Students who feel the penny pinch of attending NIU soon may get hit with a big surprise: more price increases.

NIU’s Board of Trustees Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee approved the university’s recommendation Tuesday to increase both student fees and student housing rates for the 2003-’04 school year.

“One of the key things is that the Board of Trustees sets the fee amounts for the coming fiscal year,” said Eddie Williams, executive vice president of Finance and Facilities.

Williams said the biggest raise in student fees is the increase in the student health insurance fee.

The increase comes based on the costs of the market and claim experience. The specific fee is $182, but the proposed 17.3 percent change would raise the fee to $213.50.

Williams noted that NIU has one of the best student health insurance plans in the state, mainly because it is voluntary. Students who are able to offer proof of other insurance do not have to pay NIU’s health insurance fee. He added that almost 55 percent of the student population participates in the insurance program.

The overall student fee would be increased 6.43 percent for undergraduate students, 6.44 percent for graduate students, and 6.86 percent for professional students.

Williams said the fees seem to be increasing more because of the boost the raise in the health insurance fee gave when averaged with the rest of the individual student fees.

“These recommendations do not include any salary increases, or provisions for salary increases,” he said.

If salary increases were to become a factor in the future, Williams said the the proposed numbers would have to be adjusted in some fashion.

Student leaders on campus met with NIU President John Peters and everyone was in full favor of the proposed increases, Williams said.

Students living on campus also are likely to see an increase in room costs.

The committee approved the university’s recommendation to increase room rates for students. Most residence hall options saw nothing more than a 6 percent increase; however, Williams stressed that board rates did not increase.

Kathy Buettner, associate vice president and executive director of state and federal relations, briefed the committee regarding the upcoming FY04 budget proposal and the state of the budget in Illinois.

“Each month, the picture is not improving,” she said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty to be very candid.”

NIU’s budget isn’t expected to be released until after Gov. Rod Blagojevich releases information about the state budget.

Housing and fee increases will be voted on officially by the Board of Trustees at 9 a.m., March 19, in the Holmes Student Center’s Clara Sperling Skyroom.