The Board of Trustees is expected to vote on a tuition rate increase of 9 to 18 percent and a technology surcharge during a special meeting today, said Eddie Williams, executive vice president of Finance and Facilities.

NIU also has frozen admissions as of May 1.

Williams said the tuition increase and technology surcharge are necessary to deal with a reduction in funds to NIU in the wake of budget cuts for Illinois public universities.

Western Illinois and Southern Illinois universities increased their tuition 13 and 16 percent, respectively, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a $1,000 surcharge, according to press information from Melanie Magara, assistant vice president of public affairs at NIU.

Williams anticipates the board deciding on the lowest rate possible for tuition increases and surcharge.

“Traditionally, they have kept [it] at the lower end of rate increases,” he said.

He pointed to NIU having one of the lowest tuition increases in the state last year as an example of the board’s history of low tuition rate increases. He also noted that the board did not increase tuition at mid-year like many other state universities.

The surcharge will be used to upgrade NIU’s computer labs, purchase a new student information system and increase access and bandwidth.

Williams said the board will choose a surcharge below $1,000.

“That’s a pretty safe bet,” he said.

Williams added that the tuition increase and surcharge are part of a larger plan NIU has developed to provide a quality education to students.

To deal with budget cuts, NIU has eliminated 136 jobs and frozen salary increases, stopped all but essential safety-related building repairs, stopped purchasing of new equipment, eliminated all but essential travel and reduced student jobs and graduate assistantships. NIU also has made adjustments to its summer schedule by closing certain buildings and creating a four-day work week.

“It’s part of a combined balancing act,” Williams said. “And we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

A waiting list has been created to deal with applications to attend in the fall yet received after the May 1 deadline.

“We’ve received almost as many applications in March as we normal receive in June and July,” Magara said about the need for the waiting list.

The board will meet at 11:15 a.m. in the Skyroom of the Holmes Student Center.