I am responding to the article entitled “NIU committed to conserve energy” on page 3 of Jan. 18’s Northern Star and the editorial entitled “NIU electricity, gas wasted” on page 14 on Jan. 23. These articles, as well as other things, irk me.

I am bothered because the administration seems to be putting the blame on students for energy waste. The administration owes the students an apology. Without an apology students should not be subjected to such patronizing.

It bothers me that problems are handled only when there is a “budget crunch.” For most students and most of the world, there is always a budget crunch. And not only can we not afford waste economically; we cannot afford waste environmentally.

Why should a classroom ever be eighty degrees in winter, money or not? Even besides the environment, what about our health? I have had to open my residence hall window in the middle of winter because it gets stuffy.

Also a lot of heat can be saved by insulating windows. Many unnecessary lights could be shut off. Why do Grant and Stevenson Towers have on those outside lights? So extraterrestrials can see where they are going?

Why is the escalator in the library running? The elevators are necessary anyway. Why not just use the elevators or the stairs? Also, I am sure there are many other places on campus where energy can be saved in addition to the ones I have mentioned.

I must admit I am proud that the food service started using cereal dispensers. Buying cereal in bulk must be less expensive and certainly uses less cardboard than individual boxes.

I hope food service does not take the dispensers away when there is no longer a “budget crunch.”

When is the university going to start recycling? When is the university going to start recycling paper? When is the university going to stop using polystyrene and stop axing trees?

If the administration is going to patronize students by telling them to shut off their lights and save money, I hope the administration apologizes for the waste of our money, environment and health.

Do not get me wrong. I know students are wasteful too. We, meaning students, leave TVs and lights on when not being used; we do not “reduce, reuse, or recycle” as much as we could; we take buses when we can walk and take cars when we can take buses, but the administration is not innocent either.

This letter may be harsh, but I just get frustrated at unshared blame, unexamined choices and unrelenting waste.

Allison R. Arkin

Junior

Math Education