A student fee increase of $1.20 was approved by the President’s Fee Study Committee Monday for NIU’s field house and stadium budgets for next year.

The committee’s approval will be sent to NIU President John LaTourette. If he approves, the increase will be sent to the Board of Regents for final approval. The Regents govern NIU, Illinois State University and Sangamon State University.

Fee increase revenues will be used to cover costs of replacing AstroTurf at Huskie Stadium, which has been estimated to cost about $700,000, the business and operations budget proposal stated.

Replacement of the AstroTurf is one component of a three-part plan to complete three projects at the field house and stadium. Installing new seating and a new lighting and sound system in the stadium are projects for 1990 and 1991.

James Harder, vice-president for business and operations, said a new lighting system is needed at the stadium because the current one is obsolete.

In addition, the existing system is expensive to maintain and needs to be upgraded to be acceptable for television, William Herrmann, director of bond revenue operations, said.

Herrmann also said the fee increase is necessary to build up the replacement and reserve fund of the recreational facilities in order to cover any sudden or unexpected costs which might arise, for example if the elevator stops working in the stadium.

Because of concerns expressed by some members of the committee, the original requested fee of $1.40 per semester was reduced by the committee.

“I think it is improper to place an additional burden on the students while the state is not funding the academic areas it should be,” Student Association President Jim Fischer said.

Fischer expressed concerns that students are paying for office space used by the physical education department in the field house and the stadium. He said this has been an ongoing issue which needs to be reviewed and addressed by the university.

Anne Kaplan, executive assistant to LaTourette, said the university does not have “realistic” rental rates for such offices.

“There is a sense that they (the rental rates) need to be reviewed and changed. This is something I know the president would like to have investigated,” she said.

NIU Student Regent Nick Valadez agreed with Fischer and suggested to reduce the fee increase request as a “symbolic message” to NIU officials that concerns about rental rates need to be addressed.

The committee decided to recommend to LaTourette the problem be resolved, and the rental rates should not be covered by the students, but by state funding.

In other matters, the committee denied a fee increase request by The Northern Star, which would have been used to cover a projected deficit of $41,000 in the newspaper’s fiscal year 1989 budget.

The fee increase request was denied because some committee members felt the Star should request additional fees from the SA, as other organizations do.

In addition, the committee denied a suggestion by Valadez for a one-year, one-time fee increase for the Star to purchase new equipment.