June 17

NIU will receive an 8.2 percent decrease, or about $9.1 million, in its general revenue funding for operations during fiscal year 2004. NIU’s Board of Trustees approved the fiscal 2005 budget guidelines, which includes a 5 percent pay increase for faculty and staff.

June 24

After weeks of speculation surrounding hidden allegations, the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity’s charter was revoked for five years. Reports of intense hazing surfaced after charges were filed by seven individuals within the fraternity describing what they had endured.

The fraternity’s charter was withdrawn by the university and Lambda Chi Alpha’s National Headquarters. Later, Lambda Chi Alpha tried for an appeal, which was denied. However, the charter’s revocation was reduced from five to three years.

July 1

NIU sophomore football player Shea Fitzgerald was killed in the porch collapse on Chicago’s North Side. Fitzgerald was a 6-foot-4 offensive tackle who was expected to be a legitimate NFL candidate before his career at NIU ended.

Fitzgerald was 19 when he died. NIU teammates Pat Raleigh and Brad Cieslak also were at the party where the incident occurred, but they were unharmed.

July 8

Six local establishments received fines and/or suspensions for serving drinks to people who were underage. Stadium Club was charged with its second offense for having minors in the bar and serving alcohol for a two-week period while the kitchen was closed. Stadium Club is limited to 40 percent of its income from alcohol sales because it has a Class E liquor license, which means 60 percent of its sales must be food.

The Barn was given a $1,000 fine and a four-day liquor license suspension for serving minors and serving alcohol in a non-bar area.

Signs saying, “Anyone who looks under the age of 25 will be carded” now are required to be placed in Andy’s Lounge, Lord Stanley’s, DeKalb Liquor Mart and Mardi Gras Lanes. The establishments also were required to pay $500 fines.

July 15

A budget of $430,481 was approved for the Campus Activities Board by Gary Gresholdt, vice provost of Student Affairs.

This is the same budget CAB had in the 1998 fiscal year. CAB will present an appeal for more money after a new Student Association senate is elected.

July 22

NIU invested about $2 million in campus renovations. Adding more parking spaces and landscape to the lot southwest of Founders Memorial Library was one of the largest projects. It should be completed in the next four weeks.

Several of the Holmes Student Center projects include the bus turnaround’s new curbs and patched street, along with an updated interior for the Duke Ellington Ballroom, will be completed in early fall.

July 29

Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed the “truth-in-tuition” law on July 22. The law states that tuition for first-year students will be locked into the same fixed rate for four continuous academic years.

A new DeKalb law may require that a person’s vehicle be confiscated and sold if he or she is caught driving drunk with a suspended driver’s license, having a prior DUI, having a past conviction for leaving the scene of a fatal accident, reckless homicide or if they are charged with a DUI and are driving on a suspended permit.

Also, Best Buy signed a lease to open a store in DeKalb by February 2004. The new store will be located off Sycamore Road if the store’s terms are agreed upon, including speedy construction, a sign close to Sycamore Road and a set of financial deliberations that the DeKalb City Council has to vote on.

August 5

DeKalb County State’s Attorney Ron Matekaitis announced that underage people caught abusing alcohol may have to pay $450 to undergo counseling at the Ben Gordon Center in DeKalb.

NIU held a summer graduation at the Convocation Center for the first time. Summer graduations previously were held in the Duke Ellington Ballroom, which was not large enough to hold all of the summer graduates.

There was one ceremony for all levels of degrees and colleges, except the College of Law, which only holds graduation in the spring.