Three public commenters urge paid parental leave, budget transparency at UIS and fossil fuel divestment

Three speakers addressed the Board of Trustees during the March 25, 2025 public comment period, raising workplace and campus‑policy concerns: a hospital nurse sought expanded paid parental leave for university employees; a long‑time UIS employee asked for clearer explanations of how state funding is distributed across the system; and a student leader urged trustees to act on fossil‑fuel divestment following a campus referendum.

Paul Pater, an emergency department nurse at UI Health and a member of the Illinois Nurses Association, told the board he has used most of his paid time off since the birth of his daughter and urged a systemwide paid parental leave of 12 weeks. “All I'm here today is to ask for equity with other state employees,” Pater said, asking that the university match what other public employers offer.

Richard Gilman Opalski, a UIS employee of about 19 years, said campus leaders and staff are receiving messages about the need for drastic cost reductions and asked the board to provide clearer information on how the system allocates state revenue across the three campuses and the central administration. He said UIS is carrying a reported $8 million deficit and said cuts raise concerns about affordability for students and impacts to faculty and staff.

Gabriela Del Santo, student body president‑elect at Urbana‑Champaign, urged trustees to respond to student demand to divest system holdings in fossil fuels. She said students passed a UIUC student referendum with roughly 73 percent support and that students feel unheard despite repeated meetings, protests and governance efforts. “Fossil fuel companies don't come to learn at the university, we do,” Del Santo said, urging the board to give students a meaningful role in investment decisions.

Why it matters: Public comments flagged persistent policy questions trustees will face: employee benefits and parity with state employers, how system funds are distributed and the responsiveness of governance to student votes and activism on investments. Trustees did not take immediate action on these public comments during the meeting; the comments were recorded in the meeting minutes and will be part of the public record.

Provenance

Paul Pater public comment – transcript excerpt: “All I'm here today is to ask for equity with other state employees. I believe 6 weeks is very nice and generous... but why should my daughter have less bonding time than other state employees?” (transcript s=4709.31 to e=4926.97)

Richard Gilman Opalski public comment – transcript excerpt: “We don't know how the system allocates state funding across the campuses... this campus has an $8,000,000 deficit.” (transcript s=4956.31 to e=5171.48)

Gabriela Del Santo public comment – transcript excerpt: “Fossil fuel companies don't come to learn at the university, we do.” (transcript s=5196.56 to e=5394.80)