The Residence Hall Association voted to increase next year’s technology fee by 3 percent and discussed the future of Ruckus Sunday night.

Cindy Phillips, director of NIU telecommunications, spoke to the RHA on behalf of the increase, which will be raised to $57 for each student per semester.

Phillips said the technology fee pays for Internet access in each resident’s room, ResTech helpdesk services and ITS services.

The fee also will help fund the rewiring of Lincoln, Douglas and Neptune halls and University Apartments to Ethernet, which is scheduled to take place over the next two summers and is expected to be complete by the end of 2006.

The future of NIU’s involvement with the Ruckus Network also was addressed.

To fund the addition of Ruckus to all residence halls next year, Phillips proposed a mandatory $21 fee for each student per semester which would be added to student room and board charges.

“This year Ruckus was a pilot program and we are just trying to see if students will continue to support the technology into the next year,” Phillips said.

RHA also announced it will conduct random-sample cable surveys in the coming weeks to decide the final four channels that will be included in next year’s cable package. The surveys will be handed out during dinner in the Stevenson Towers food courts.

The group also announced awards that were won by its members this past weekend during the yearly Illinois Residence Hall Association World Fair.

NIU’s RHA took home first place in a field of five major Illinois schools for recognition of residence hall involvement, programming and community service.

“This is not just an award for the RHA’ it’s for the entire school, the halls and the residents,” said Jaime Besonen, the Illinois communication coordinator for RHA.

Besonen also was awarded first place for outstanding Illinois communications coordinator.

Rebecca Bennick, national residence hall honorary president, took home the Verstrate Outstanding Service Award.

“This is huge for me because I have been a member of the RHA for four years and this is a state-wide award,” Bennick said.