University Opposes Legislation to Eliminate Employee Tuition Discount

Protesters at UIC marched against proposed tuition waiver cuts in 2010. Now, the State Legislature is looking at cutting our tuition waivers again.

THE UNIVERSITY has formally registered its opposition to proposed State legislation that, if adopted, would eliminate discount tuition waivers for employees.

EMPLOYEES AT Illinois public universities such as UIC, who have held positions for at least seven years, are eligible to receive half-price tuition for their children. Each year, more than 2,000 students statewide take advantage of the tuition.

“MOST UNIVERSITIES around the country provide tuition waivers, so eliminating them would impair our ability to recruit and retain top faculty and staff,” said University President Michael J. Hogan. “The waivers are a reasonable benefit for our hard-working faculty and staff, who contribute greatly to the State’s well-being through their teaching and research. The waivers are part of what universities consider the normal compensation package when we recruit faculty in a very competitive market. Without them we are at an extreme disadvantage.”

AT A Feb. 29 hearing on the legislation, House Bill 5531, sponsored by Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago), the University filed a formal notice of opposition, according to DeShana Forney, Associate Director of University Governmental Relations. Illinois public universities and organized labor lined up to testify in opposition to the legislation, which advanced out of the House Executive Committee and will be considered next by the full House of Representatives. If passed by the House, it would require approval in the Senate before final consideration by the Governor.

“WE WILL continue to talk to legislators on both sides of the aisle and let them know how this legislation would put public universities in Illinois at a competitive disadvantage,” Forney said. “We will do everything we can to explain our position.”

COMMON AT colleges and universities nationally, including UIC peer institutions, the waivers are an incentive to retain high-quality faculty and staff at the University.

REP ARROYO maintains that the State cannot afford the waivers. If passed, the new legislation would be effective immediately.

TWO OTHER bills, HB 2959 and HB 3873, also have been introduced that would repeal the tuition waivers. They have been assigned to the House Higher Education Committee; the University will oppose both bills.

YOU CAN look up contact information for your local district officials by clicking the URL at the end of this paragraph, should you wish to contact them and let them know how you feel about the proposed legislation: http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByZip.aspx.

SEE ALSO related UIC News article at http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/uicnews/articledetail.cgi?id=16181.