Something reeks on campus – and it’s not the inside of Reavis Hall.

It seems as though NIU has fallen into a trend of taking its students for granted, along with the countless tuition checks handed over at the beginning of each semester.

This is not a problem that can be pinpointed to one cause alone, but it certainly does have a few specifics that you’ve most likely noticed this year.

Let’s start out with perhaps the dumbest decision in scholastic history: NIU’s infamous “pay to tailgate” debacle. Has there ever been a concept that has jumped out and said “It’s all about the money” more than this one?

Shame on you, NIU, for believing students are unobservant enough to let something like this slip by the wayside.

For $25, a lucky student can become a member of the new Huskie Club. OK, we have school spirit. Now we can tailgate, right? Wrong. Now you’ve got to generously give another $25 to NIU – then you can tailgate.

It’s not the amount of money you’re required to fork over that is the issue. It’s the notion of having to pay at all.

Last year, NIU’s tuition was $679 more than the average nationwide tuition price, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. This brings up the obvious question: Why does NIU continue to gouge its students for even more money?

School spirit, athletic funding, whatever you want to dress it up as – having to pay to tailgate is nothing but a blatant attempt to score big off of last year’s football success. The reason so many students are angry is because the ploy is so obvious.

Nobody likes being played for a fool, especially college students who are already on a tight budget.

The sheer stupidity of the tailgating decision was underscored this past weekend when a herd of NIU alumni traveled up to DeKalb for the football game. When told about the tailgating situation, one particular alumnus shook his head in disbelief and questioned the motives of his former school.

Another alumnus had to be resuscitated after suffering from a form of shock apparently induced by exposure to asinine decision-making.

Another culprit in the “money-making movement” must be exposed. By the way, your current migraine, along with an emotionally-draining bout with stress, has been brought to you courtesy of NIU Campus Parking Services. Parking Services employs parking enforcers who descend upon your car like hungry vultures over the fresh carcass of a dead animal.

Before this year, Parking Services would void parking tickets to those students who had a legitimate case. This year, there is no voiding. Even students who are questionably ticketed still have to shell out $5.

Unfortunately, the only way to get an answer out of anyone seems to be by e-mailing the coordinator of Parking and Traffic. Attempts to find answers inside Parking Services’ office are met with cold stares reinforced with synchronized grunts of annoyance.

The university needs to offer coherent explanations for these decisions. As of now, students are left in the dark … with empty pockets.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.