SIU trustees delay move on tuition increases

CARBONDALE — Plans to raise tuition rates for incoming freshmen at Southern Illinois University's Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses next year are on hold for now.

The university system's trustees voted during a meeting Thursday in Springfield to have administrators rethink whether a proposed 8.9 percent increase at the Carbondale campus and a 9.9 percent boost at Edwardsville are necessary.

Trustee Ed Hightower suggested the second look, saying he wanted to make certain there are no other alternatives to raising the tuition as proposed. Another trustee, Marquita Wiley, says any increase needs to be in relation to what the market will bear and what students can afford.

The system's president, Glenn Poshard, considers the tuition increases necessary.

The board is to take up the matter again at its meeting next month.