(CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Harsh words and tough talk from a former Illinois state representative were part of a news conference Wednesday.

“The universities that have gone from 15,000 to 75,000 students, they get the same amount as the university that went from 7,500 students to 15,000 students,” said former Rep. Mark Batinick. “So, what’s the effect of that? You’re subsidizing failure.”

Much of the problem, says Batinick, is because of a baby bust. “We peaked at all of higher education at about 380,000 students in 2011,” said Batinick. “We are now down to 261,000 students. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education did a study on the enrollment cliff. It happened after 2009, when you saw a massive drop in the birth rate. That massive drop was 1seventeen years ago, and it’s about to hit our shores.”

The news conference also included State Rep. Jeff Keicher (R=Sycamore), who is sponsoring a bill for a study to produce a ten-year plan for Illinois’ public universities.