Strengthening communication between campuses was the goal of President Sharon Hahs, as she held a Town Hall meeting at the Jacob H. Carruther’s Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) on April 14. Hahs was introduced by Dr. Conrad Worrill, Director of CCICS.
Issues discussed during the meeting included university enrollment, the economic crisis and its impact on NEIU. The discussion also included the importance of embracing campus diversity, the realization of proposed upgrades to CCICS and the U-pass as well as better transportation to connect all NEIU campuses.
Hahs announced that overall university enrollment was up 5 percent, with full-time credit hours up by 6.6 percent. She stated that the budget for this year remains solid, despite the fact that the university is facing a cash flow issue due to the state appropriation of $43 million, $20 million of which has yet to be paid.
Hahs said it is the first year NEIU has not been paid what has been promised by the state. She said that the university has wisely prepared for a budget cut, so that this year’s tuition dollars have been set aside for next year. Therefore, no faculty or staff cuts or furloughs are anticipated for this fiscal year, which ends in June. She noted the change in activity hour, and how the university hopes these changes will assist with NEIU’s overall fiscal health in these difficult economic times. To compare NEIU’s budget to a larger university, she used the example of University of Illinois. She said that U of I has been appropriated $400 million by the state of Illinois, yet it has only been given $30 million dollars this year. She said, NEIU has been fortunate because we have received almost half of our promised disbursement.
When an inquiry was made about the likelihood of a U-Pass, Hahs made the assessment that the CTA can’t change the rule on part-time students due to the fact that federal dollars are what support the U-Pass and the feds have strict regulations regarding its disbursement, including the fact that a student requires full-time status to obtain the U-pass. She said that the university meets with the CTA regularly and the CTA wants to eventually phase out the U-Pass. She added that NEIU is negotiating for a student discount.
Concerns about the physical infrastructure of CCICS were raised, and President Hahs said that the NEIU budget is so tight it is like having to choose between food and medicine in your own budget at home. She acknowledged that the Caruthers Center is old and needs help.
She said there is a capital requisition plan with a budget of $19 million for the building’s complete renovation, further stating that when the state money is released she will consider the next project on their agenda. She also mentioned that the heads of Caruthers will be included to develop a list of recommendations for upgrades on-campus.
The likelihood of a transportation network to connect CCICS with the main campus was discussed, and Worrill said that CCICS used to own a van that died from being used so frequently. He said that they probably need three vans to do the job right, and that these vans will require staffing.
Hahs said that it is an additional budgetary expense that cannot be factored into the equation right now, although it certainly is an item on the table. Worrill said that he would like to interest outside donors in satisfying the transportation needs of the university. President Hahs said that on-line classes are being added to help students who may not be able to easily commute to the main campus.