NORMAL—The Board of Regents finance and facilities committee members questioned Wednesday the necessity of two proposed NIU student fees.

One of the fees in question is for the installation of a campus-wide security phone system.

egents Chairwoman Carol Burns said, “Board members have questions about students funding a system that may fall under the university’s responsibility.”

She said it might be NIU’s responsibility to fund the system because it is designed to provide additional safety to NIU students. Alternative ways of funding the system need to be addressed, Burns said.

The proposed one-time fee of $3.24 for the phone system would be collected in the fall 1989 semester if approved by the Regents today.

Committee members also questioned a $2.40 annual fee for The Northern Star.

The committee members decided not to present a recommendation on the fees at the full board meeting because the academic and student affairs committees met at the same time as the finance committee Wednesday.

Committee Chairman Milton McClure said, “An issue of this magnitude needs to be addressed by the full board.”

Tuition, fees, and room and board costs could increase more than $300 in the fall 1989 semester if the Regents approve today the annualization of a $125 per-semester tuition increase and increases in student fees and room and board.

Although the committee did not discuss the fees, two NIU Student Association members and the editor of the Star were allowed to speak about the fees and answer questions from committee members.

Diana Turowski, SA treasurer and a member of NIU President John LaTourette’s Fee Study Committee, said the campus security phone system had the support of the NIU students, but the Star fee did not.

She also said the Star did not follow appropriate funding request procedures.

Normal procedures for funding requests begin with a petition signed by 5 percent of the students, followed by a referendum. The Star sidestepped the procedures and immediately went to the President’s Fee Study Committee for funding.

Turowski asked the Regents to “respect the views of students” and to “keep the process under control” by rejecting the Star fee.

NIU Student Regent Nick Valadez, said he will oppose the Star fee at today’s Regents meeting, in addition to opposing “any tuition increase.”

The Northern Star Editor-in-Chief Paul Wagner said, “We do feel the support is there (for a fee).” A survey by the NIU Public Opinion Lab stated that 75 percent of NIU students read the paper four or five times a week, and 52 percent of students support a separate fee, Wagner said.

The Star dedicates about 55 percent of each day’s paper to advertising, Wagner said. Part of the fee, if approved, would go toward expanding the amount of news that could go into each paper.

Regent Milton McClure said he opposes a higher advertising percentage for the Star. “I do not want to have a student newspaper on campus that’s a shopper.”

Milton McClure, regent