The Board of Trustees’ Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee approved a recommendation for increases in student fees and residence hall room rates for 2007 on Wednesday.

The measure will come before the full Board of Trustees for final approval during its March 23 meeting.

Residence hall room rate increases average about 12.7 percent. Student fee increases average about 3.95 percent.

Room rate increases range from $233 to $326 per semester, depending on which residence hall the student lives in.

The increase will cover staff salary increases, student services and resident utilities, said Eddie Williams, executive vice president of Finance and Facilities.

Board rates, which cover dining expenses, will not increase so the room and board rates together represent a 9.1 percent net change. The Residence Hall Association was involved with the recommendation and other universities will see an even higher increase in fees, Williams said.

“It is important for people to realize where we stand as compared to other universities,” Trustee Cherilyn Murer said. NIU’s room and board fees are still lower than many other universities, she said.

All residence halls also could have fire sprinkler systems installed, as a legislative mandate requires all state universities to install the sprinkler systems.

“This is so vital, but it is difficult when you have a mandate that is unfunded,” Murer said.

The committee also approved a new minor in cognitive studies. It would focus on topics such as reasoning, language and culture from an interdisciplinary perspective. No additional funding is necessary and the course may be added as soon as the 2006 fall semester. With a background in cognitive studies, students would get a better understanding of thought processes and may find it highly marketable, committee members said.

The College of Business will go through a change that promises to have positive outcomes. Denise Schoenbachler was promoted to the position of college dean and plans to focus on improving the college’s ranking. She also wants the College of Business to build a partnership with businesses in Chicago to help networking and collaborating.

“I want NIU to be the school of choice for business,” Schoenbachler said.

A housing plan is being looked into to better accommodate students with children. 120-units may be added if the recommendation is approved by the board. The units would have modern amenities such as computer labs and playgrounds and would be larger than the current housing units.