I was reading Thursday’s Northern Star article, “Free tuition initiative fails,” and felt disappointed about the cancellation of the free tuition raffle.

I am a user of NIU’s Red-Black Rewards app and am currently listed number one on the app for accumulating the most points for attending various sporting events. I succeeded in attending all the home games to keep my place in the tuition raffle and I even stayed at NIU an extra night to make it to the final home football game of the year.

It was easy to see at the last few home games that the attendance was not close to the 6,000 students needed, but the contest was still talked up as if it was assured to happen.

Morris White, the assistant athletic director for marketing and game experience, said the attendance could not be calculated until after the season, but I find that hard to believe.

I also find it insulting, as a proud attendee of NIU athletic events, to learn that White essentially called it the students’ fault for the free tuition raffle being cancelled when the requirement for a 6,000 student attendance was not known.

It is disheartening to hear this from someone whose main job is to market NIU Athletics, to help increase attendance numbers and promote games to students.

Though I will still attend and partake in NIU athletic events, I will not trust any other giveaway the Red-Black Rewards app offers.

I, on behalf of the whole student body, would also like to ask for a formal apology from White for the way he blamed the students in the article. I feel deeply saddened that this is the way that I will remember my first football season here at NIU.