The Editorial Board feels it would have been more cost-effective if NIU Athletics gave one student free tuition for the spring 2016 semester rather than rewarding 86 students who met the Mission 6 initiative requirements.

The Mission 6 prize-eligible students have been invited to the Huskie Bowl on April 22 where they will be seated in the Yordon Terrace, in the north end zone, and food will be provided by NIU Athletics. These 86 students will also receive two free football season tickets for the season following their graduation and $100 toward tuition for this semester.

The money NIU athletics will spend on rewarding each of the 86 students will end up being more expensive than paying for one individual’s tuition for one semester, which would have been the original prize had the Mission 6 initiative been successful.

Tuition for a full-time undergraduate student for the spring 2016 semester is $4,732.80 per semester, according to NIU’s website. By giving each of the 86 students who attended all NIU home football games a $100 tuition credit, NIU Athletics will be spending $8,600.

In 2015, NIU football season ticket packages ranged from $99 to $1,382, according to the NIU Athletics website. If each of the 86 students receive two general public seating season tickets, the total cost would be about $17,000.

A 10-person single package for the Yordon Terrace Club is $1,500, according to the NIU Huskie Athletic Fund website. If all 86 students attended the Huskie Bowl game, that would add up to around $13,000 to seat all of the students, and that is not including the food and drinks NIU Athletics will be providing the students.

In total, NIU Athletics will spend about $38,600. NIU will also risk losing potential revenue when it comes to season tickets and Huskie Bowl seats.

The Editorial Board acknowledges that students failed to meet NIU’s goal of having at least 6,000 students at each home football game, but it would have been much cheaper to pick one of the eligible students at random and pay for his or her tuition. The Editorial Board appreciates NIU Athletics finding a way to reward each of the 86 students; however, it would have been easier and cheaper to give the students what was promised to them: a winner.