Student Association senators questioned the effectiveness of Day of Action II in which 79 protestors were arrested after blocking Lincoln Highway for about 90 minutes.

SA President Jim Fischer said at Sunday’s SA meeting, “The state didn’t allot any more funding because of what we did.” But he said students should continue fighting budget cuts to higher education.

SA Sen. Huda Scheidelman said she thought there would be more information provided on who state legislators are to students. She said a lot of students wanted the information so they could write to legislators.

“It’s something we could provide,” she said.

SA Sen. Anne Rapp said the march had a purpose directed toward legislators.

“We were marching toward (Rep.) John Countryman’s (R-DeKalb) office,” she said. “We were going to make a statement that we’re serious about this. We’re serious enough to be arrested.”

SA Sen. Dave Reidy said he did not understand why there were peace signs on every Day of Action II sign. He said dollar signs would have symbolized more what the day was designated to oppose.

Reidy said the signs made no sense. By blocking the highway, “what we were actually doing was disturbing the peace,” he said.

SA Sen. Mike Goldstein said there is a continued effort to fight budget cuts. He said there is a large postcard signed by people who oppose decreased funding to higher education. He said the postcard will be delivered personally to the Illinois General Assembly.

Tables also will be set up in the residence halls and Founders Memorial Library, where material will be available to write letters to state legislators, Goldstein said.

In other business, SA Academic Affairs Adviser Dave Baum said students involved in illegally registering for classes should plead not guilty. He said, “I don’t believe they (NIU judicial office employees) can prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

However the student judicial code states a “substantial weight of the evidence” is all that is needed to convict a student.

Baum said he gave NIU Provost Kendall Baker a proposal by the Senate saying punishment through expulsion or withdrawing credit for those involved was not acceptable. He said Baker did not agree with the senate’s proposal.

Cancelling credit for those involved punishes all students, Baum said. The students will have to take the classes again, and it will close out the average student who wants to take the class, he said.