The Governors State University Board of Trustees voted to increase tuition and fees at the Feb. 24 meeting.

Due to a law locking in tuition for current students, only incoming GovState students will see the hike in tuition. Athletic and facilities fees will increase by $50 each for students enrolled in six or fewer credit hours and $100 each for students enrolled in seven or more credit hours. These fees are expected to be applied to new athletic facilities and other projects that will improve the campus and benefit students.

Students were invited to provide input on the increases early in February. The board also approved an increase in the rates for students living on campus at Prairie Place.

The board heard from Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Paul McGuinness and John Potempa, associate vice president of facilities development, about the university’s master facility plans.

“We’re committed to developing athletic facilities for good experiences on campus, both intercollegiate and also intramural, and this commitment is outlined in the university master plan,” said McGuinness.

One of these commitments is giving the soccer players a home field. GovState added soccer teams to the athletic program years ago, but they have been forced to practice and play games off-site due to inadequate playing fields. McGuinness explained that the field will be slightly wider than needed to accommodate two teams practicing simultaneously.

McGuinness shared images of the soccer field with the board and discussed the planning that went into the project.

“We’re actually going to start moving ground very shortly with the expectation that it will be completed before the start of [fall] classes,” said McGuinness.

The board and community members had questions about bathrooms, parking and accessibility in the area. They were assured that building the field was just the beginning of the project and that more amenities would be added in the future as funding allowed. Potempa also dismissed concerns that the field’s location, in the open space between Prairie Place and the Child Development Center, would interfere with any previously established day-to-day activities.

In addition to the soccer field, which was already promised, and seems to have the support of the student body, the administrators are also working on a feasibility study focused on remodeling the A-building. Many students have expressed concerns about replacing the campus pool with another gym space, while athletes and coaches have expressed the need for more indoor facilities.

For othr action from the board meeting, see https://jaguarstudentmedia.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=5126&action=edit