The Board of Trustees will have to decide today whether or not to increase tuition by 12 percent for incoming freshmen and transfer students.

“We don’t like to do that,” said Eastern President Bill Perry. “If salaries didn’t go up, if the cost of operations didn’t go up, we wouldn’t have to increase it.”

The board will also make decisions about increasing student fees, approving a real estate transaction and approving plans to repaint the water tower at its meeting at 1 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

A student admitted for this academic year pays $194.40 per credit hour. If the board approves the 12 percent tuition increase, a student admitted for the coming academic year will have to pay $217.70 per credit hour.

Last year, the board approved a tuition increase of $20.85 per credit hour from the 2005-2006 academic year to the 2006-2007 academic year. This year, the proposed increase is $23.30.

Perry said the tuition increase is partly because of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s fiscal year 2009 budget recommendation, a 0 percent increase from the state’s fiscal year 2008 appropriation.

The university looked at what money it has been able to save to prevent a larger tuition increase, Perry said.

Eastern was able to save $2.3 million in water and energy costs last year.

“We are committed to continue looking for that,” Perry said of the opportunity to save money.

Blagojevich cut funding for higher education for fiscal year 2003, and state appropriations for public universities have not matched the 2002 total since.

Because of this, Perry is focusing attention on fundraising to help prevent future tuition increases.

“It’s going to be a several-year process addressing how to fund the increase in costs of a quality education, but we’re committed to working on that from several directions,” he said.

The Office of Philanthropy is developing tentative plans for a $40 million comprehensive capital campaign, which is likely to begin in September.

Students enrolled before Fall 2004 will see a tuition increase of 7.5 percent or an increase of $11.90 per credit hour if the board approves the recommendation.

Students admitted before 2004 are not affected because of the “Truth in Tuition” policy, which locks a student’s tuition into place once admitted to the university.

Also on the board’s agenda is approving increases to student fees.

The recommendation increases the textbook rental fee by $1 per credit hour, from the current $8.95 fee to the proposed $9.95 fee.

The fee would go toward the construction of the new Textbook Rental facility.

The board will also decide on whether or not to increase the union operating fee from the current charge of $77.70 to the proposed $80.03, and an increase to the Student Recreation Center fee from $69.50 to $72.

Perry said the rec center fee has not been increased in three or four years. The increases would go toward supplies and materials, he said.

“The prices of those things go up,” he said.

The board will also be approving or denying a real estate acquisition.

If the board approves the transaction, Eastern would purchase two properties at 1821 and 1827 Ninth Street. The property owners would be responsible for demolishing all structures and buildings on that property before the title would transfer to Eastern.

When the transfer goes through, Eastern would convert the properties into parking lots for students and staff.

The properties are near the new Doudna Fine Arts Center, and the acquisition of the properties is in accordance with the Campus Master Plan.

Eastern would also reimburse the owners for all demolition costs. The total cost of this transaction, including property and estimated demolition costs, would be $385,000.

The board will also decide whether or not to approve plans to improve the water tower.

The plan calls for the repainting and repairs of the water tower, located near the steam plant. Eastern’s logo would be painted on the water tower, if the plans are approved.

In other business, the board will elect a new chair and vice chair. Currently, Robert Webb and Roger Kratochvil serve as chair and vice chair, respectively.

Perry also has a special announcement he will share during his president’s report at the meeting.

“(It’s) some good news,” said University Spokesperson Vicki Woodard.

Stephen Di Benedetto can be reached at 581-7942 or at sdibenedetto@eiu.edu.