NIU students might be able to begin using their student IDs as charge cards for purchasing books at the Holmes Student Center bookstore by next fall, although the store’s director said he knows little of the proposal.

Mitchell Kielb, the bookstore’s director, said he has had no recent meetings on the topic, although Student Association President Huda Schiedelman said James Harder, vice president of business and operations, had “charged Kielb with the duty of getting the proposal through.”

“It’s news to me,” Kielb said Monday. In a Nov. 15 interview, Kielb said he did not know any details of the proposal. “I’m willing to do it if the students want it,” he said at the time.

Pat Hewitt, associate president of business and operations, said nothing has been decided and the officials involved are reviewing proposals and files. “I think there’s a lot of interest in having it,” she said.

But, “nothing’s been carved in stone,” she said. Hewitt said various proposals include only allowing financial aid recipients to use the card, limiting charge card time to the first four weeks of each semester or allowing charging all year.

There is also a certain amount of money needed for equipment and training, Hewitt said. She also said the charge card process would affect other billing organizations like the Bursar’s Office.

The committee is checking into a computer system that would make student IDs into bookstore charge cards, Hewitt said. “Students wouldn’t need separate cards,” she said. “It’s also easy to check—your picture’s right on the card.”

Lost IDs/charge cards will not cause problems with others using the card, Hewitt said. She said the proposed computer system could void the card’s ability to charge “right away.”

“We would have to start now to have it ready by the fall of 1990,” she said. Hewitt said they would probably also have to search for computer programmers to implement the system.