As the NIU football team prepares to open the 2008 season with new head coach Jerry Kill, some Huskie fans may be wondering how they’ll get to Minnesota for the game.

Students shouldn’t expect any university–sponsored option, though, as NIU has no plans to organize its own transportation for fans to get to the game.

There is a bus making the trip up to Minneapolis, but it is reserved for those who have donated to the athletic scholarship fund and received an invitation via e-mail, according to the Athletic Development Office.

Any such program for students would most likely be organized through the Student Association, and NIU transportation would simply provide the means of transport, according to transportation manager Bill Finucane.

The SA has no plans to accommodate such a request, however, as their budget and other issues prevent transport from being a possibility at this point, according to SA president Brent Keller.

One factor Keller elaborated on was the lack of student interest in transportation to the game.

“It would really take a combination of student interest, as well as a variety of factors including budget ones,” Keller said. “The issue with this game is that it’s Labor Day weekend, and the game is in Minnesota and travel to Minnesota is not cheap by any means.”

Student interest exists, as those willing to go to the game simply don’t have any way of getting there.

“If NIU offered some sort of bus or transportation service, there would be little to nothing stopping me from going to away games,” said junior history major Mike Murphy.

Some interest is there, but not in the capacity that the SA would require to organize such a program. There are also other things the SA is involved with that would be better served with the money that would be spent, according to Keller.

“We can better utilize that money here on campus through other types of programming,” Keller said.
Students looking for an alternate form of transportation to the game this Saturday may be surprised to learn that driving their car may still be the least expensive way to get to the game.

Traveling by car round-trip from DeKalb is roughly 740 miles, with most midsize cars getting anywhere between 25-30 miles per gallon. That’s roughly 27 gallons of gas round-trip, which with the current gas price average at $3.79 totals around $100 spent on gasoline.

Those thinking about riding the rails to support the Huskies will find the train to be an expensive option as well, as Amtrak’s Chicago-to-Minneapolis route usually costs around $100 per ticket both ways and consists of an eight-hour trip, according to amtrak.com.

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