Pass:

After a hard fought battle, the generous legislators of Illinois finally granted NIU $26.4 million in funding. With this funding, NIU will be able to address their budget uncertainty for Fiscal Year 2016. Illinois universities have been waiting patiently for our state representatives to come to a conclusion on the budget crisis. Progress is being made, and we will soon see the results. 

Fail:

Swahili Teaching Assistant Mary Okeyo is graduating in May and is seeking $2,000 through GoFundMe. The money would pay for her husband’s plane ticket so he can fly from Mara, Tanzania to NIU. For some reason, people believe they are owed a handout. It may not be Okeyo directly asking for assistance, but in a way she is allowing people to fund her spouse to fly to the U.S. The time it took Okeyo to pursue her master’s degree is more than enough time for her and her husband to budget and successfully save $2,000 over a period of two years. Times are hard and money is tight, but if they both saved $10 each week from when Okeyo left, they would have saved enough money for the plane ticket. I’m sure Okeyo wants her spouse to be able to watch her walk across the stage. With proper planning and budgeting, her wish would be a reality, and she would not be asking for people to fund her husband’s plane ticket.