During a Senate budget hearing Tuesday in Springfield, many of the questions for SIU System President Randy Dunn focused on a bill to split the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses.
Dunn claims the expense of splitting SIU Edwardsville from the Carbondale Campus would create little to no extra cost.
Senator Chapin Rose of Champaign worries that will not be the case.
"I am not going to be for anything that's more administrative costs to our higher education system at the expense of higher tuition and less money to the classroom."
Dunn told the lawmakers his office is neutral on the legislation to separate the campuses.
Another Illinois Senator is critical of the SIU Board of Trustees voting against a proposal that would have sent more money to the Edwardsville campus.
A proposal that would have sent SIU Edwardsville 5-point-1 million dollars failed in a narrow 4 to 3 vote at the last Board of Trustees meeting.
Senator Jim Oberweis says the board should reconsider the decision as Edwardsville's enrollment grows.
"This isn't right. Here's where the student growth is, here's where our opportunity is. Over here, we're going to work hard to turn that around, but right now that's not where it's at.”
