NIU purchase orders

Eddie Williams reported two major expenses to the Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees in March. He was required to report these expenses as they totaled over $100,000.

The largest expense was $350,000 for airfare to transport the football team, marching band and cheerleaders to and from San Diego. This money covered two chartered planes.

The other was a $110,000 for hotel rooms for the football team and staff. The team and staff required hotel rooms for five nights during the Poinsettia Bowl.

NIU spent $44,000 for 110 seats on Southwest Airlines for students to travel to San Diego. This money helped to fund student packages for the bowl game.

NIU foundation purchases orders

Documents the Star received included only three purchase orders for the NIU foundation. One was a $142,951 order for the presidential travel group. This was a chartered plane that flew from Rockford to San Diego.

Although the foundation paid for it, Williams said the individuals who used this service paid the foundation to use it.

“There was a third charter that was set up through the foundation, which was for donors, and other people who wanted to buy in,” Williams said. “But that was not funding by the university, it’s funded through the foundation.”

The foundation also paid $2,724.57 in beverages for the pre-game reception. There was also an additional $2,143.15 paid for balloon decor and poinsettias for the reception.

Finally, the foundation provided $3,246.70 in reimbursements toward the team’s trip to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World. The trip to the San Diego Zoo was required by the Poinsettia Bowl as part of NIU’s program. However the trip to Sea World was not required of the Huskies..

Travel vouchers

In total, $71,901.06 was spent via travel vouchers. Of this, $69,584.15 was spent by the university and $2,316.91 was spent by the foundation.

A large portion of the university‘s expenses went to feeding the student-athletes, marching band and cheerleaders.

The largest of these expenses came from athletics event manager Peyton Deterding. Deterding covered all food expenses for the players on the trip, which was the bulk of his $45,479.46 travel voucher. Food was also the main item in Thomas Bough’s, director of athletic bands, $13,199.11 travel voucher for the marching band.

Matthew O’Kray, athletics coordinator of marketing and promotions, reported a $1,961 travel voucher in relation to expenses with the cheerleaders. Again, most of this was spent on food for the cheerleaders.

The majority of the foundation travel vouchers were spent by Joseph Matty, director of the Barsema Alumni and Visitor Center. Matty spent $1,863.38 of the $2,316.91, which the foundation incurred from travel vouchers. Of this, $1,551.92 was spent on a dinner which was attended by NIU employees and donors.

Associate director of communication Donna Turner also had $453.53 of an $824.03 media dinner paid by the foundation. This was done because alcohol was purchased at the dinner and the dinner was over the per diem for the number of attendees.

Media in attendance at this dinner included two members of the Northern Star, along with reporters from the Daily Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times, NIU media staff and others.

Miscellaneous expenses

A total of 55 hotel rooms were provided for two nights for the marching band and cheerleaders. In total, the university paid $13,200 for their lodging.

Busing was another major cost for the football team, marching band and cheerleaders in San Diego. For their five days in San Diego, the team spent $18,783 on busing, while for their two days at the Poinsettia Bowl, the marching band and cheerleaders spent $8,690 on busing.

For their participation in the bowl, the university bought awards for the team, coaches and managers. Everyone received an iPod Nano, iPod Nano case, men’s/women’s watch, sweatshirt and ski cap. The total of all these awards was $12,000.

In comparison, the University of Ohio’s student newspaper The Post, reported Ohio spent $37,223 on awards in the 2006 GMAC.

The university spent $9,641.90 on a trip to Sea World and team entertainment in the form of tickets to the San Diego Zoo. The trip to the San Diego Zoo was required by Poinsettia Bowl program.

NIU spent $3,616.50 on artwork, banners, and labor to lift and hang these banners at the bowl game.

Another $3,260 was spent on Poinsettia Bowl Media guides for the press. To broadcast the game, the university had to spend $2,000 in radio fees.

Advertisements for the game, which were delivered to the Holmes Student Center Bookstore, cost the university $2,000. NIU also spent $1,000 on hospitality promotional items for the bowl game.

The university had to spend $1,541.50 for one-way tickets from San Diego to Illinois for football players who were unable to come home on the chartered planes. Another $1,400 was spent for renting facilities at Mesa College so the football team could practice while in San Diego.

The university reimbursed fuel costs for equipment travel. This cost $1,120.03.

Unknown Foundation expenses

Williams also informed the Star of $35,663.16 the foundation spent that was unknown to the Star.

The largest expense of was $17,405 spent on guest tickets. Williams said these tickets went to donors.

Another $3,500 was used to buy tickets for the Midway Luncheon, which were also given to university donors.

The foundation spent $5,344.29 on postcards. These were mailed to alumni on the west coast. A catering service was provided during the game for $4,877.28.

Thundersticks, which were provided to fans at the game, cost $2,625.

An additional $1,424.62 was spent by the foundation to bus donors to and from thier charter flight.

Finally, the foundation spent $238 on banners at the airport and $248.97 for the mailing of itineraries and packets.

What NIU owes the MAC

According to Williams, NIU also has to pay some amount of money to the MAC conference.

“All the bowls send a certain amount of money that goes to the MAC,” Williams said. “It’s not much. I can’t tell you what it is because they are going to do a final counting at the end of the year.”

This will be another expense which the university will incur and is not currently in the budget.

MAC commissioner Rick Chryst, confirmed the MAC doesn’t know how much NIU will have to pay.

“We have a bowl financial policy for the three games that we have contractually,” Chryst said in relation to MAC tie-in bowls. “This [situation] gets beyond that. We haven’t had any specific talks about [money] from the 2006 games.”

MAC treasurer Betty Sislak confirmed Chryst’s statement.

“There is no contractual agreement between the Poinsettia Bowl and MAC,” Sislak said. “As far as I know, no money has been exchanged.”

– BEN GROSS