A bill has been introduced in the Illinois Legislature that would separate Southern Illinois University’s Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses.

Democratic state Rep. Jay Hoffman of Swansea filed legislation Thursday that would abolish the SIU Board of Trustees and appoint new boards for each campus. The move comes after SIU trustees last week voted down a proposal to shift $5.1 million in state funding from the Carbondale campus to the Edwardsville campus to reflect enrollment changes.

Hoffman says the separate boards could focus on each campus’ “needs and the strengths.”

The bill faces opposition from many downstate lawmakers.