The Board of Trustees approved the purchase of digital television equipment, elevator renovations and university server maintenance Monday at a conference call meeting.

To comply with Federal Communications Commission regulations, WEIU-TV must convert from analog to digital signals by May 1, 2003. The bid approved Monday covers the complete reintegration of digital equipment. The Capital Development Board, which oversees contracting of state projects, has been funding efforts to make the switch since 2000.

The BOT-approved vendor, Duncan Video, Inc. of Carmel, Ind., will charge $1,403,581 for this part of the project, which will cost a total of $2.8 million, Rick Sailors, WEIU-TV general manager, told the board.

The other vendor, Roscor Corporation in Mount Prospect, bid about $183,000 higher than Duncan because many of their equipment mark ups were higher. The cost of Roscor’s automation software made up nearly half the difference in the two bids, Sailors said.

Duncan also won the approval of Sailors and the BOT because the company has had more experience in digital integration.

Work on WEIU-TV’s conversion to digital technology will begin after this semester ends.

The Board also approved a contract with Kone, Inc., of Peoria to refurbish elevators in Andrews Hall and Carman Hall’s north tower. The current elevators are original to Carman and Andrews, which were built in 1970 and 1966, respectively, interim President Lou Hencken told the board. Similar work on elevators in Lawson Hall and Carman’s south tower was completed last year, Hencken said.

Another bidder, Cavinder Elevator, Inc., of Beech Grove, Ind., holds the contract for the routine maintenance of all elevators on campus. Kone outbid Cavinder by about $13,000 with a bid of $286,909. Kone has done other elevator work at Eastern and is familiar with the infrastructure, said Jeff Cooley, vice president for business.

The project will update the controls and the interior of the elevators and will be completed during the summer months. Hencken said Eastern would no longer use Carman to house those participating in camps since it uses its own heating and cooling system. The lower four floors of Andrews will still be used for camps while the elevators are under construction.

The BOT voted to approve a contract with IBM for the maintenance of the university server. Bill Witsman, director of Information Technology Services, told the board that Eastern had been contracting with IBM this way for about the last 25 years. The company also cuts Eastern a 15 percent discount on equipment.

Witsman assured the Board that Eastern isn’t sticking with IBM because it’s locked into a contract, and the university can opt out if the costs exceed the $400,000 yearly limit.