The Board of Trustees will update the university’s administrative rules at its 1 p.m. meeting today in the University Ballroom of the Martin Luther King, Jr. University Union. The changes will reflect the state’s updated Freedom of Information Act.

The updated act changed the time to respond to a request from seven to five days and created a public access counselor to handle appeals for denied requests. The board’s update will reflect these changes at Eastern.

A maximum copy charge of 15 cents per standard page, with the first 50 being free, are also mandates of the new state law that will be reflected in the administrative rules.

Another part of Illinois’ open government legislation, the Open Meetings Act, will come into play as the board conducts its semi-annual review of executive, or closed, session minutes. If the reason for the closed session is no longer relevant, the minutes will be put into the public record.

“The Board may vote to go into closed/executive session for a variety of reasons,” Robert Miller, university general counsel said. “The reasons for doing so at past meetings include the discussion of pending, probable, or imminent litigation, campus security matters, the sale or purchase of securities and investments, etc.”

The approval of material and labor costs for masonry tuckpointing on Booth Library at a cost of $290,950 is up for approval.

The board must approve all purchases over $250,000. Tuckpointing is placing plastic mortal into joints to correct defects or to completely fill joints in newly laid masonry.

Commissioning and engineering oversight consulting for the Renewable Energy Center will be discussed as well.

AmerenCIPS requested approval of a natural gas pipeline easement for the Renewable Energy Center, which would be operated and maintained by Ameren. Natural gas will serve as the backup fuel for the new energy center.

A personnel contract is up for approval. The contract will be added by addendum at the meeting.

Sarah Ruholl can be reached

at 581-7942 or at seruholl2@eiu.edu