A Message from Provost Ingram re: Reallocation of Student Fees and In-Person Activities
Sept. 17, 2020
Dear Students,
We’ve worked diligently to keep you informed, and I’m writing today to update you on student general mandatory fees and the status of our temporary changes in course delivery.
Student fees
Our first priority at NIU is the health and well-being of our students. To protect your health, we’ve implemented surveillance testing and enhanced cleaning of classroom and study spaces. To help you be successful students, we’ve increased our supply of loanable laptops and expanded off-campus access to the software that you need. As you might expect, this entailed extra expenses for NIU.
To help defray those costs and make sure that we can continue these efforts, the NIU Board of Trustees earlier today approved a 20% reallocation of funds collected through the mandatory general fee that is assessed to almost all of our students. To be clear, there will be NO fee increase. The reallocated funds will be used to assist our students through: - More technology support, including software, hardware and evening and weekend help-desk services.
- Access to other support that students might need, such as digital materials, proctoring services, WI-FI and more.
- Expanded student COVID-19 testing to ensure we can monitor cases on our campus.
- Housing and food for resident students (those who live on campus) who are required to quarantine or isolate.
Temporary changes in course delivery
Last Friday, the university temporarily moved undergraduate courses online and asked all students who reside on campus, and undergraduates who live in DeKalb County, to limit in-person activities and interactions. These actions are necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19 and keep our community healthy, and we are hopeful that these measures are making an impact.
With the weekend approaching, the need for your continued cooperation remains imperative. As it stands right now, our full intention remains to resume in-person classes Monday, Sept. 28.
If you need help
Finally, I know that navigating this pandemic comes with challenges. If you need help, we will be here for you. I strongly encourage you to follow up with the offices that are here to help you, including our Center for Student Assistance, the Academic Advising Center and Counseling and Consultation Services.
We’re also working to keep you active and engaged in coming weeks. In addition to activities planned for residence hall floors, there are a number of virtual and local events where you can learn, have fun or get fit in a safe setting.
As Huskies, we support each other, and we care for each other. Right now, that means that each one of us must care enough to be vigilant about being healthy, following public health guidance and looking out for each other. Forward, Together Forward!
Sincerely,
Beth Ingram
Executive Vice President and Provost |
