With the probable student fee increases right around the corner, it would be wise to keep students in mind whenever NIU receives increased state funding.

Sadly, this won’t be the case for the $1.2 million increase NIU could receive from Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposed state budget of $40 million in higher education funding.

During Wednesday’s University Council meeting, President John Peters announced the money would go to faculty and staff salaries. This is bad news since higher education is becoming less affordable for students. The trend will continue as the NIU Board of Trustees will consider raising student fees and room rates that would cover student services, resident utilities and, of course, staff salary increases.

If the $1.2 million went to the 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students, each student would get about $50. It may not seem like a lot, but it sure would soften the blow of the proposed increases in room rates.

It’s easy to understand, even with the increase, the funding is not enough.

President Peters expressed similar sentiment in a Feb. 28 Northern Star article.

“I see a ray of optimism,” Peters said. “The economy is turning around and the governor is willing to increase our base budget. Even though it’s not anywhere near what we need, it’s a start.”

It’s equally apparent that keeping competitive salaries for faculty and staff is important to draw talented employees and maintain a high quality institution.

However, the university’s main focus should be its students and how to give them a good education at a price they can afford.