Changes to the Center for Academic Technology Support media center will be a topic for the Faculty Senate meeting Tuesday.

The meeting will be at 2 p.m. in 4440 Booth Library.

Jemmie Robertson, the Faculty Senate chair, spoke at the Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 18, which will also be of topic Tuesday.

Robertson asked the board about student fee increases that he and other faculty senate members had noticed.

“If we can rescind an instructor’s contract, can we not rescind a fee increase?” he asked.

Pete Grant, the director of digital and multimedia services for CATS, sent an email calling for the CATS Multimedia to be renamed Research, Education, and Applied Learning Multimedia Center.

In the email, Grant gave examples of all the ways CATS helps the university, but he understood that the university had to make some difficult decisions.

“But my big concern here is two-fold,” Grant said. “First, I don’t know what the future will look like without the valuable services provided by CATS Multimedia Services and Media Services. Second, and most important, what will happen to the student opportunities that were provided by CATS Multimedia, through collaborative efforts with other areas?”

Grant said he wanted to find a way to continue offering these opportunities for students.

“I see a win-win opportunity here for everyone,” Grant said. “ There will be a lot of gaps that will need filled and there may not always be the human resources to do it in terms of staff and faculty. Students still need jobs and opportunities, especially in the realm of media.”

This is why he is proposing to find a way to save the Multimedia Center.

“I wholeheartedly believe that this center can continue to provide services to the campus through the efforts of Graduate Assistants, student employees, work study students and interns,” Grant said. “I believe that these students can not only continue to provide the services as they have thus far, but they can also pick up some or many the responsibilities provided by Media Services.”

Grant said along with providing the services as they have, students can pick up some responsibilities provided by Media Services and possibly have some areas student-operated with faculty member guidance.

Cassie Buchman can be reached at 581-2812 or cjbuchman@eiu.edu