The limited parking space at NIU might make students consider borrowing permits indefinitely, but the NIU Parking Committee will try to put their foot down on theft this fall.

“It’s downright theft,” said NIU Parking Committee Chairman Rob Bornhuetter. “It’s not just a college prank,” there are fines and a jail sentence involved, he said.

Bornhuetter said although some people feel stealing permits will solve the problem of limited space, “it only makes worse problems.”

One specific case he cited involved a student in the Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC) who lost his scholarship. Bornhuetter also cited a case when a former Student Association vice president claimed he stole a permit in protest of the parking problems.

“We have a large committee. Why an individual from the SA thought his decision could affect 24 people, I don’t know,” he said.

Currently, people caught stealing a permit or buying stolen permits are sent to civil and NIU authorities and fined $50.

But, NIU Judicial Office Director Larry Bolles said the parking committee is working on a policy for this fall that would allow the judicial office to process the cases instead of the city police.

Bornhuetter said a first-time offender would be fined, but a second-time offender might be kicked out of school for stealing a parking permit. “It’s not worth it, walking two lousy blocks,” he said.