To be perfectly honest, reading a bill from the university can be a bit overwhelming if not incomprehensible for an undergraduate student. If this would be a freshman’s first time dealing with bigger finances to take care of, it could be overwhelming.
So what exactly is a “Green Fee”? At first, I thought it was a golf club that the university had and we all maintained it. Wrong. Come to find out the “Green Fee” we are billed for is to keep the lawns, trees, and general grounds of the campus well maintained. Most students do not even give it a second thought, if at all what are a few bucks anyway? Well, it is $3 multiplied by the number of students per semester and that totals to more than a few bucks. Let’s take a look at the Green Fee at least in terms of what it is to NEIU’s community.
The Green Fee has a committee that is made up of:
- One student representative from the Student Government Association
- One student representative from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
- Two student representatives from the Green Conservation Group
- One at-large student representative
- Two faculty members, one of which is from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
- Two staff members in Facilities Management.
The committee has a mission which is to maintain the natural aesthetic look of the campus with the lawn, trees, and plants. It strives to be a representation of the University’s commitment to being sustainable and providing an opportunity for students to be involved by allowing them to propose projects that would be in line with the purpose of the Green Fee Committee.
The Faculty Advisor, Dr. Lindsay Maldonando believes that each member of the committee, as well as the student body, has something to contribute to how these funds are used. If you feel like you have the next great project that the committee should embark upon feel free to contact Dr. Maldonado. Meetings are held in person at the main campus and are streamed to the other satellite campuses as well.
So regardless if we feel like the Green Fee is just another fee to be charged, perhaps we should look into the committee becoming involved and be the change we want to see like a native species garden that replaces the lawn, charging stations for electric cars or a recycled play area for the neighborhood children. Or maybe to combat the rising cost of food, a community garden that contributes to the student food pantry. Whatever your idea is, present it at the next Green Fee Committee meeting. Feel free to reach out to the Green Fee email at [email protected].
