An NAACP-sponsored forum including high-ranking NIU administrators and a low student turnout was held in the Holmes Student Center Monday evening to address concerns in the NIU student community, with topics covering much of the common complaint list.

Issues included parking woes, minority graduation rates, financial aid difficulties, campus construction, busing and affirmative action.

NIU President John La Tourette, Student Affairs Vice President Barbara Henley, Vice President for Finance and Planning Eddie Williams and Vice President of Business and Operations James Harder were among the players fielding questions from audience members.

Willard Draper, assistant director of Housing, moderated the event introduced by NAACP President Marcus Lee.

The event was initiated by Lee to provide an opportunity for students to personally address their concerns to the respective powers that be.

About 25 students were on hand to direct questions on any issue they cared to discuss.

Much of the early going dealt with student concerns about the current glut of on-campus construction, the parking facility, the Campus Life Building and the Lucinda Avenue project.

Williams explained NIU has about $130 million in construction underway, largely because of the financial availability of state funds.

“We knew it would be an inconvenience for the campus,” Williams conceded, citing the future benefit to NIU. He said the state funds allowed the university to shape the campus for the next 50 years. “In the long term, NIU will be better off.”

Williams compared the current construction problem to the inconvenience students experienced during the creation of the MLK Commons, of which he said NIU now can enjoy the benefits.

He pointed out that fiscal opportunism was a great benefit to NIU students since bond refinancing allowed the university to construct the new Campus Life Building without increasing student fees.

La Tourette said the majority of the current construction projects will be completed by this summer including the parking structure, Faraday II and the Campus Life Building.

Both Williams and La Tourette said the infrastructure improvements will add to the integrity of the campus, thus improving future enrollment. “Everyone will be a little more proud of NIU because of the image it presents,” Williams said.

The issue of hiring and promoting more minorities in university positions also was addressed.

La Tourette said the problem of promoting and hiring more minority administrators is complex and gave an example of the difficulties and NIU’s proposed solutions.

One particular problem he attributed major significance to was state salary restrictions that create a “revolving door” effect for quality minority administrators at NIU. These individuals have tended to move on to locations with more competitive salaries, he said.

Anne Kaplan, executive assistant to the president, said NIU faces competition between the state’s penchant for slashing administration budgets and hiring more minority administrators at competitive salaries. Kaplan said about 80 percent of administrative budgets are comprised of salaries.

La Tourette noted the small pool of minorities with advanced degrees to choose from, which adds to the problem.

NIU’s plan has been to use general affirmative action searches, using the benefit of several agencies and committees both inside and outside the university.

La Tourette said he believes a new approach, where the university will look at specific areas and identify specific needs for a more diverse workplace, will be more effective.

Henley addressed the question of multiculturalism course requirements that student leaders are pushing for.

She said by her own interpretation student leaders simply want to see a greater number of courses with multicultural components.

“As an institution of higher learning, we would be remiss by not preparing students for the real world,” Henley said. “Things are changing and the world is not going to look like it does today.”

La Tourette discussed the problem of minority graduation rates, particularly among African-American males.

He attributed high school preparation and environmental supports as major contributors to poor graduation rates. He noted NIU’s Educational Programs and Services as one of the university’s attempts to grapple with the situation.

He said home and campus support are vital to a student’s success at NIU.

“When students come from strong church and family backgrounds, they typically do rather well,” he said.

Lee thanked the students and administrators who attended for their time, and challenged students to follow up on their concerns. He attributed the midterm timing of the event as a factor in the low student turnout.