Former student speaker of the senate Drew Griffin paid a surprise visit to the student senate to express his opposition toward the Coles County tax swap.

If the tax swap – which will be voted on in the Feb. 2 primary ballot – receives enough votes from the community, a 1 percent increase in sales tax on certain items will take effect in Coles County to support facilities maintenance in the Charleston,

Mattoon and Oakland school districts.

The student senate ultimately voted to approve the resolution with a vote of 16-8-1.

Items that will be exempt from increased taxation include vehicles, medications, farming equipment and most groceries, excluding many prepared foods.

Student speaker of the senate Isaac Sandidge described the debate that preceded the decision as some of the best he has heard since joining the student senate in the fall of 2005.

During a period of audience participation, Griffin appealed to senate members to vote against supporting the tax because he viewed that doing so would defy their duties to represent the student body.

As a substitute teacher in Paris, Ill., Griffin said he works in a building constructed more than 100 years ago where the quality of the facilities are lacking.

“I come from an under-funded district, but even so, we need to stand up for our rights as students,” Griffin said. “This is shifting the tax burden from public schools and property owners to students, many of whom aren’t even from this area.”

Griffin said in a time when the university is receiving less state assistance than ever toward supporting the campus, there is no guarantee that increased property taxes will eventually subside.

He maintained that any benefit Eastern students may reap from the tax swap would be secondary at best.

Conversely, Nahder Houshmand, chair of the student relation committee, expressed the view that supporting the tax swap would lead to better schools, which would make Eastern look better in turn.

His opinion was supported by Jarrod Scherle, vice president for business affairs, who prepared numbers for the meeting in the effort to put the tax swap in perspective for the average local family.

Scherle said the average family spends about $200 on groceries per week, many of which would be exempt from increased taxation. As for Eastern students, Scherle speculated that many would not endure a significant impact from a heightened sales tax.

“First off, we’re students,” Scherle said. “I don’t know about any of you, but I’ve got 11 bucks in my pocket right now. With this tax swap, most students would probably have to pay about $10 to $20.”

He also encouraged senate members to support the tax swap so to attract potential faculty members who have children that may otherwise look to areas like Champaign, which has implemented a tax swap.

Student body president Michelle Murphy, however, said she will continually refuse to have her name on any tax increase while acting as a representative of the student body.

“A vote against this resolution is not a vote against education,” Murphy said. “We’re going to take the hit, but we’re not going to get any of the relief. They’re not taking money out of your left pocket and putting it back in your right. Remember that.”

Ebony Frazier, chair of the diversity affairs committee, echoed Murphy’s concern.

“I just don’t understand why it would be our responsibility to bail Charleston out of their hole,” Frazier said.

Scott Lambert, vice president for academic affairs, sees otherwise.

“I don’t think we owe anything to this community, because without this school, this community would be nothing,” Lambert said.

This remark was met with outrage from other student senate members.

Eric Wilber, executive vice president, said as a three-year student representative to the city council, he could not disagree more with Lambert’s remark.

“This is not Cook County,” Wilber said, responding to senate members from that area who said they have seen continuous tax increases that promise to support schools with no results. “If we don’t pass this, the school’s maintenance problems won’t get fixed, and that money’s going to have to come from somewhere. Are we going to help support this community that wants us here, or are we going to stick it all on them?”

Tommy Nierman, chair of the external relations committee, agreed and said students, who spend nine months out of the year at Eastern, should take advantage of the opportunity to give back to the community that enables many to continue their education.

Murphy maintained that senate members could still give back to the community without supporting the tax swap.

“This tax increase is permanent. Our residence here is not,” Murphy said. “Don’t vote for this to affect people after you leave. It’s not our place.”

Erica Whelan can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected]