UI Trustees to Consider Student Fee Increase

The University of Illinois' Board of Trustees will consider a student fee increase when they meet next Thursday in Chicago.

The rate hike covers services such as information technology, transportation, and maintenance. Randy Kangas, who is the U of I's associate vice president for Planning and Budgeting, said the change would amount to a $5 a semester increase for each student on the Urbana campus, going from $1,436 to $1,441.

"It's much smaller than (in previous years)," Kangas said. "There aren't any big initiatives. We're not building the rec center."

Trustee Ed McMillan, chair of the board's budget and audit committee, said he is confident the proposal will be approved by the Board of Trustees.

"Last year there was a little confusion over whether all the fees had been approved by all the campuses," McMillan said. "This year those basics have all been touched on each campus in each group, and as best as I can tell, everyone's in agreement going forward with the proposals that have been put forward."

As part of the fee proposal, students on the Chicago campus would pay $3 more each semester, and students on the Springfield campus would pay $18.50 more per semester.

The university's Board of Trustees will also consider increasing undergraduate student housing rates each semester by $118 dollars in Urbana, $99 in Chicago, and $100 in Springfield.

Last week, Moody's Investor Service downgraded Illinois' credit rating to the lowest of any state in the country. The state still owes the University of Illinois more than $242 million in unpaid bills, which is about $200 million less than what it owed a year ago.