Dear Governor Blagojevich,

My name is Every NIU Student and I need your help.

Our university president, John Peters, recently made the trek to Springfield to voice concerns with funding to the House Higher Education Committee. We’re falling short on money for faculty salaries, thusly encouraging professors to leave for higher-paying jobs. We lack the funding for much-needed construction on and around campus.

An example of this comes with the Stevens Building, where theater and anthropology classes are held. Garbage cans are used to catch leaking water, and oftentimes overflow. Garbage bags form roofs above computers to protect them from being damaged by water entering through moldy, dripping ceilings. There is a computer lab in an ex-janitorial closet, where pipes are exposed and tarps must be used to create a door. We don’t have the money to fix any of this.

According to NIU’s 2005-2006 Data Book, state appropriations to NIU covered 80.3 percent of the operating costs for 1976. Only 19.7 percent came from the university income fund. Student fees, tuition, that type of thing. This number makes 2006 figures jump off the page: The book states that for 2006, state appropriations covered 51.4 percent of NIU’s operating costs, leaving 48.6 percent to be covered by NIU. Mr. Blagojevich, how have we come so far from 80.3 percent?

To maintain the level of operations currently in place at our school, students will be confronted with higher tuition costs.

Mr. Blagojevich, I’m a student and tuition isn’t an easy expenditure for me. I take out loans, go into debt and work three jobs just to stay afloat. Maintaining my GPA on top of all that is another question. I won’t waste your time with such worries.

Mr. Blagojevich, we’re a state university. Our reputation reflects upon the state. This institution can boast of distinguished alumni until faces turn blue, but when prospective students come for visits, it won’t matter how many success stories orientation leaders gush out. They see buildings with leaky ceilings, dilapidated resources and classrooms small enough to pass for residence hall rooms, and they beeline for the door.

Last year, we received a 1 percent increase in operations money. That’s great, and we’re appreciative. However, in the four prior years, there was no increase, and in the instance of 2002 and 2003, there were decreases in state appropriations. My college education – that which you seem to increasingly lose interest in monetarily backing – leads me to conclude that despite the 1 percent increase, we’re still not back to our 1999 funding level. And we’re still in desperate need of approximately $21 million in building upgrades.

Mr. Blagojevich, what are your priorities? As students, we’re told we need to be able to compete in the global workforce after graduation. We cannot possibly compete if we’re overly concerned about how we’re to pay for it. We can’t focus on our education if water drips on our heads as we sit in classrooms. What is the will of Illinois’ legislature to make higher education more of a priority and less of a random expenditure to be tossed extra bucks every time the budget is appropriated? We, the students, are part of your constituency and we, Mr. Blagojevich, are asking for your help.

In regard to how the money is used, the Northern Star vows to hold our administration accountable for how it spends state-appropriated funds, as well as those funds obtained through the students. We will be your eyes here at NIU and monitor how funds are utilized and whether the amount spent is appropriate.

Remember us, here at NIU, with our moldy ceilings and buildings that are counterproductive to learning. We’re here, benefiting and falling short directly proportionate to your legislative decisions.

Please don’t forget to pay attention to Illinois’ future.