Thursday February 4, 2016
NorthernStar
.info
Volume 116 Issue 36
Enrollment hits below 20K, lowest in 34 years Alexander Chettiath News Editor
DeKalb | NIU’s total spring enrollment is down 2.5 percent from fall 2015 when enrollment was 20,130, NIU President Doug Baker said at a University Council meeting Wednesday. NIU has seen a steady decline in enrollment since 2009 when total enrollment was 24,424. The 2.5 percent decline for the spring puts NIU below 20,000, the lowest in the 34 years recorded by NIU Institutional Research. “We were down, but we weren’t as down as much as in the fall,” Baker said. “We were down 2.5 percent in the spring and 3 percent in the fall ... We were up in retention in almost every category, I think the retention rate was at 88.5 percent for freshmen.” Hayley Montalvo | Northern Star File Photo
Fans watch as the Huskies beat Ball State 59-41 on Oct. 10 at Huskie Stadium. The game was one of six games part of the Mission 6 initiative presented by NIU Athletics. The initiative, which made students eligible for free tuition for the spring 2016 semester if they attended and stayed at every home football game, was declared unsuccessful as the goal to have at least 6,000 NIU students at each game was not accomplished.
Free tuition initiative fails 6K attendance goal not met by students
Attendance
The Mission 6 initiative required at least 6,000 students to attend each of the home football games in order for the free tuition prize to be awarded.
Ashley Morse Staff writer
DeKalb | NIU Athletics’ Mission
6 initiative proved unsuccessful as no student was eligible for the free tuition prize. Mission 6 debuted for the 2015 football season with the goal to have at least 6,000 NIU students at each of the Huskies’ six home football games. Students who attended every game and stayed for the whole game were eligible to win free tuition for the spring 2016 semester, according to the NIU Alumni Association website. No student was eligible for the tuition waiver, even if they attended each home game, because the requirement for student attendance to reach 6,000 at each home game was Morris White not reached, said Assistant athletic director for Morris White, Marketing and assistant athletic Game Experience director for Marketing and Game Experience. White said student attendance numbers were not calculated until after the season. “The promotion would have been more successful had our students
Hayley Montalvo | Northern Star File Photo
A flag waves in the crowd as fans watch the Huskies beat Ball State 59-41 on Oct. 10 at Huskie Stadium. The game was one of six games part of the Mission 6 initiative presented by NIU Athletics.
met the requirements of the initiative ... . The decision was made by the students because essentially the criteria wasn’t met,” White said. The average overall attendance for the six home games was 13,942 with lowest attendance reaching 9,755, on Nov. 24 against Ohio University, according to the NIU Athletics website. The inspiration for Mission 6 stemmed from attendance from the 2014 football season, White said. “I feel like they found a loophole and they should award the students that actually went,” said senior journalism major, Jazmin Kelley. “They should uphold their part of the bargain.” Students were able to record their attendance by swiping their card at football games and checking into the Red-Black Rewards app.
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The following numbers are for all attendees present at the Huskies’ home games this season. Sept. 5 vs. UNLV
The Red-Black Rewards app re- W: 38-30 ceived a rating of one star on the Attendance: 15,455 Google Play website.
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Having 6,000 students come to a game isn’t asking too much.” Morris White Assistant athletic director for Marketing and Game Experience
Athletics purchased the app and is in a three-year contract with the developer SuperFanU, according to a Jan. 19 Northern Star article. White said the tuition waiver came from the marketing budget and had nothing to do with state funding. It has not been determined if they will do the initiative again. “Having 6,000 students come to a game isn’t asking too much,” White said.
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Sept. 12 vs. Murray State W: 57-26 Attendance: 17,465 Oct. 10 vs. Ball State W: 59-41 Attendance: 13,535 Oct. 24 vs. Eastern Michigan W: 49-21 Attendance: 17,245 Nov. 18 vs. Western Michigan W: 27-19 Attendance: 10,194 Nov. 24 vs. Ohio L: 21-26 Attendance: 9,755
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... If you are a student thinking about going to college and you look at the [state budget] you’re wondering, ‘What’s going on? Should I be going to school in Illinois?’” Doug Baker NIU President
The freshmen retention rate is the highest it has been in the last five years and is up 1.5 percent from spring 2015, Baker said. “Across the state I have seen applications down at most universities and you can see why,” Baker said. “If you are a student thinking about going to college and you look at the [state budget] you’re wondering, ‘What’s going on? Should I be going to school in Illinois?’” Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Fiscal Year 2016 proposed budget includes reduction in funds to public entities, including NIU’s $93 million in allocations for Fiscal Year 2015 being cut to about $64 million. A lack of agreement on the proposed budget has resulted in a seven-month impasse. Without a finalized budget, state appropriations cannot be given. Transfer enrollment is up by 28 people, Baker said. The decline from the fall could be due to a large graduating class in December or a graduate enrollment decline due to a better economy, said NIU Spokesperson Joe King. Despite enrollment and budget concerns, the NIU Board of Trustees agreed to maintain tuition at the current level through the 2016-17 academic year at a Dec. 10 meeting.
Pritchard sponsors higher ed bill After seven months of no state budget appropriations, Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley) said higher education is in a financial “crisis” and his newly sponsored bill hopes to fix that. Read more on Page 3.