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Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016
Northern Star
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The House should focus on its cafe to maintain customer loyalty
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Faith Mellenthin | Northern Star
Point/Counterpoint: NIU general fee NIU’s mandatory general fee is $1,117.92 per semester and includes access to campus facilities, maintenance of those facilities and more, according to the NIU Bursar’s Office.
NIU general fee worth the cost
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NIU not to blame for enrollment decrease Northern Star Editorial Board
Columns Columns reflect the opinion of the author.
Sports Editor: Scott A. Nicol Sports@NorthernStar.info
Perspective
Ian Tancun Columnist
NIU’s mandatory general fee is a worthwhile expense for students because of the services provided under the fee. Access to all sporting events, the Campus Recreation Center, fitness facilities, Health Services and the Huskie bus line are among the services students can take advantage of. Although I’m not a freshman, I am in my first year at NIU and have discovered the reality of
weight gain in college, otherwise known as the “freshman 15.” While looking for a local gym to combat the added weight, I realized the best option was on campus. FitWorkz, 1690 Sycamore Rd., charges a monthly membership fee of $60, according to the FitWorkz website. Anytime Fitness, 901 S. Annie Glidden Rd., has a lowertier membership rate, which costs $419.88 annually. The low-tier Anytime Fitness rate does not include access to a pool, track and basketball court, tennis and volleyball courts. These perks, along with other athletic activities and events on campus are available to students who pay the general fee of $1,117.92 per semester, according
to NIU’s Bursar’s Office webpage. The general fee covers access to health services. My one-time visit to Perry County Memorial Hospital in Missouri, this summer to see a nurse for a diagnosis of an irritated throat cost $890.25. I was responsible for $253.53 of that fee. Paying the general fee provides unlimited access to health services for ailments like mine, according the Health Services website. As a college student wading in an ever-growing pool of debt, I do not believe in paying a penny more than necessary. Because of the services included in the general fee, services that would otherwise add up quickly to rather substantial amounts, I do not mind paying.
Athletic fee should be optional Maddie Steen Columnist
Students should not be required to pay the NIU athletic fee portion of the general fee and instead choose if they want to pay it. The athletic fee used to be separate from the general fee, according to the NIU Bursar’s website. Now, one general fee of $93.16 is required per hour, totaling $1,117.92 per semester for 12 hours and $4,471.68 annually, according to the webpage. Athletic fees go toward funding NCAA athletic teams and events, according to Campus Recreation’s webpage. This should not be another fee put on students on top
of educational fees. From 2010-14, 49 percent of what supported the athletic department came directly from NIU while 51 percent came from the students as a result of fees, according an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education. While I agree athletics are an important aspect of college, I do not agree that our tuition is what supports these teams. Last semester, athletics offered a raffle for free tuition for a year to students who went to every home football game; 6,000 students per game had to attend before the prize would be awarded. This incentive was put in place to draw more students in, but attendance was still low. Although the athletic fee may be the reason students go to games, the majority still do not go, according to a Feb. 4 Northern Star article.
Of the 20,130 students enrolled, if 7,000 use their free passes, that leaves 65 percent of students not attending football games. These students who may not be interested in sports should not have to pay for something they are not involved with. Their money could go towards other school fees and supplies. Only those who use or are involved in athletic activities should have to pay this fee. If NIU expects students to pay anything, it should be their choice whether to support the athletic department or not. The decision should be up to the student based on, their own participation. Instead of a mandatory fee, NIU could offer a discounted season ticket price for students who do want to attend football games and other events.
NIU administration cannot be put entirely at fault for the 5 percent enrollment decrease it experienced this fall, as the majority of Illinois public universities are experiencing major enrollment declines. NIU blamed the decrease on the continuing population decline in Illinois and the level of state support for higher education, according to a Sept. 7 email from NIU President Doug Baker. The wavering state support for higher education was no exaggeration, as Illinois lawmakers allocated $74.7 million to NIU for Fiscal Year 2016 — a 17.9 percent cut compared to the $91 million allocated for FY15 — according to a July 11 Northern Star article. For many students, committing to college means plunging into piles of student debt. In Illinois, 67 percent of students leave college with an average debt of $28,984, according to the Institute for College Access and Success’ website. Monetary Award Program grants, which are awarded to students in need of financial assistance by FAFSA, were also at risk for a loss of state funding. Because some students rely on these grants to pay for their education, the risk of them not being funded by the state may have forced them to forfeit their schooling. NIU took less of a blow to enrollment compared to the majority of other Illinois public universities. Eastern Illinois University took the biggest hit, experiencing a 13 percent drop, according to a Sept. 8 Chicago Tribune article. The NIU freshman class, which declined about 20 percent, faced one of the largest drops, according to the email. Because of this, NIU needs to hone in on initiatives to keep the freshman class from declining further. Some steps are already being taken by NIU, such as the Holmes Student Center renovation and minimal tuition increases in the past three years, according to the email. However, NIU can still boost its efforts by continuing to renovate buildings on campus like the residence halls. One of the first things that draws incoming students to a university is the aesthetic of a campus, which is something NIU needs to improve. Although overall enrollment dropped, multiple programs, including undergraduate and graduate engineering, undergraduate computer science and graduate public administration, experienced enrollment increases. Considering these enrollment increases and the steps NIU is taking to recruit and retain more students, one can only realistically point fingers at state lawmakers.
For more information Go to NorthernStar.info/Campus to read more about the decrease in enrollment.