With each passing year, the cost of being a college student becomes higher. Along with the initial tuition payment, numerous other fees are added. Also, the ever-rising price of books must be included. The average individual pursuing a collegiate degree will often spend hundreds of dollars on “extras” that they may not even understand the purpose of. Northeastern Illinois University is no exception. With the beginning of fall 2008, the three-dollar per student “green fee” is in its fourth semester at NEIU.
The Green Fee Committee has been a part of the NEIU campus for over a year and is comprised of students, faculty and staff in pursuit of a more ecologically friendly campus. With roughly 12,000 students taking classes at any given time, the fee equates to approximately $36,000 a semester.
Al Cordero, a political science major and representative of the Student Government Association on the Green Fee Committee, also works in facilities management for the university. “The green fee isn’t meant to be an answer to all of the environmental issues we face,” Cordero said. “It’s really more of a catalyst. We simply want to be a more environmentally active university.”
Currently, NEIU is the first in Chicago and one of only two schools in the state with a system in place to charge students a fee for the “greening” of a campus. After three semesters, the purchase of an electric vehicle and additional bike racks have seen the money collected be put into use. Two additional projects have been proposed including replacing all exit signs on campus with LED lights and the expansion of recycling receptacles. Motion sensor lights will also be placed in the less-trafficked restrooms on campus in order to save energy.
Paul Harris is the ranking member of the Student Government Association on the Green Fee Committee. Harris, a political science and history major feels strongly about the importance of students knowing where their money is going. “The more tangible things we can do for the campus, the better,” Harris said. “When students can feel the impact they make, that’s an important part.” Committee members also emphasize the recycling of older or less utilized equipment on campus as opposed to replacement for show. “The main object isn’t purchase because that creates waste,” Harris said. “We’re trying to replace things that would be needing it soon anyway.”