A sizeable crowd assembled in the Student Union building for an open Town Hall meeting with Northeastern Illinois University’s president Sharon Hahs, on Wednesday, April 13, from 1p.m.-2p.m. Hahs started by promptly stating that the goals of such a town hall meeting were to promote “transparency, honesty, openness, inclusion, empowerment,” while being “supportive of community.”
Those people who were interested in approaching the microphone were allowed to directly ask Hahs, as well as other administrators their questions, though prior to the meeting/forum, emails were sent out to the campus community at large, informing that anyone wishing to ask a question at the upcoming town hall forum should submit these ahead of schedule. Along with the numerous student/faculty concerns that were brought up were the pressing issues regarding unresolved contractual agreements between the universities’ bargaining team/UPI Union members and the school administration. What follows is a briefing of the many questions and resulting answers that transpired; it is not meant to be completely inclusive of all event details.
· The coveted U-Pass that SGA has been pushing for is supposed to be put into effect starting next Fall. A U-Pass fee would be charged to all full-time students, regardless of use.
· There have not been any collegiate sports at NEIU for 15 years, and there is no plan in the works to implement any sports. Administration stated cost and participation as factors in deciding not to pursue any programs.
· Besides adding a few new computers to the library, NEIU is not currently adding any needed additional computer labs on campus. Administration cited that if an Education Building would be built within 2 years, that that would provide an additional lab for students to use.
· Additions and upgrades are: Science Building Student Lounge, Science Building Labs, Latino/Latin American Studies program (in progress), a few class sections increased as well as online courses.
· Hahs will “look into” showcasing more artwork by NEIU community.
· Hahs stated that why a student’s scholarship might be revoked might be due to state money and undocumented status. Hahs stated that these rules and regulations are being revamped.
· There are no legitimate plans for building/allocating student housing due to finances.
· Administration cited the First Year Experience program, Project Success, and TRIO services as providing enrollment retention goals for African American students.
· Students at NEIU currently pay for half of the school budget, or operating costs. State appropriation comes from tax payer money. The state sent only 14 million in funding, instead of the 40 million dollars expected by NEIU.
· There is no resolve on allowing for ROTC members to take ROTC courses at NEIU instead of having to commute distances in order to fulfill these requirements. Hahs cited that she “assumes that faculty is extremely divided on the subject.”
· There are currently divided opinions on money issues as pertains to teacher contract settlements with NEIU’s administrative body. While Hahs gave her opinion that NEIU teachers deserve raises, there is still no resolve after a 3 year battle. When probed on how to explain administrative raises, Hahs stated that basically, if it is viable to the university, then it is okay. She also stated that there have been “very few administrative increases.” The reason for offering NEIU’s attorney a 40,000 dollars increase in annual salary, (from 80,000 to 120,000) was that we should pay that much for a “good person.” This counter-offer bargaining was cited as being part of the “market economy.” Meanwhile, Hahs stated that NEIU Associate Professors were “behind a little” in financial compensation, while Professors and Instructors were “further behind now” and “way behind,” respectively. Administration argued that they have put out a “fair” offer, but that it has not been accepted.