Students from the NIU mass transit board will try to make headway into the national political arena during a trip to Washington, D.C., this week.

The trip is supposed to make NIU’s voice heard in the face of a federal budget that is giving mass transit little room to grow, said Todd Allen, Student Association Mass Transit Board executive director.

Allen, who is going along with Co-Vice Chairman Richard Parkman, said he wants to make a personal impression on Washington senators and representatives.

“We would not be able to do this by calling over the phone,” Allen said. “Being able to be a little bit more personable about it, you can use your own personality to convey the message.”

The messages Allen wants to get across include his concern about adapting Huskie buses to rules stated by the American with Disabilities Act and getting federal money to help pay for the bus system.

Currently, NIU gets all its $1.3 million through student fees. This year, a full-time undergraduate (12 hours) student paid $71.52 for bus service, and next year’s fee—awaiting an OK from the Board of Regents—will be $84.96.

However, calls asking for more public transportation money from the federal government was largely ignored by the Bush administration.

A Chicago Tribune article stated that the Bush administration’s five-year transportation plan gives little toward trains and buses while increasing federal highway funds 40 percent.

Federal support for public transportation actually has been cut in half over the last decade, the article stated.

However, Allen might find support in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Paul Kolimas, a transportation aide to U.S. Rep. William Lipinski, D-Chicago, said Bush’s transportation vision was “dead on arrival.” He said the proposal was the most criticized part of Bush’s budget by the House.

Sandy Chiu, an aide to Sen. Alan Dixon, D-Ill., said the Senate also strongly supports public transportation.

Chiu said even though NIU’s bus system is small compared to major systems like the Chicago Transit Authority, hearing from NIU students will help to offer “a balanced perspective” of mass transit around Illinois.

Allen and Parkman will meet with several politicians including Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., and State Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Yorkville, who represents DeKalb.

“We want to be able to set up those network ties in Washington that will help gain NIU a little more prestige and respect,” Allen said.