Eastern Illinois University will be losing $260,000 a year for the next 10 years, athletic director Tom Michael said during the board of trustees meeting Thursday.
In the meeting at the Tarble Arts Center, Michael talked about the upcoming NCAA settlement. He said that with the settlement, every Division I program will have to pay back alumni of the Power 4 conferences for name, image and likeness damages.
Michael also talked about how he was invited to be one of five athletic directors on a board for the NCAA change. He said he hopes he can help Eastern in the long run by being on that board.
“We continue to work to make intercollegiate athletics better at EIU,” Michael said.
President Jay Gatrell talked in the meeting regarding low classroom utilization on campus, meaning what percent of classrooms are used for what amount of time.
“There’s two ways to fix classroom utilization,” Gatrell said. “Increase enrollment or decrease space.”
Gatrell said there are over 200 classes being used on campus, but estimated that EIU may only need around 90 of them.
Enrollment data for the spring semester will come later next week when the tenth day numbers have been released.
Currently, a majority of the time students are in class is between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. across campus. The board spoke on potentially shifting classroom locations and changing what time of day certain classes would be offered in the future.
As a result, there is a recommendation to begin condensing classroom usage and potentially close buildings in the future without landmark status.
Landmark status marks a place where significant historical events occurred, where prominent Americans worked or lived, that represent those ideas that shaped the nation, that provide important information about our past or that are outstanding examples of design or construction, as stated in National Historic Landmarks in Illinois – Preservation.
A few landmarks on campus are Old Main and Pemberton Hall.
The board extended Gatrell’s contract, currently set to expire in 2026 to now expire in 2029 with no pay increase.
Gatrell and Michael both stated how well Eastern’s athletics are doing with academics. Gatrell praised two athletes, fifth year cross country runner Mackenzie Aldridge and senior goalkeeper Chad Smith, as they were two of six OVC athletes to be recognized as scholar athletes.
Additionally, he said that starting Monday there will be a Holocaust remembrance exhibit set up in Booth Library all next week.
Gatrell said that it is important for the community to start having difficult conversations and the Holocaust exhibit will help start those.
The board voted unanimously to reaffirm Eastern’s mission and vision statements.
Also, the board voted unanimously to officially rename the McAfee volleyball court to Gardella Court in honor of the donation from the Gardella family.
Vice President of University Advancement Mickey Spencer shared that two donators are funding a new statue on campus of Napoleon, a golden retriever that lived on EIU’s campus before passing in 1960. His memorial plaque can be found behind Old Main.
The statue should be completed by homecoming in the fall later this year, Spencer said.
The board of trustees will meet again on April 17.
Patrick Schmitz can be reached at 581-2812 or at pfschmitz@eiu.edu.