Student encourages equal coverage of attacks on campus

As NIU students, we are concerned with how we took time to vote for our 100th anniversary Homecoming court but were unable to see the winners recognized. Homecoming week should be about school spirit. I understand that no student, regardless of their race, deserves to be attacked and the student body should be informed. Nonetheless, there have been various attacks on students where it has either been disregarded by the Northern Star, or placed in a small area of the police beat. During the first week of school, ambulances escorted three black students to Kishwaukee Community Hospital for head wounds after being assaulted with bricks outside of College Square Apartments. There was nothing in the paper for students to read about this incident, yet this attack over an “alleged” pizza of a white student makes front headlines for three days. In response to an earlier letter to the editor by freshman Briana LaGrone where she accuses the Star of being racist and failing to include that the victim allegedly provoked the attackers with racial slurs, junior Terry Teeters responded by writing, “What does that matter? The man was severely beaten over something as trivial as a $10 pizza.” It does matter. It matters to the entire campus that is forced to believe the attack was over a pizza while the Northern Star disregards the arguments of the attackers. Teeter also states that the Northern Star only publishes “credible” information over “alleged happenings.” Why is the victim’s pizza story more credible than the attackers’ story? Both are “alleged happenings,” since neither one has been proved and should both be equally published.

Alex Thervil

Sophomore, sociology

Law enforcement presence for weekend of Homecoming excessive

As an NIU student, several things concern me about the NIU community. The most important is the police terrorism. I do not see the reason for the excessive amount of law enforcement that was here during Homecoming weekend. Wasn’t their purpose to ensure student safety? Instead, they spent their time harassing black students and visitors. This harassment included, but was not limited to stopping cars simply because they had rims, disrupting every black party to ensure it would be shut down and blocking the entrances of College Square Apartments and University Village. Why was there riot training for officers held at the Convocation Center the day before the main concert and party, which was the main Homecoming attraction for urban blacks all over the state? Would they have held this same training if the main attraction was Ashlee Simpson? The actions by law enforcement ensured that black students and their visitors were interrupted at any attempt to enjoy Homecoming weekend, sending a message for future Homecomings. This theory is supported when passing College Square Apartments and noticing how officers were escorting people to where they needed to be and frisking black students for looking “suspicious,” whereas on Greek Row, a predominantly white-populated area, one squad car was posted trying to maintain order. Where was the law enforcement when the freshman was beaten by four attackers in the front of Grant North Towers? I’ll tell you where they were: patrolling the streets looking for cars with rims and “suspicious looking” drivers.

Ashley Thomas

N.A.A.C.P.

Death of NIU student deserves, requires more coverage, compassion

I sit here in disbelief after reading a total of three compassionless sentences about the life and death of NIU student Patrick Stokes. Being that he was in his last year at NIU, I would expect that the Northern Star could have written a more heartfelt story than the one that was printed. There was more information about him in the Northern Star’s resource, the Daily Southtown, than in the Northern Star. What reasons does the Northern Star have for not celebrating the life of a man that has done so much in just a short period of time? Was Patrick unworthy of a picture or even the mentioning of his entire name? The death of an ex-Klansmen got more coverage in the paper, for heavens sake! The Northern Star needs to rethink their priorities and responsibilities.

Rest in peace, Patrick Stokes. You will truly be missed by all and will never be forgotten.

Shannon Smith

Senior, communication

Star’s judgement of ‘newsworthy’ needs reassessment

I am really disappointed at the paper with the recent lack of newsworthy articles.

The things we need to or should know are getting little attention. There are small articles in the paper where we have to search so deeply that when we find them, it is like we have struck gold. It is very ironic that Patrick Stokes made headlines in other states, even on the news, but here at NIU, the only info given was his last name and the fact that he died. That’s pretty cold. Stokes was an NIU senior trying to do something with his life. Now today in the paper you have his whole name and all the information after it’s complained about. Must the NIU students have to demand real news? Under his picture is a huge picture of people at a sporting event. Which is more important? The thing that’s sarcastically funny is that my father, not an NIU student, knows more about what is happening to the students here than I do. Show some respect without it having to be forced out.

Monica Ulmer

Junior, sociology

Star staff needs to refocus attention to student issues

I have recently become very disappointed in what the Northern Star has started to represent. One would think that by looking at a university’s campus paper, one would have a pretty good idea of what events are going on at the school and what topics are important to those students. However, I have come to notice when it comes to practically any minority issue, it seems to be only one-sided recently. I cannot even begin to comment on the topics about Greek life. I think there should specifically be a reporter for either Greek life or minority affairs and if there already is, they are not doing their job. For example, this past weekend was the Alpha Phi Alpha’s Miss Black and Gold pageant. Did I see one good-sized picture or a nicely-written article about it? Absolutely not. Sadly, NIU has lost another life to an act of violence. Was there a full-sized article in respect to this life? No. What is truly going on, because it does not look like even this paper knows.

Ivette Marquez

Junior, nutrition and dietetics

Huskie buses unreliable; measures to fix problem should be taken

I was late to class for the eighth time today due to a tardy bus. The Huskie buses are supposed to come every ten minutes, but I have found that is hardly ever the case. I have timed the buses on several occasions and have found that the buses come at random times, everywhere from four minutes apart up to twenty-plus minutes apart. Students rely on these buses to get to class, work and other events. When they don’t come on time, students are at risk of being denied entry to class and missing out on important lectures, as well as other things. As the weather gets colder, the buses become increasingly more crowded. Students now not only have to worry about their bus being on time, they have to cross their fingers that there will be enough room for them on the bus. More needs to be done to ensure the reliability of the bus system. The bus drivers need to communicate more. Regulations on how long bus drivers should wait at various stops should be made and perhaps more buses should be purchased to accommodate the student body.

Carrie Brate

Sophomore, hospitality administration/business