An increase in NIU’s Interfraternity Council membership fee has been proposed in an attempt to offset cutbacks in funding.

A $1 increase in IFC membership fees, suggested at last Tuesday’s IFC meeting, would raise the amount from $4 to $5 per member.

If approved, the fee increase would provide the organization with approximately $1,300 in additional program funding.

IFC President Kevin Gross said, “The SA decided to cut back on IFC funding for certain things. One of those areas was rush education.”

IFC Secretary Steven Cohen said in comparison to last year’s budget, the SA-approved IFC budget for next year is “slightly reduced.”

He said the purpose of the proposed increase in fees would be “to make up for the loss of rush funding, plus put a little bit more into the budget.

“We (the IFC) need to increase our revenue in order to increase and maintain the current rush budget,” Cohen said.

Approximately 40 percent of the additional funding would go into the rush education budget, he said.

In addition to rush education, the additional revenue would be allocated into programming such as the Greek Lecture Series, sexual assault and alcohol abuse awareness programs and other administrative programs, he said.

Cohen said, “We are attempting to increase our Greek Lecture Series budget in order to facilitate better speakers.”

He said the Greek Lecture Series is open to the entire campus and the IFC wants to get the best speakers it can to speak at NIU.

Cohen said the council is expected to approve some kind of increase because of “the need for an increase in generated revenue.”

IFC representatives voted to discuss the proposal with their chapters and then vote on the issue at the last IFC meeting of this year, which will be held on May 2.