The Board of Trustees did not vote on a proposed 3.5 percent tuition increase at their Monday meeting because members didn’t think they were informed enough to decide.

Interim President Lou Hencken proposed the hike on top of a 5 percent increase approved at another BOT meeting during the fall semester to cover for a drop in state funding.

Gov. George Ryan’s budget would put Eastern’s operating budget for next academic year $633,000 behind where it is now. This year’s budget is already $2.3 million less than was originally budgeted because of first semester callbacks.

Hencken warned that legislators could take even more money out of the state higher education budget as it makes its way through the General Assembly. Without the tuition increase, Hencken said, those cuts could severely impact Eastern.

“I honestly don’t know what the university would do,” Hencken told the Board.

Board member Bob Manion questioned whether the university had sought other sources of funding and asked why the board had not received a comprehensive review of all the university’s expenses.

Hencken replied that about 80 percent of Eastern’s budget is used for salaries, but agreed to get more information to the board so it could make an informed decision.

Although its next scheduled meeting is not until June 23, the BOT must meet in the month of May because the Illinois Student Aid Commission will only recognize tuition increases passed before June 1, Hencken said.

The approximately $1.3 million the tuition increase is expected to generate would be used for deferred maintenance, classes, equipment and a special financial aid program to enable student defined as “needy” to continue their education at Eastern despite rising costs, Hencken said.

The Student Senate voted down a resolution supporting the increase by a vote of 14-10. Student Body President Hugh O’Hara addressed the Board and said that students would not be able to afford to stay in school.

Students attend state universities because they’re less expensive, O’Hara said.

“There’s a reason why we don’t go to private universities,” he said.