Student Body President Katie Cox was elected chairperson of the Illinois Board of Higher Education Student Advisory Committee Sunday.

The Student Advisory Committee is a student-run council that advises the IBHE on matters of concern to Illinois students, and serves as a network of student governments from public universities, private universities and community colleges from around the state.

The IBHE itself is the coordinating board for all public institutions of higher learning in Illinois and plays a major role in determining each school’s funding and academic programs.

Cox was elected to the position during the committee’s business meeting Sunday by a vote of 22-5 over incumbent chair Scott Andrews. She officially took office Tuesday.

As the new chair, Cox will report to the IBHE on behalf of the students of Illinois. Other duties include convening meetings of the IBHE-SAC, and appointing chairs of Student Advisory Committee subcommittees.

Next to the student member of the IBHE, the office of SAC chairperson is the most important position in the committee in terms of influencing IBHE policy, Cox said.

Cox said she was excited to hold such an important job.

“I’m very excited that I have been given this opportunity to now serve all students in Illinois higher education,” she said in a press release.

As the new chair, Cox said she will help with several issues the committee is currently working on, such as lobbying to create a state-wide student fee policy that would assure student’s rights, and preparing a report on campus crime and safety.

Eventually, Cox said she would like to work with Illinois tuition policy.

“It depends on the direction the Student Advisory Committee wants to go, but many states have a cap on (student) fee increases,” she said.

Cox also wants to improve relations with the IBHE, “because that will allow us to get more done for the students,” she said.

In addition to Cox, Kevin O’Kelly of the College of DuPage was elected vice-chair, Nikki Verba of the University of Illinois-Springfield was named SAC secretary, Verba’s classmate John Thompson was reelected the student member of the IBHE, and Ryan Perdy, a Lakeland College student that will transfer to Eastern in the fall, was elected the alternate student IBHE member.