{"id":2956,"date":"2013-06-27T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T13:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/?p=2956"},"modified":"2013-09-10T10:17:05","modified_gmt":"2013-09-10T15:17:05","slug":"sau-board-of-trustees-approves-budgets-and-opts-out-of-gun-legislation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/2013\/sau-board-of-trustees-approves-budgets-and-opts-out-of-gun-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"SAU Board of Trustees approves budgets and opts out of gun legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cledis<\/a>

Cledis Stuart, one of many speakers at Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting in the Agriculture Center’s Orval Childs Lecture Hall, presents the Interim Report of the Diversity Initiative Task Force for SAU<\/p><\/div>\n

The Southern Arkansas University Board of Trustees met on June 20, 2013, during which the Board unanimously approved the 2013-14 budgets for SAU and SAU Tech and opted out of the concealed weapon legislation.<\/p>\n

SAU\u2019s approved budget includes a tuition and fee increase of 3.35%, while SAU Tech\u2019s budget calls for a 10% tuition boost. As this is the main budget meeting of the year, SAU President Dr. David Rankin presented a SAU System budget of more than $67 million with more than 500 employees serving more than 5,500 students.<\/p>\n

\u201cBudget preparations this year have been very challenging with the University facing additional costs of operations, combined with static state funding,\u201d said Rankin. \u201cHowever, I do not want to complain because many states have faced cuts in state funding. So we are fortunate. In fact, that was probably our best case scenario when we went to Little Rock that we would have no cut in state funding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tuition will increase at SAU from $196 to $204 per credit-hour, and from $98 to $108 per credit-hour at SAU Tech. Rankin pointed out that the larger tuition increase at SAU Tech is primarily enabling the funding for the new student center there, construction of which should begin this fall, and to meet additional operating expenses.<\/p>\n

Upon recommendations from the SAU Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, and administration, the Board unanimously voted for SAU to opt out of legislation that would allow faculty and staff members with concealed weapons permits to carry handguns on campus. Opting out will be revisited annually, per the legislation.<\/p>\n

Other items presented by Dr. Rankin at the board meeting include:<\/p>\n