If two Student Senate proposals pass on Wednesday, the total funds in executive tuition waivers will decrease by $9,500, said the student body president at an Apportionment Board meeting on Thursday. 

Both the student government and the Student Recreation Center presented its requested budgets for Fiscal Year 13, and addressed different areas with cuts and increases. 

Student Body President Ed Hotwagner, a senior mathematics major, said the $9,500 decrease would result from eliminating the student vice president for business affairs position and putting a $2,500 cap on executive tuition waivers. 

The cap is about $1,000 less than the 12-credit hour compensation that executives received in the past.

“It is difficult to put this in the budget because we don’t actually know what is going to happen until Wednesday,” Hotwagner said during the budget presentation. 

Hotwagner requested a total budget of $47,630, which is about $2,000 less than their budget last year and about $5,600 less than this year. 

Ken Baker, the director of the Student Recreation Center, said they are requesting fewer funds for maintenance checks, and they did not request any funds for equipment or supplies. 

He requested an increased amount of $54,000 so they could pay the six REC graduate assistants $900 a month instead of $800 a month for 10 months. 

Baker compared the full-time staff at the REC compared to Western Illinois University and Illinois State University to demonstrate that they accomplish more with less workers than other universities. 

Eastern has 10 people who are full time, whereas Illinois State University has about 22. 

“We have four administrators and six graduate assistants, and our student fee is $72.50,” Baker said. “Western has about 23 full-time professionals with a student fee of about $149, and they have a smaller facility.”

Baker requested a total budget of $211,000, and $150,000 of that would go toward student payroll. 

Mary Lane, the student vice president for business affairs and a junior family and consumer sciences major, said the University Board and the Apportionment Board will present budget requests on March 8. 

If the proposal eliminating her position is passed, she said next semester her responsibilities would be consolidated to the other executives and the student vice president for student affairs would take on most of her current duties.

The budgets will be voted on at the March 22 meeting. 

Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].