The Illinois Student Association has many plans for students and state representatives this semester, but budget problems rank at the top.

ISA Legislative Director Susan Filion said they will work primarily on budgets this semester unless an emergency arises.

Filion said budgets will be made for each school that the ISA represents in the next two months, and fact sheets will show where cuts can be made. They will present testimony in each of those areas.

“We will work to maintain classes, sections and the quality of programs,” she said.

ISA Director David Gonzalez said because of the election year, the ISA plans to get more students to vote.

“Their basic concern is that students should be able to register to vote, especially with the redistricting, so that we can actually capture certain districts and the students can actually have control of certain areas,” Gonzalez said.

“They’re also doing a lot of recruiting from other schools,” he said. “There are a few who are very interested in joining. With more schools, it would make the ISA more effective.”

The ISA is a student lobbying group located in Springfield which tries to influence state representatives in favor of student needs.

Every NIU student pays a $1 ISA fee for the services it provides. NIU has been a part of ISA for more than two years.

Gonzalez said it was difficult to say what would happen in the ISA this semester because a new director has been added to the staff.

“We have an acting director, but I’m sure he (the new director) has new ideas of his own,” Gonzalez said.

The new director will begin his new position February 3.