Were you thinking about college in forth grade? Future freshmen of 2020 literally have no idea what NIU has in store for them, and in case you don’t either, read NIU President John Peters’ Vision 2020 plans at niu.edu/vision2020. The plan is the administrations’ new long-term initiative for making today’s 10 year olds more interested in becoming Huskies tomorrow.

That’s all dandy for them, but what about the students at NIU today? Huskies everywhere, I am pleased to unveil the Student Vision 2012 Plan – a short, yet informative compilation of some issues students talk about today.

Facilities

When I spoke with students last week, I heard a lot about different NIU facilities. At the Rec Center, “The equipment there is old and damaged. We are paying for it. We do deserve better,” said Sanoyin Okesanjo, junior political science major. Junior nursing major Brittany Mozerka called for “better pool hours” at Gabel and Anderson.

Bus Stops

Sophomore psychology major Steph Luka and junior accounting major Mayra Arellano called for more improvements to bus stop facilities on and off campus. One student overhearing their discontent of standing out in the DeKalb cold offered her idea while passing. “You know when you go to hotels and they have those heaters in breezeways? Why not get those in bus stops or at least somewhere that’s a bit warmer?” With or without heaters, the verdict is NIU needs more cozy bus stops or bus stop enclosures.

Food

As well, students talked about the the food. “Make it a little more gourmet,” said Kris Downing, junior computer science major. Could it have been that I questioned students around lunch hour or a genuine disappointment with NIU’s food services? Either way, the quality and cost of eats are a chief concern voiced by some Huskies.

Junior psychology major Michelle Britton said she would like more healthy choices because vegetarian entrees, though without meat, lack healthy ingredients as a substitute. “Meal plans should roll over,” said Delroy Folkes, junior exercise science major. He argued that students should only be charged you for what they use. For those desiring an alternative to ready made meals at dining halls, “there should be a place on campus that has fresh produce,” said Becca Mensing, junior marketing major.

Technology

“The fact is that the server always goes down.” Also, “every other university has centralized WiFi.” Centralized WiFI would allow students to access the Internet everywhere on campus instead of only in certain buildings – and even that is a stretch with the patchy service at times. Sophomore anthropology major Brian Gallagher and junior psychology major Tori Cox further highlighted the importance of “focusing on campus improvement instead of new students” as well as “improving what we already have.”

So there you have it, the Student Vision 2012 Plan. I’m not saying that the 2020 plan is not adequate, merely that there are other ideas NIU looked over and could incorporate into their eight-year adventure.