The Board of Trustees will approve tuition and fee increases for the next school year at their meeting today.

The proposed tuition increase would affect students who enrolled at Eastern in the 2003-2004 academic year by raising their tuition $10.30 per semester hour to $147.55. Under the Illinois Truth in Tuition Law, all students enrolled by the Fall 2004 semester are locked into their tuition rates for four years after enrolling. New student tuition is proposed to be $173.55 per semester hour. This is an increase of $19.25 from last year’s entering freshman rate. Graduate student tuition will increase $18.85 to $169.40 per semester hour.

“Next year we’re going to have four different rates at the university,” said Eastern President Lou Hencken.

Eastern has not received a budget increase for university operations from the state that has forced tuition increases since the 1999-2000 academic year Hencken said. Eastern has received $47.6 million from the state for the last seven years.

The Illinois General Assembly is still in session and has not approved Eastern’s proposed 1.4 percent budget increase of $666,533 for fiscal year 2007. The budget will be presented at the June Board of Trustees meeting.

Jill Nilsen, vice president for external relations will give a brief legislative update at Monday’s meeting.

“The budget is one big issue we’re waiting on,” Nilsen said. “There are several bills that are in committee that we’ll be waiting for until the session closes.”

Student fee increases will also be approved today. The Health Service and Pharmacy Fee are proposed to be raised $7 from $75.90 to $82.90. The increase will go toward the cost of medical malpractice insurance, medication and x-ray and laboratory supplies. The Health and Accident Insurance Fee is also looking at an increase at $101.95, up $28.50 from $73.45.

Student publications, campus improvements, bond revenue for operations of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union and student legal services are a few other fees also proposed for increases.

Monday’s meeting is also the annual meeting for the board and will include election of officers, approval of tenure recommendations and approval of the 2007 meeting calendar.

The chair, vice chair, secretary and member pro tem will be elected, and the board will consider 28 proposed tenure recommendations.

“Tenure, interestingly enough, is the only vote where the student representative doesn’t get to vote,” Hencken said.

The Board of Trustees will meet today at 11:30 a.m. in the University Grand Ballroom. The board will immediately break for an executive session and resume the meeting after lunch at 1 p.m.