As a Northern View Community resident, I am so fed up with all the controversy. I keep reading these articles on NVC and non-traditional students and they are starting to become very frustrating.

What truly sparked this e-mail was the recent coverage of the Student Association Senate meeting. It amazes me that when it comes to any kind of finance for NVC, the first response is always: “This project was funded by an outside contractor.”

But we are subjected to the same university rules, policies and regulations that apply in normal residence halls. We also pay the same student fees as on-campus residents, and, not to mention, our rent is super expensive.

I personally find it hard to understand why there is so much fuss about giving us the same rights and opportunities as other residential facilities - especially if this development is supposed to replace the University Apartments.

In addition, SA Sen. Patrick Frierson stated, (and I quote) “I also know people who stay in Northern View, and I haven’t seen any families.” What are you talking about? What times are you visiting? During school hours when our children are learning or during bedtime?

Or was it when we were living in a live construction zone? I guess our children were supposed to play with the dirt covered in fertilizer or play with bulldozers and cranes operating nearby.

What saddens me even more is that the SA knows how many people reside here but has not taken the time to accurately account for all the families. At least this would add substance to the matter on the table, and we wouldn’t have Sen. Frierson making ignorant comments like that.

Lastly, does the SA have true non-traditional student representation? Of course not. And as a former SGA president, vice chair for the CCC District SGA, and as the very first non-traditional student board member for the Illinois Board of Higher Education (January to June 2007), I know how truly important that voice is when trying to create a balanced student representational body.

If that voice is not present, it is hard for SA to make decisions and pass new regulations and bylaws that are empathetic to the needs of non-traditional students.

I know this may be hard to believe, but the ratio of non-traditional students to traditional students is quite larger than it use to be. This is why the state passed a law to establish a student board member only for non-traditional students.

The lack of participation happens because the non-traditional student has so many other priorities that sometimes we are not seen in these types of venues or extracurricular activities. So it’s not evident how large this number truly is.

I chose NIU because I was told this was the beacon school for non-traditional students, but the only thing I’ve experienced was a horrid move-in, a very unfriendly non-traditional student environment, terrible customer service (except for some beautiful ladies in the financial aid office and Kim, Ming and Melissa in NVC) and a whole world of stress.

It’s hard to truly enjoy my college experience and recommend NIU to another non-traditional students . It almost makes you research and apply to other universities who understand and provide an amazing support staff for students with our particular needs. I truly feel sorry for the staff that has to deal with retention after this ordeal.
Mia L. Boyd,
Sophomore, pre-elementary education

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