Eastern’s Board of Trustees will consider four purchase items Monday, including one to put new furniture in the residence halls.

The furnishing will be built by inmates as part of a program through the Illinois Department of Corrections. Some of the hall furniture is 40 years old, said Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining.

The current furniture such as desks and beds are built-in, while the proposed $6 million replacements would be flexible.

“It’s like building blocks … everything is the same width and height,” Hudson said.

The wood furniture can be put at angles and stacked on top of each other, which is especially important “because students bring more stuff than they used to.”

Working with IDOC, money stays within the state and the furniture is more readily available, he said.

“It just seemed like a good win-win situation.”

Inmates have built furniture for Eastern’s campus before. The BOT will likely approve the purchase even with the state budget woes, since the furniture will be paid for by student housing fees, Hudson said.

The fees will probably not increase more than 5 percent next year, and a recent survey indicated 65 percent of students would be willing to fund the extra cost.

The board also will approve a wet-pipe sprinkler system for five buildings in University Court.

The system will be installed over the summer and cost over $378,000 for the sprinkler segment and $64,000 for plumbing.

The purchase approval will allow for new water services and asbestos abasement, according to a proposal to the BOT.

Western State Fire Protection in Missouri is the recommended vendor for the sprinkler contract and McWilliams Mechanical of Champaign for plumbing.

The board will hear a recommended purchase of digital equipment for the WEIU-TV mobile van.

The equipment will cost almost $300,000 and allow the campus TV station to provide mobile broadcasting, according to the board proposal.

The new equipment will include digital converters, video recorders, amplifiers, cameras and other items.

The concept of an estimated $750,000 artificial turf project for O’Brien Stadium has already been approved by the BOT and Illinois Department of Higher Education.

A recommended vendor will be announced Monday.

The turf will reduce maintenance cost, deter current maintenance needs and improve safety. About $600,000 already has been raised from private donations and the university will have the opportunity to receive state grant funding, Director of Athletics Rich McDuffie previously said.

The BOT will elect officers from current board members. The board chair and secretary will be elected by secret ballot and the vice chair and pro tem by roll call.

The members may stay in the current board positions, said Judy Gorrell, executive secretary to the president.

Recommendations on the award of tenure will be presented to the board.

The BOT will meet at 10 a.m. Monday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.