A new committee, which would help NIU students find financial aid and would eventually work in association with the financial aid office, is already in jeopardy while still in the development stage.

Student Association Sen. Anne Rapp, who is developing the Student Committee on Financial Aid, addressed the problem at Sunday’s SA meeting.

SA Sen. Dave Emerick said there is a need for such a committee on campus. “It is very important,” he said.

However, Rapp said she has been facing a lack of attendance by SA senators and committee members at meetings held this semester.

Emerick said unless senators join the committee and help find available financial aid or unless other interested people join the committee, it might have to be discontinued. “It’s too much for her (Rapp) to do on her own,” he said.

Rapp said the committee wants to learn about available financial aid so it can help students. “There is a lot of work/study money that goes unused every year,” she said.

“On campus, the committee would like to learn what we can on financial aid from the (United States) Department of Education, the ISSC (Illinois Student Scholarship Commission) and the financial aid office,” Rapp said. The process would last for the remainder of the semester, she said.

Rapp said the committee’s next step this semester would be a lot of public relations work to inform students about the availability of the committee and the availability of financial aid.

She plans to have the committee available to help students and answer their questions on financial aid at the beginning of next year.

“And the next step is to become a student advisory committee for the financial aid office,” Rapp said.

Plans for a statewide financial aid committee, called SCOFA, are to install a toll-free telephone number which would answer students’ questions on financial aid, to investigate and evaluate financial aid offices in the state, to increase the number of advisers and counselors for the non-traditional students and to form student committees to work with financial aid offices, Rapp said.

In other business, Sen. Mike Cassman, a member of the SA Mass Transit Board, asked SA senators to volunteer their time to conduct a telephone survey of students concerning the Huskie Busline.

The survey, which is almost completed, asks questions about the Geneva shuttle, the late-night ride service, NIU’s demographic population and whether there should be continued service at the DuSable stop, Cassman said.

A mail survey to be taken in conjunction with the telephone survey was proposed at the Feb. 1 board meeting.

The board will complete the surveys and decide on the distribution process of the surveys at the Feb. 8 meeting, Cassman said.

The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. in the Holmes Student Center Room 306.