Bill could affect tuition rates, autonomy of Board of Governors

Student Body President Sean Hornbuckle, is seeking the help of the student body in combating a bill that is making its way through the West Virginia Legislature.

Hornbuckle said Senate Bill 480 contains a provision for funding the salary schedule for classified staff and in his opinion, that is a good thing, but other language in the bill should be a big concern for Marshall students.

"Senate Bill 480 will take away some of the governing power of our own Board of Governors," Hornbuckle said.  "The ability of Marshall's Board of Governors to make decisions about our university should be a major concern for students.  Senate Bill 480 will attempt to fully fund classified staff which is a good thing, but without attaching a specific way to fund the increases, students could end up with a tuition hike of approximately 4 percent."

According to Senate Bill 480, "The purpose of the Legislature is to require the commission and council jointly to implement, control, supervise and manage a complete, uniform system of personnel classification and compensation in accordance with the provisions of this article for classified employees at higher education organizations." 

The bill requires each higher education organization to achieve full funding of the salary schedule and encourages the schools to use future tuition increases to do so. 

"It is further the intent of the Legislature to encourage strongly that each organization dedicate a portion of future tuition increases to fund the classified salary schedule and, after full funding of the salary schedule is achieved, to move toward meeting salary goals for faculty, classified and nonclassified employees," according to Senate Bill 480.

Hornbuckle is asking students to call or e-mail their senators to ask for a compromise and for the language in the bill to be changed.

The sponsors of Senate Bill 480 are Sen. Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, Senator President Earl Ray Tomblin and Sen. Evan H. Jenkins, D-Cabell.

Alyssa Salyers can be contacted at salyersa@marshall.edu.