The Board of Trustees Monday approved a 5 percent tuition raise, along with more than $38 in fee increases and a name change for Lantz Gymnasium.

An ad hoc Naming of Facilities Committee, which was created for the purpose of renaming the Lantz Gymnasium, met Oct. 8 to discuss the renaming the facility. The committee concluded that significant modifications made to the building made the “gymnasium” description obsolete.

Consequently, the committee recommended that Lantz Gymnasium be renamed Lantz Arena, which the BOT approved.

Interim President Lou Hencken spoke in favor of the name change, noting the Lantz building’s refinished floor, new seats, more modern scoreboard and the two video replay monitors, which will be installed soon, make the facility more than a gymnasium.

“We believe that the name change is more representative of the building’s functions,” he said.

The board also approved the proposed tuition increase, which is based on per-credit hour undergraduate tuition rates. The new rates translate to a $5-per-hour increase for students from Illinois and a $15-per-hour increase for out-of-state students.

The increase puts in-state undergraduate tuition at $104.75 and raises out-of-state tuition to $314.25 per credit hour.

The proposed $38.20 student fee increase was also approved. The BOT had previously approved $9 of the increase for the campus improvement fee. The increase represents approximately a 13 percent raise in the fee, which now stands at $68.

The remainder of the increase, $29.20, will be distributed to nine different campus fees.

The funds will be distributed based on need, with the various groups making presentations before the Student Senate and Student Tuition and Fee Review Committee.

During his presentation, Hencken noted that Gov. George Ryan has sent a letter to many state agencies informing them that Illinois’ revenues for this year are not as high as what had been expected.

“We have not received such a letter yet,” Hencken said, but he said the university would be watching the mail, staying prepared for such a notice. “And if so we will act accordingly.”

Coaching contract change presented

Hencken also presented the first reading of a proposal that offers coaches more leeway in using their vacation days.

Currently, coaches can accumulate two vacation days for every month they work. However, under the current contract coaches must use all of their vacation time before their contract ends.

Hencken said that many coaches’ contracts end during the summer and because the spring is often a heavy recruitment time, coaches don’t always get to use all of their vacation days before their contract ends.

Under the new proposal, coaches can accrue a maximum of 24 vacation days, but those days won’t expire if they are not used.

Hencken said the new system will allow coaches to use their vacation time when they aren’t busy with recruitment.

Monday was only the first reading of the proposal, so the board cannot vote on the contract change until its next meeting.

Along with the coaches’ contract change proposal, Hencken also updated the BOT on the numerous successes of Eastern’s athletics programs over the past year, including the football team’s Homecoming victory.

“It’s always fun when win in football the Saturday before you give this report,” Hencken said, crediting Rich McDuffie and the entire Athletics Department for the university’s successful programs.