NIU students concerned with environmental issues on campus are trying to get increased student representation on the University Campus Environmental Committee.

The issue will be brought up at the University Council meeting Wednesday.

According to university committee structure, the environmental committee consists of the president of the Student Association and one student member each from the SA and University Council and school administrators.

However, James Harder, vice president for business and operations, said there are only two—rather than three—active student members.

“Additional members (are) selected by the president because of particular professional expertise and/or concerns respecting environmental issues,” according to committee structure.

NIU President John La Tourette would decide how he wants to get the names of students interested in the committee and what students he wants to choose, said University Council Executive Secretary J. Carroll Moody.

Jeffrey Smolla, the co-founder of Earth First!, a campus environmental group, said there are three reasons why the group wants more student representatives on the committee.

Smolla said the first reason is because “nobody on the environmental committee had any idea on the scope of destruction” by removing several black willow trees by the East Lagoon.

Second, Earth First! wants “to serve as a watchdog to assure something like this doesn’t happen again,” he said.

Third, there are more students than faculty members and students want to have a voice in what affects the campus, Smolla said.