Although it never really was the strongest of voices, the Illinois Student Association is now on its way to crumbling.

Even though students at the University of Illinois at Champaign voted to stay in the group, U of I Board of Trustees decided to withdraw the students’ membership. Without U of I’s support, the ISA will begin sinking quicker than Chicago’s downtown.

The ISA might as well close up shop. As U of I pulls back on its $36,000 in yearly dues, finances will run dry. NIU’s contribution of $25,000 will never make up for the loss of U of I. Chances are no one will want to pay more for the dues.

Anyway, the ISA has been a mess recently. It went through a reorganization of its hierarchy and has gone through two different executive directors in the last couple years. NIU itself has sent a couple different representatives this year alone.

Unless someone from the ISA—if there’s anyone left with some organization—can coax schools like Illinois State University, Western Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University into the membership, it’s over. Getting these other colleges in the club would boost the budget and create a stronger voice in Springfield, where obviously the word on higher education is only a whisper.

It might have been a poor idea for the Board of Trustees to take the Illini out of the ISA, but it’s a done deal. All that’s left to do is either save the sinking ship by recruiting new members—or jump before it hits bottom.