The Student Association should not continue funding the Huskie Bus Line by itself. In the future, costs will rise and the service will expand to a point where the SA cannot afford it.

With the increase in maintenance costs, gas prices and the need for another bus to handle passenger congestion, the Huskie Buses are becoming a greater burden each year.

Students aren’t the only ones using the buses. DeKalb citizens use them as well.

The city does not contribute money to the Huskie Bus Line, and non-students are required to pay 50 cents to ride the bus. The bus line is the second largest in Illinois and needs help from the city it runs through.

Brent Keller, director of mass transit for the SA, said Downstate Operating Assistance Program funds were not released by the state this year. He said they are usually pretty substantial.

Keller also said mass transit reserves cannot be counted on solely to fund NIU’s mass transit.

The current budget surplus is being used for other projects around campus and mass transit can’t dip into it as much as in previous years. The funding for the buses comes from student fees. Keller said he is unsure whether or not they will generate enough through those fees. These fees will either have to rise substantially or they simply will not suffice.

This means to continue providing DeKalb this service, DeKalb should help pay for it just as the students at NIU do with their fees and the citizens of DeKalb do with their fares.

The state should provide more funding for the Huskie Bus Line. And if it can’t, other beneficiaries need to chip in. If the city contributes to the Huskie Bus Line, then DeKalb and NIU will continue to foster the spirit of community that will ensure that everybody benefits.