Students said “yes” to the Illinois Student Association with a 132-66 vote, a 2-1 ratio.

The vote on March 7, two days before Spring Break, to stay in the student lobbying group also means students will keep paying a $1 refundable ISA fee. But the fee is not final until the Board of Regents approves it this week.

“I have every reason to believe that the Board of Regents will affirm the decision in the referendum,” Student Regent Jim Mertes said.

ISA Executive Director David Starrett said he was pleased with the decisive vote.

“We need that reassurance that we are doing our job,” Starrett said. “(NIU) is a very significant university.”

Starrett had said at the last ISA meeting that NIU’s $22,000 was a very important part of the organization’s $105,000 budget.

Without NIU’s money, the ISA would have had to make major adjustments, he said.

The ISA is a student lobbying group that informs the NIU Student Association, among other schools, about happenings in Illinois government along with making and monitoring student-related bills.

The vote followed the lead of a unanimous recommendation by the SA senate supporting a “yes” vote for the referendum.

“I think the ISA is a good organization to be a part of. I am really glad to hear that it went through,” Sen. Keith Smith said.

SA Elections Commissioner Alfred Tatum, who had problems with invalid ballots in last fall’s senate election, said there were no spoiled votes this time.

The total number of votes, 198, was lower than the 1988 total of 348 votes where NIU overwhelmingly decided to join the ISA. This year’s vote total did not reach one percent of the student population.

SA officials were not available to comment on the low turnout, but Senate Speaker Preston Came had said during a February senate meeting that a vote so close to Spring Break could hinder participation.