The Graduate Student Advisory Council presented its case about the proposal concerning a graduate student fee increase at Wednesday’s Student Relations Student Government Forum.

Peter Salvadori, president of GSAC, and GSAC Adviser Rodney Ranes spoke to Student Government members at the audience participation during the senate meeting.

“We came today because we were asked by the (Tuition and Fee Review Committee) to talk to the senate and give them a chance to talk to them,” Salvadori said. “We were going to come regardless, but it so happened that the forum was our platform.”

Salvadori and Ranes were the only presenters at the forum. In all, seven people showed up for the forum.

At the last open forum Oct. 29, only Ashley Nolan, a senior English major, participated by voicing concerns with the Electronic Writing Portfolio. Her concerns resulted in an EWP Forum sponsored by Student Government that was held Feb. 17.

Salvadori said GSAC is trying to increase the fee from $2 to $3 in a two-year period with 50-cent increases to the organization to be self-sufficient. This fee just affects the 1,800 graduate students on campus.

“Our current budget expenditures for our organization to function is around $6,000; while we get $4,000 to $4,500 in funding,” Salvadori said. “Hopefully in the next two years, we will be in the position will be able to control our own destiny.”

He said GSAC did not attend regional conferences because of insufficient funding. For the national conference, three students attended. However, only one plane fare was paid for among the three.

Salvadori said some universities have $10 to $30 graduate student fees, but we cannot do that now.

Ranes said GSAC helps with giving research opportunities to graduate students and supporting them with the Graduate Student Exposition and giving academic awards.

Justin Schuch, president of Residence Hall Association, attended with Karla Browning, RHA’s vice president for diversity and programming, to ask for Student Government’s support for Social Justice and Diversity Week, which will be held April 20-25.

“So far, we aren’t getting Student Government support, which is disappointing,” Schuch said. “We have been asking a lot of senators but haven’t had responses.”

Schuch said Student Government’s mission statement states the organization supports diversity, so he will try to hold them up to that statement.

The two RHA executives could not stay for audience participation, but they will speak at next week’s meeting.

Three students running for senate seats attended the meeting to learn how to be senate members. They were Randi Frank, Jenny Williams and Cassie Shear.

Student Senate member Ron Jordan, who is running for Student Body President, recruited the candidates to his party, Students for Change.

Williams and Shear are on the women’s soccer team.

Keenen Sellers, an undecided freshman, came to see how meetings were run.

His friends, Student Senate members Mike Hilty, Zack Doiron and Mike Whildin, invited him.

Sellers and Sandia Slayton, a family consumer science major, came to learn how to present ideas.

“In the future, I might present important concerns,” Slayton said.

Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7942 or at rtbajek@eiu.edu.