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Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016
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Students adjust to new printing fees Sanah Baig Staff writer
DeKALB | This semester, students have to load money onto their OneCard if they want to use NIU’s printers because of an elimination in printing quotas. “I was surprised, because I had to print off a bunch of stuff for class and saw that I only had $6, and now I’m already down to $2 and it’s already been a week and a half [into the semester],” graduate student Sarah Bresnahan said.
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Every major has worksheets or [papers] that they have to print out, and it’s a requirement for class. I think it’s kind of silly that we’re having to pay even more money to print things for class when we’ve already spent how much on tuition.” Sarah Bresnahan Graduate Student
NIU’s printing program, Anywhere Prints, will charge 7 cents to print black and white pages and 25 cents to print color pages. Scanning pages to a jump drive or email is free, according to the
2012-13 academic year
2014-15 academic year
$21 per semester
$7 per semester
Before Fall 2012
2013-14 academic year
2016-17 academic year
Unlimited printing
$14 per semester
No stipend Infographic by Madison Kacer | Northern Star
Division of Information Technology’s website. Since 2012, printing quotas have been steadily reduced in hopes of decreasing university spending and becoming more eco-friendly, resulting in no stipend for printing, according to a Nov. 26, 2012, Northern Star article. “I understand the mindset of training people to not have any money for printing,” sophomore English major Anthony Ortiz
said. “But we’re already spending a lot of money buying textbooks, paying tuition and room and board to be here, so it would be nice if [the printing stipend] would be provided by the school since there’s no other way to print things on campus [for free].” Prior to fall 2012, NIU provided unlimited printing to students, according to an April 27, 2015, Northern Star article. During the 2012-13 academic year, the stipend
was limited to $21 per semester. In the 2013-14 academic year, it was cut to $14 per semester. During the 2014-15 academic year, the stipend was cut to $7 a semester. Professors can utilize Blackboard, NIU’s online course management system, to post and receive papers online to reduce printing. Bresnahan said she does not think this is a complete solution. “Every major has worksheets or [papers] that they have to print
out, and it’s a requirement for class,” Bresnahan said. “I think it’s kind of silly that we’re having to pay even more money to print things for class when we’ve already spent how much on tuition.” Ortiz said not having a printing stipend impacts how he budgets his income. “I can see where I would be in trouble with just living,” Ortiz said. “I’ll have to use my Huskie Bucks to print stuff off and sometimes I need that [money] for food and to live. It makes the practicality of Huskie Bucks less convenient if I have to constantly spend money on printing pages every week.” Students can deposit money at bit. ly/2c4xpq6 or at OneCard ID Services on the ground floor of the Holmes Student Center. “I’m definitely going to be more conscious about what I print,” Bresnahan said. “I’m going to try and use my computer as much as I can, but some things you just can’t avoid having to print.”
Read More Go to northernstar.info/campus to read more about the gradual elimination of the student printing stipend.
New honors director starts Samantha Malone Staff writer
DeKALB | In the past five years, the University Honors Program has gone through four directors, and this semester, the new director Todd Gilson began his position. Before he was offered the position, Gilson worked at NIU as a professor in the Kinesiology and Physical Education Depa r t ment, Todd Gilson where he began University Honors in 2008. Gilson Program Director taught his first honors course in 2012 and said he really enjoyed the experience. “I was offered the opportunity to start teaching honors classes, and from that first semester, [applying as the director] was something that I pegged,” Gilson said. The position for director opened in April, and Gilson was among several others when he applied. The interview process had a presentation component for each applicant which honors student leaders attended.
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I want to make students aware that you can make the personal connection with me. I’m [going to] be the hardest working director you’ve seen. I’m [going to] be out there when I’m supposed to be out there.” Todd Gilson Director of University Honors Program
Gilson spoke of changes he wanted to make to the program
such as an increased funding for honors students. He said he wants to provide more financial aid and opportunity to students working in the honors program. Gilson put an emphasis on reinventing the Honors Engaged program, which offers events for honors students throughout the semester. In order to remain an active member in the honors program, students must attend two of the events, according to the University Honors Program’s website. He said he wants to incentivize it by making attendance optional to make students want to participate rather than feel forced. The more events a student attends, the more financial and academic resources they will have. “We need to make Honors Engaged more of a carrot and less of a stick,” Gilson said. “Honors Engaged right now is either do it or go on probation. We need to incentivize people and show them the benefits and values.” Mary Reinertson, freshman electrical engineering major, and freshman psychology major Rachel Huck said Honors Engaged is difficult for them because they feel forced and are sometimes unable to attend events. Huck said this would be a positive change for the program and look forward to Gilson’s efforts. “I think a lot of the events they host are cool, but we have to do it and we have to fit things into our schedule,” Reinertson said. Gilson recognized these problems and said he hopes he will be able to bring something new to the program, such as providing more financial aid to students involved in the program. He wants to be
Upcoming Events
What: Honors In-Course Contract Workshop When: 11 a.m. Wednesday and 9:30 a.m. Sept. 13 Where: Campus Life Building, Room 110 engaged with students and attend events with them and hopes this will make him a familiar face. Lexie Williams, senior public health administration major, said Gilson impressed her immediately. “He was very enthusiastic and humorous,” Williams said. “He talked about his five-year plan and the changes he wanted to make to the program, and he’s already been what students and staff want.” This impression also came across to Reinertson, who first met Gilson at the honors program Lorado Taft retreat, four days before classes began. “He kept saying how he really wanted the position, and now he’s got it, so I think he’s going to do great things,” Huck said. Gilson said he is thrilled to have this new position and looks forward to working with students and staff to make the program all that it can be. “I want to make students aware that you can make [a] personal connection with me,” Gilson said. “I’m [going to] be the hardest working director you’ve seen. I’m [going to] be out there when I’m supposed to be out there. I’m [going to] take risks and fail at things and that’s fine because I’m [going to] learn from it.”
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