Students can talk about next year’s fee increases at an open forum on Tuesday.

The forum will be held in the Holmes Student Center’s Heritage Room from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for any student interested in listening to an explanation of the fee increases or voicing any concerns.

The proposed student fee recommendations for next year will increase from $552 to $594 per year for full-time students.

That’s about a 7 percent increase. Last year, fees rose 11.5 percent.

“Nobody is happy with the fee increases,” said Anne Kaplan, chairman of NIU President John La Tourette’s Fee Study Committee. “However, the increase is well within the boundaries of inflation,” she said.

The largest increase for next year involves the Huskie Bus Line fee, which will increase $42.88 per semester. However, Kaplan said there are several student fees experiencing no increase.

In the past, attendance at these forums has been rather low and Kaplan said she’s not sure how many students will attend this one.

“There are certain guidelines that we follow in order to give students a chance to express their views,” Kaplan said. “We will be happy to give any student a full explanation of the fee increases.”

The Fee Study Committee presented its final recommendations to La Tourette, who will then bring his approved increases to the Board of Regents in April.