In the midst of a budget crunch, NIU officials refuse to say how much they are spending to go to Rockford to talk about pressing educational issues—including the budget.

NIU passed up its own Woodstock Conference Center, which operates in the red, and Lorado Taft campus, which costs about $25 a night, for the meetings.

“This is like any other kind of activity the college would engage in, in order to fulfill academic responsibilities,” said Provost Kendall Baker. He refused to give the cost.

“We need to go on with talks in an environment where one can do so. It’s easier to respond (to problems) when there’s not other things going on around,” he said.

The Council of Deans and some Provost office staff, about 12 people, are spending March 4 and 5 at Rockford’s Clock Tower Inn. NIU’s vision statement and the budget crisis are among the agenda items.

That falls on a Monday and Tuesday and the week before Spring Break.

The retreat comes days after Gov. Jim Edgar asked NIU to cut 1 percent from its budget and NIU officials scramble to slash next year’s budget.

But, Baker still doesn’t believe it is bad timing for some faculty members to hold a retreat.

“The university does have a budget constraint,” Baker said. “The university cannot stop because of budget pressures. Certainly, the planning and thinking need to go on.”

Normally, retreats are held at the Woodstock Center, which is an off-campus NIU extension. Baker said the deans wanted to visit the Clock Tower again because the last two or three retreats were held in the Woodstock Center.

Sleeping rooms at the Clock Tower run anywhere from $59 to $75 a day, not including meals and banquet facilities, said Les Nascisewski, Clock Tower director of sales.

Lois Reteta, program director of the Woodstock Center said rooms normally run about $63.50 a person for a 24-hour period, which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

NIU employees are given $22 for meals and room service daily.

The primary focus of the retreat according to Baker will be the NIU vision statement for the next century.

Dean of Professional Studies James Lankford, however, said, “Probably the most critical issue on the agenda right now is the budget.”

Graduate School Dean Jerrold Zar also said many pressing topics will be discussed during the retreat.

“Surely one of the things (discussions) will be the budget situation and what the university will be able to provide,” Zar said.