Several prominent boosters, athletic department personnel and NIU administrators flew for free to NIU’s Sept. 7 football game in Fresno, Calif., on the football team’s chartered plane that cost the university $76,000.

NIU contracted with Sun Belt Travel of Irving, Texas, to provide the athletic department with charters for four of the football team’s road games.

The specifications given by NIU to Sun Belt included a minimum seating capacity for 122 persons. On the Sept. 6 flight to Fresno, NIU’s travel party included 60 football players, 15 coaches and about a dozen support staff.

The remainder of the seats were occupied by NIU officials and some of the biggest financial contributers to NIU athletics. These 22 people who were not involved in the actual football game flew at a cost of about $622 per seat for a total near $13,684.

Included in the travel party were: Eddie Williams, vice president for finance and planning, Bob Brown, director of special giving in NIU’s development office, Bob Brigham, special assistant to NIU President John La Tourette, Brigham’s wife Gertrude, other NIU officials and more than a dozen boosters.

Mike and Gloria Schmieder, who contributed more than $5,000 to the Huskies Athletic Association since Jan. 1, 1990, were on the flight along with Dawn and Dave Halverson, also $5,000-plus contributers and several other large donors.

NIU Athletic Director Gerald O’Dell defended giving seats to non-football personnel.

“When you charter a plane you have ‘x’ number of seats, there’s no extra cost (to NIU) in terms of air travel,” O’Dell said. “Any additional costs are incurred by them.”

O’Dell said the guests on the charter paid for their own room and board and the decision of who would be invited was determined by “donor-giving level.”

“We encourage the (guests) to be exposed to other programs,” O’Dell said. “If we can, we’re going to continue to take people, but we’re not going to do it if we fly commercial.”

Because NIU pays Sun Belt a predetermined amount for the charter, the guests were not asked to pay NIU the value of the seats—about $622 ($76,000 divided by 122 seats), O’Dell said.

O’Dell also said it was not practical to charter a smaller plane to avoid having the extra seats. “Our travel people work on the specs to move approximately 100 people, but so often we’re at the mercy of the charter company,” he said.

O’Dell also defended NIU’s use of charters—at a cost of $179,000 for four trips—instead of potentially cheaper commercial flights.

“When you move over 100 people and four or five thousand pounds of equipment, it’s not practical to fly commercial,” O’Dell said. “Plus, there’s no flexibility in terms of time. And what if your flight is cancelled?”