In support of Lobby Day organized by the Higher Education Legislation Coalition (HELC), campus members are being asked to write their legislators and share their opinions on funding for higher education.

Eastern’s chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois are part of the state-wide coalition and will be asking people to fill out postcards to give to top government officials.

The postcards will be taken to Springfield on Wednesday, April 25 when members of Eastern’s campus go to be part of HELC’s Lobby Day.

The coalition includes universities, unions and organizations that are in support of increased funding for higher education, said Sue Kaufman, a founder of the coalition and President of UPI Local 4100.

“This is a very broad-based group,” Kaufman said. “We’re looking at upwards from 500 to 800 people that are going to be in Springfield next Wednesday.”

UPI set up a table outside of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union Food Court Thursday to ask people to fill out postcards. They will also be in the union from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, Monday and Tuesday in hopes of getting as many postcards as possible.

“We want to urge powerful people in our state government to place higher emphasis on higher education,” said UPI’s vice president John Allison. “Tuitions have been going up and up and up, and that’s largely because the state has been funding higher education at lower and lower levels.”

UPI was displaying a graph that showed the increase in tuition and the decrease in state funding that has been happening in Illinois since 2002, with a note that read, “If you care about quality and affordability at EIU, write you legislators!”

“Imagine if everyone wrote just one postcard,” said UPI President Charles Delman.

After an hour and half, UPI had about 50 postcards to take with them to the legislators on Wednesday.

HELC is a three-year organization, but this is its first effort of this size to get the attention of the decision-makers in Springfield.

“Beyond just a lobbying effort, we want to increase public awareness of public higher education,” Kaufman said.

She expects universities and organizations from the University of Illinois at Chicago to Southern Illinois University and everything in-between to participate.

HELC is holding a rally at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of the Illinois Education Association at 100 E. Edwards St. Kaufman expects top legislators to attend the rally and said that Gov. Rod Blagojevich might also attend.

“We have to draw attention to the funding of public higher education so that the public becomes more and more aware of how vital public higher education is to the economic growth and prosperity and success of this state,” Kaufman said.

Jill Nilsen, the vice president for external relations is organizing a bus to take anyone who is interested in participating in the Lobby Day to Springfield.

The university annually takes students to lobby in Springfield every spring, Nilsen said, but she’s happy to organize this year’s trip with HELC.

“This is really a nice opportunity for greater partnerships with other universities,” Nilsen said.

Eastern’s bus will leave at about 7:45 a.m. and return at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Other campus members are also traveling to Springfield for the rally on their own, Nilsen said. Anyone interested in going to Springfield with Eastern can contact Nilsen’s office at 581-5983.