Northern Star Monday, November 10, 2014
Volume 115, Issue 44
The Northern Star is the daily campus newspaper serving Northern Illinois University and the surrounding community. 2 2 2
Crime Scene Sports
3 4 7
News Student Association Senate has been asked to provide feedback on NIU’s printing quota. Page 3. News Student Spotlight: A junior is switching majors so she can do more hands-on work. Page 3. Scene Percussion Ensemble will feature the berimbau. Page 5. Sports Boomer Mays has wanted to be a linebacker since he was a child. He’s been able to pursue that dream at NIU. Page 7. Sports Men’s basketball took down the Roosevelt Lakers, 71-44, over the weekend. Back Page.
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NIU cost cuts come with price
Inside
Classifieds Puzzles Calendar
The Truth Shall Bear All Light
Per credit hour cost to fall under proposed changes Keith Hernandez Day Editor H @dezjournalism
DeKalb | Full-time undergraduate students living on campus may see a reduction in the cost of attendance next year if the Board of Trustees approves committee recommendations. The Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee approved recommendations at a Thursday meeting for changes in tuition, room and board and student fees to lower the next academic year’s cost of attendance for undergraduate students by $578 to $22,706, according to numbers from the meeting’s agenda. But, incoming freshmen and transfer students not living in residents halls will face an increased cost of $222 over what incoming students paid the year before due to increased tuition and fees under the recommendations, according to numbers from the meeting’s agenda. “This year we have continued our focus on the same two concerns: access and affordability,” said Nancy Suttenfield, interim chief financial officer. “In addition, this year we endeavored to simplify, streamline and realign the underlining structure of each one of our student prices.”
Tuition Incoming freshmen and transfer students taking 15 credit hours per semester will see a $213 tuition increase over what incoming students paid the year before if the Board of Trustees approves the committee’s
Proposed costs Undergraduates taking 15 hours
FY 2015 FY 2016 In-state students In-state students
Change FY 2015-FY 2016 Dollar amount Percent change
Tuition
$9,253
$9,466
$213
2.3 percent
Fees*
$2,739
$2,748
$9
.33 percent
Room and Board**
$11,292
$10,492
($800)
-7.08 percent
Total
$23,284
$22,706
$578
-2.48 percent
* Does not include health insurance fee. ** Renovated double, Grant, Gilbert, Stevenson with an unlimited meal plan. Graduates taking 12 hours
FY 2015 FY 2016 In-state students In-state students
Change FY 2015-FY 2016 Dollar amount Percent change
Tuition*
$11,096
$11,847
$751
6.77 percent
Total
$11,096
$11,847
$751
6.77 percent
* Includes $2,716 in fees in FY 2015. FY 2016 is only tuition. recommendations Dec. 4, according to numbers from the meeting’s agenda. A $4,732.80 cost cap will be established after 12 credit hours, creating a declining cost per credit hour starting at 13 hours. Brad Bond, chair of the committee’s tuition task force, said the declining cost per credit hour after 12 credit hours will encourage students to enroll full-time at NIU. “We do care that students enroll beyond the minimum to be full-time students,” Bond said. “It emphasizes to the students that we want them to complete their degrees in four years.” Returning students will see an about 4 percent cost-per-credit-hour reduction, according to truth in tuition figures from NIU’s website and
Source: meeting agenda
numbers from the meeting’s agenda. The committee also approved a lower tuition rate for out-of-state students living in the Midwest region. The new rate would be 1.4 times the cost of instate tuition, which, under the proposed tuition for next year, would be about $462.63 a credit hour.
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, said the changes will give families a better idea of the cost of attendance. “One of the difficulties for our parents and for families is figuring out what is it going to cost as it relates to room and board and being on campus,” Weldy said. “What this allows Room and board us to do is really fall in line with our The committee proposed the elim- competitors ... and make it easier for ination of a $90 meal plan, which will our families to make a decision.” represent an $800 decrease in the cost of room and board for the 2016 Student fees academic year. Included in this recA $9 student fee increase was recommendation is the restructuring of ommended by the fee committee, room and board rates, integrating the bringing to the cost of fees to $2,748. unlimited meal plan and a single or The committee also recommended multiple occupancy into one flat rate. combining the 15 student fee categoEric Weldy, vice president of ries into four over two years.
Volleyball takes top spot in MAC West
freshman middle blocker Shelby Seurer finished the match with a .429 attack percentage and four kills. Senior outside hitter Mackenzie Roddy collected 19 spikes in the win.
Rhema Rhea Staff Writer H @NSSportsRhea
DeKalb | Volleyball (20-8, 13-1 MAC) earned its second MAC West division regular season title in four seasons with a 109-kill weekend. By winning both weekend matches, NIU clinched a top-two seed in the MAC Tournament and will receive a double-bye into the semifinals. The Huskies (20-8, 13-1 MAC) swept the Western Michigan Broncos, 3-0, Thursday in Kalamazoo, Mich. Saturday, NIU rallied to beat the Bowling Green Falcons, 3-1, at Victor E. Court. NIU won 20 games for the sixth time in head coach Ray Gooden’s 13year NIU career, which he said is a nice accomplishment, but he has his eyes set on bigger things this season. “I think the better stat for us is that we continue to defend home and helping us solidify what we needed to as far as winning the [MAC] West outright and getting the No. 2 seed,” he said. “... The 20 wins is a nice milestone, but it’s more about the team, their success and what they’ve done.”
Alexandra Meyer | Northern Star
Sophomore middle blocker Jenna Radtke plays against Bowling Green Saturday. NIU won both its weekend matches and claimed the MAC West division regular season title, its second in four seasons.
swing with a strong defensive showing, defeating Western Michigan (1613, 7-7 MAC) in straight sets Thursday (25-16, 25-22, 25-15). The Huskies collected 12 blocks in the win, including six from sophomore middle blocker Jenna Radtke. Bronco Lexie Pawlik came into the match leading the nation in assists and finished the contest with Western Michigan 24, but she got outdueled by junior NIU concluded its five-game road setter Alexis “Pookie” Gonzalez,
who registered 31 assists. The passing from Gonzalez helped NIU strike down 42 kills to the Eagles’ 30. NIU was also smarter with the volleyball, making only 14 errors to Western Michigan’s 21. With the combination of NIU’s 12 blocks and its pressure forcing WMU errors, the Eagles ended up having a .087 attack percentage while NIU finished with .250. In her second start of the season,
Bowling Green NIU performed well in front of the big lights, taking down Bowling Green in four sets (24-26, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22) in the program’s third match televised on ESPN3. NIU knew that even though Bowling Green (7-16, 4-10 MAC) has been struggling this year the Falcons are only two years removed from a MAC Championship they won in 2011 when they beat NIU, 3-2. The match went back and forth and included 30 tied scores and 10 lead changes. Gooden said the Huskies might have been a little too pumped up, but they did a nice job loosening up as the match went on. “I think we had to get used to playing back here after being on the road for five matches,” Gooden said. “I think we started a little tight because we were so energetic and ready to go, and once we settled down we started playing better volleyball; that’s for sure.”