Pass: Castle Challenge unites school rivals

When rival high school sport teams clash, game nights are usually full of aggressive chanting and smack talk from spectators.

But, the Castle Challenge, a fundraiser started by Castle Bank, “was created to increase attendance at athletic events, raise funds … [and] support school athletic programs with net proceeds being distributed to the school’s booster clubs,” according to the Castle Challenge website.

As the DeKalb Barbs and the Sycamore Spartans faced off on the gridiron, sponsors from Sycamore and DeKalb raised about $54,000 for Friday’s Castle Challenge football game.

Overall, businesses from the communities have collected about $900,000 during the last 15 years through the fundraiser.

The proceeds are split between the schools’ booster clubs and financially assist with each school’s administration, according to the Castle Challenge website.

With the athletic event, each town celebrates its athleticism while increasing its school’s revenue.

The fundraiser isn’t limited only to DeKalb and Sycamore high schools.

Other local school district have participated in the bank’s challenge, including Harvard, Marengo, Belvidere, Sandwich, Yorkville and Plano; however, DeKalb and Sycamore have raised more funds than any other school district. The community that comes closest to raising as much as DeKalb and Sycamore is Kaneland, which has raised about $270,000 since 2003, according to the Castle Challenge website.

Even for people who aren’t sports fans, this fundraiser is a great opportunity for people who envision better communities to better high school education.

The Castle Challenge demonstrates how dedicated local residents are to helping local high schools acquire much-needed financial assistance. The fundraiser strengthens the bonds of sportsmanship by getting spectators psyched for future football games and other sports events.

Fail: Central parking is dangerous problem

Finding a weekday campus parking spot in the morning is an unbeatable race against other students.

Although I don’t commute from a long distance, I’ve given up hope of finding a decent parking spot on campus.

Nearly every morning this semester, I’ve watched vehicles race down Lincoln Highway, trying to beat other students to decent parking spots before classes begin.

The early hours are a hectic and dangerous time and cause too much unnecessary stress for many commuting students trying to arrive to classes on time.

NIU’s parking is too centralized and doesn’t spread out far enough around the university, causing high-traffic congestion down parallel roads, especially Normal and Annie Glidden.

During prime rush hours, I’m more concerned about the vehicles leaving the parking lots than I am getting the next day’s homework done.

Nobody has a fighting chance in the Parking Garage. By mid-morning, nearly every spot is full and it’s futile to look.

The parking lot north of DuSable Hall is constantly crammed. People cut through the lot and drop off friends at the dead end of Stadium Drive.

NIU needs to construct parking lots further away from campus if it wants to increase enrollment.

The western and eastern ends of Lucinda Avenue need to connect as soon as possible and lead to the open area of the Convocation Center.

When this road is opened, the bus system can begin shuttling waiting commuters on the eastern end of campus and revolutionize how students travel around the university.

Once the university uses unused parking space and spreads out traffic, the congestion around the center of campus will lessen and NIU will be safer for students during the worst traveling hours of the day. The bus routes will be spread around campus as well.

Finding a weekday campus parking spot in the morning is an unbeatable race against other students.

Although I don’t commute from a long distance, I’ve given up hope of finding a decent parking spot on campus.

Nearly every morning this semester, I’ve watched vehicles race down Lincoln Highway, trying to beat other students to decent parking spots before classes begin.

The early hours are a hectic and dangerous time and cause too much unecessary stress for many commuting students trying to arrive to classes on time.

NIU’s parking is too centralized and doesn’t spread out far enough around the university, causing high-traffic congestion down parellel roads, especially Normal and Annie Glidden.

During prime rush hours, I’m more concerned about the vehicles leaving the parking lots than I am getting the next day’s homework done.

Nobody has a fighting chance in the Parking Garage. By midmorning, nearly every spot is full and it’s futile to look.

The parking lot north of DuSable Hall is constantly crammed. People cut through the lot and drop off friends at the dead end of Stadium Drive.

NIU needs to construct parking lots further away from campus if it wants to increase enrollment.

The western and eastern ends of Lucinda Avenue need to connect as soon as possible and lead to the open area of the Convocation Center.

When this road is opened, the bus system can begin shuttling waiting commuters on the eastern end of campus and revolutionize how students travel around the university.

Once the university uses unused parking space and spreads out traffic, the congestion around the center of campus will lessen and NIU will be safer for students during the worst traveling hours of the day. The bus routes will be spread around campus as well.