NIU clubs, committees and organizations have many opportunities to improve the quality of life for the student body.

Lately, they’ve taken advantage of those opportunities. Campus Activities Board has scheduled a Ben Folds concert, and more recently, the Student Association Senate has approved an extended bus route to Fox Valley Mall.

The SA needs to give this first bus route to Aurora the rest of the semester to evaluate its worth.

Treat these next few months as a trial period to rally the support. The SA should do some serious advertising targeted at students who do not have cars on campus.

Keep in mind that the Christmas season is quickly approaching — 56 more shopping days left — and students will be looking for the perfect gifts for Mom and Dad.

Students need to treat it as a trial period, as well. If they don’t support this venture, it will fail, and they can’t complain because they got what they wanted.

There is much more that still can be done, though, and because of this, we recommend that the SA Senate not push a second bus route to Geneva.

If the route to Geneva simply is an access to the Metra train station, why not take an extra two minutes and an extra two miles to pull into the Aurora station instead?

The SA Mass Transit Board has a $600,000 surplus — an amazing figure considering CAB, which is SA-funded, complains every year that it lacks the funding to bring in big-name events.

Several smaller groups that do not receive student fees have taken it upon themselves to organize entertainment events for the student body. These are the kinds of events CAB should be sponsoring every semester.

It may be time to re-evaluate the allocation of student fees to different SA-recognized organizations.

The SA is giving the students ways to leave but not trying to create any balance by giving them reasons to stay. Until they do, we will be recognized as a suitcase school.