Point: NIU general fee worth the cost

Ian Tancun

Columnist

NIU’s mandatory general fee is a worthwhile expense for students because of the services provided under the fee. Access to all sporting events, the Campus Recreation Center, fitness facilities, Health Services and the Huskie bus line are among the services students can take advantage of.

Although I’m not a freshman, I am in my first year at NIU and have discovered the reality of weight gain in college, otherwise known as the “freshman 15.” While looking for a local gym to combat the added weight, I realized the best option was on campus.

FitWorkz, 1690 Sycamore Rd., charges a monthly membership fee of $60, according to the FitWorkz website. Anytime Fitness, 901 S. Annie Glidden Rd., has a lower-tier membership rate, which costs $419.88 anually. The low-tier Anytime Fitness rate does not include access to a pool, track and basketball court, tennis and volleyball courts. These perks, along with other athletic activities and events on campus are available to students who pay the general fee of $1,117.92 per semester, according to NIU’s Bursar’s Office webpage.

The general fee covers access to health services. My one-time visit to Perry County Memorial Hospital in Missouri, this summer to see a nurse for a diagnosis of an irritated throat cost $890.25. I was responsible for $253.53 of that fee.

Paying the general fee provides unlimited access to health services for ailments like mine, according the Health Services website.

As a college student wading in an ever-growing pool of debt, I do not believe in paying a penny more than necessary. Because of the services included in the general fee, services that would otherwise add up quickly to rather substantial amounts, I do not mind paying.

Counterpoint: Athletic fee should be optional

Maddie Steen

Columnist

Students should not be required to pay the NIU athletic fee portion of the general fee and instead choose if they want to pay it.

The athletic fee used to be separate from the general fee, according to the NIU Bursar’s website. Now, one general fee of $93.16 is required per hour, totaling $1,117.92 per semester for 12 hours and $4,471.68 annually, according to the webpage.

Athletic fees go toward funding NCAA athletic teams and events, according to the Campus Recreation’s webpage. This should not be another fee put on students on top of educational fees.

From 2010-14, 49 percent of what supported the athletic department came directly from NIU while 51 percent came from the students as a result of fees, according an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

While I agree athletics are an important aspect of college, I do not agree that our tuition is what supports these teams. Last semester, athletics offered a raffle for free tuition for a year to students who went to every home football game; 6,000 students per game had to attend before the prize would be awarded. This incentive was put in place to draw more students in, but attendance was still low. Although the athletic fee may be the reason students go to games, the majority do not go, according to a Feb. 4 Northern Star article.

Of the 20,130 students enrolled, if 7,000 use their free passes, that leaves 65 percent of students not attending football games. These students who may not be interested in sports should not have to pay for something they are not involved with. Their money could go towards other school fees and supplies.

Only those who use or are involved in athletic activities should have to pay this fee. If NIU expects students to pay anything, it should be their choice whether to support the athletic department or not. The decision should be up to the student based on thie own participation. Instead of a mandatory fee, NIU could offer a discounted season ticket price for students who do want to attend football games and other events.