this process to be amended, though the senate was not initially in favor.

“The budget situation here is so bad; it’s hard to put into words,” said Bobby Gregg, a graduate student and student senator. “I think this resolution has merit, but I don’t think it has merit in the way it is currently proposed.”

Members did vote against the amendment by a tally of five to 13 with two abstentions. However, Gregg moved to make a reconsideration, effectively putting the issue back up for discussion.

Jessica Remke, a senior in LAS, said the item would be more effective at some point in the future.

“I have to say that I think in the long run; it’s a good idea to do this,” she said. “I think in a more stable economic climate, I think it would be a good way to encourage students to come to the University.”

The item was put back up for discussion by a count of 16-1 with two abstentions and tabled for a future date by a count of 19-0 with one abstention.