University President Joab Thomas responded to questions about the Commonwealth Educational System, budget cuts and academic advising at Saturday's Council of Commonwealth Student Governments meeting.

"(The Commonwealth Education System) is a confusing program but may be the best we have devised to respond to students' needs," Thomas said.

Thomas said he knows students' concerns about the academic advising system and the University has developed several responses.

"The Taskforce on Undergraduate Education is working to develop some models where the advising system seems to be working well," he said.

CCSG's Academic Advising Taskforce Chairman Ron Fischer said work is continuing on a booklet detailing academic advising systems, academic audits and students' concerns.

"Generally, the book will give summaries of academic advising issues from an individual campus viewpoint and an overall summary of the whole Commonwealth Educational System," Fischer said. "Hopefully, this booklet will provide tangible evidence to those who doubt this issue's importance."

Thomas said plans are also under way to upgrade computer advising systems.

The University is looking at a computer program that would show a student what courses he has taken as well as his options for future courses, Thomas said. With such a system in place, faculty advisers could concentrate on true advising, he said.

However, budget cuts will affect some student programs and services, Thomas said.

"We anticipated these cuts and delayed some planned expenditures throughout the Fall Semester," he said. Because of a drop in enrollment in the Commonwealth Educational System, cuts were already made in that system, he said, but they have been minimal.

"The people right on the firing line in student services will decide on where the cuts will be," Thomas said.

Senior Vice President of the Commonwealth Educational System Richard Grubb said the system allows budgets to be developed at a local level.

"We do review the budget plans of each campus but generally we see no real pattern," Grubb said. "There is different funding at each campus."

Grubb said any time the budget is cut it affects the students most.

"Every dollar we put out is for the students," he said. Budget cuts affect student programs and can affect campuses' physical plant, Grubb said.

Thomas said he will have a better idea about further cuts when Gov. Robert P. Casey reveals next year's budget. "There will almost inevitably be tuition increases," he said.

Thomas said students and faculty have to let the legislature know that education is the highest priority for the Commonwealth.

CCSG Coordinator Brian Donaldson said he was impressed with Thomas and thought his talk with the council went very well.

"He gave students a lot of information and answered their questions as directly as he could," he said. "He was well prepared to answer their questions."

Donaldson said Thomas was up to date on all of the campuses and knew the individual concerns of each campus.