It was just last week that I was walking back from class and at noon when I heard the church bells, keen to alert the campus of the hour. After 12 strikes, the bells started a song and it one I could not place.

I knew I had heard it before, but what song was it?

It hit me two hours later–the song was NIU’s alma mater.

My relief at figuring out this perplexing situation was soon replaced with disappointment.

I was disappointed I didn’t know our alma mater, the song that represents my university, my education and, in a small way, me.

But my disappointment was not just because of my ignorance about our alma mater; that’s just one part of it. That moment made me realize I don’t know much about NIU and I suspect the same can be said for the majority of the student body.

It is very important to know where you come from. As I said before, NIU is a part of you. For some of us upon graduation, the name Northern Illinois University will sit on your resume beside your name for the rest of your life.

But do you really know what NIU is? Do you really know what we stand for? Do you know why we are here?

Until this realization, I definitely did not.

Did you know NIU opened in 1895 as Northern Illinois State Normal School and only taught teachers? No? Neither did I until I looked up “History and Traditions” on the University’s website.

But how about some recent history. We all know about NIU’s tragic loss on Feb. 14, 2008, but I suspect many don’t know that is the reason why we hold up five fingers between the third and fourth quarter of every football game.

According to a Feb. 14 Northern Star article by Brooke Shinberg, the “five in the sky” tradition was started by football coach Jerry Kill for the 2008 football season as a way to dedicate the fourth quarter to the five students who were killed.

With as much negative publicity as NIU has received in the past few years, it is important for us as students and community members to know the facts about our school. It shows we are informed, it shows we are educated and it shows we are proud to call ourselves Huskies.

There is so much more to NIU than classes and parties. There is a rich history behind the school of red and black. It is a history that will follow you until you die because as a student or a member of the community here, that history is your history.

We all belong to different racial, religious and social groups, but there is one group we all belong to, and that is NIU. And just like your race and religion are a part of what defines you, so is your education and so is your school.

Be proud of where you come from, know your history, and in the words of our alma mater, “Hail, NIU!”