The President’s Fee Study Committee met Thursday to review various requests by NIU organizations for their use of student fees.

Proposals were presented from the University Health Service (UHS), the Student Grant-in-Aid program and the Student-to-Student Grant program.

UHS Director Rosemary Lane said their budget report was essentially the same as last year except for a few differences.

Lane said an increase in student fee support was requested this year for three reasons. She said if approved, the fee increase would cover inflation and a projected budget deficit for fiscal year 1994.

She said the third objective of the requested student fee increase would be used to fund salary and wage increments, including a possible two percent salary increase from the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Board of Regents.

Dana Mills, assistant director of UHS, said $52.20 of each student’s fees go to UHS. The requested increase in student fees, would increase the amount to $61.44.

Mills said he realizes the increase is a lot, but the UHS received no increase in student fees last year.

Proposed changes in UHS programs would include rearranging the budget to produce funds to hire two additional staff members and increasing the number of hours for a health educator to teach injury prevention and nutrition education.

Lane said secretaries from the health service have had to answer phones for Services for Students with Disabilities, which disrupts the work schedule for health service employees.

She said the UHS has requested funds for an additional secretary for years through the NIU general revenue fund, which has not been able to provide for a secretary as yet.

Another proposed program change is a $25 fee for students who miss appointments.

Mills said students on the Health Service Budget Review Team agreed that the hiring of an additional secretary was necessary.

The proposals from the Student Grant-in-Aid program and the Student-to-Student Grant program included no requests for additional funding from student fees and were reviewed with little discussion.

NIU graduate student Sarp Uzkan said the NIU Graduate Colloquia is considering conducting a survey of NIU graduate students to determine the percentage of students who access their services.

Uzkan said the survey results will be used to make adjustments in order to allocate student fees, according to their usage of Graduate Colliquia services.

Donald Davidson, President’s Fee Study Committee chair and assistant provost for Resource Planning, adjourned the meeting and postponed further discussion of the survey until the committee’s next meeting, scheduled for Jan. 28.