Eastern is planning a capital-campaign fundraising drive.

Jill Nilsen, vice president for external relations, said preparations for the campaign are underway.

“We’ve put together some gift-acceptance policies,” Nilsen said. “They’re consistent with IRS and (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) guidelines.”

President Bill Perry, Nilsen and the three other vice presidents spoke to Faculty Senate Tuesday.

The campaign’s first 18 months will be a “quiet campaign,” focusing on few Eastern donors, Nilsen said.

After that period, the campaign will set a monetary goal and begin public fundraising.

Nilsen said fundraising would appeal to donors’ emotions.

“We’re putting together a CASE statement,” Nilsen said. “This is the written and verbal statement we’re going to use. It should pull at the donor’s heartstrings.”

Perry explained to the senate his decision not to sign the Amethyst Initiative, a public statement by 129 university presidents and leaders calling for a lower drinking age.

“I know that we know more about how the brain matures,” Perry said. “There’s a big difference between an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old.”

Perry said education was the best way to address underage drinking.

“I think educating our students through AlcoholEdu and programs in our resident halls are important,” Perry said.

Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, discussed new safety measures on campus.

“We have 19 emergency phones around campus,” Nadler said. “They are active all the time.”

Nadler said the campus has two new sirens for emergency alerts as well as 400 security cameras.

Eastern administrators are also working closely with Charleston officials to improve emergency preparedness, Nadler said.

“We have had desktop exercises with city officials to plan what happens in an emergency situation,” he said.

Senate members also discussed high costs for out-of-state students who study at Eastern with Perry and the President’s Council.

“It seems like these young people are really getting the short end of the stick,” said senate member Andrew White.

Perry agreed that tuition for out-of-state Eastern students is high, especially for students from outside the United States.

“I do believe our non-resident tuition is too high,” Perry said. “It’s the highest of any state institution.”

For Eastern to attract out-of-state students, that would need to change, he said.

“We may want to attract students from Indiana, which is nearby from Missouri and Wisconsin,” Perry said. “It’s a competitive market.”

Joe Astrouski can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmastrouski@eiu.edu.

President Bill Perry speaks to Faculty Senate Tuesday afternoon at Booth Library. President Perry addressed issues such as parking on campus and the future of classes being held in Old Main. (Amir Prellberg / The Daily Eastern News)

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