Junior sociology major Tony Alonso is preparing to die.

Alonso has ambitions of becoming a police officer and is currently enrolled in SOCI 482, Death and Dying. The class addresses a spectrum of issues pertaining to death, from the controversial — euthanasia and abortion — to end of life decisions like hospice care.

After watching a video series detailing the varying degrees of death, but specifically the need for its preparation, Alonso said he felt it was important to fill out advance directives, though he is only 21 years old.

“I want to become a police officer and I’m getting closer to that so I figured I would just go ahead and get everything set up and in order,” Alonso said. “And I mean you never know, there’s always the chance that you could get in a car accident or something like that, so I just figured it would be a good thing to have already done.”

Pam Kitterman, patient care coordinator at DeKalb Hospice, said an advanced directive, a legal document specifically stating a person’s wishes prior to death, is important to consider at any age.

“I think it’s everyone’s responsibility to at least look at those advance directives,” Kitterman said. “I think, at any age, to make sure that you choose the person you want to be your power of attorney for health care is essential in case there is a situation where you are not able to make your own informed decision.”

After class one day, Alonso went to NIU Health Services to obtain these documents. However, Alonso said he was met with little cooperation.

“These issues are personal choices and outside of the scope of Health Services,” Health Services said in an email.

Kitterman said that while considering end of life care is a series of personal choices, it would be nice if there were a place on campus for students to gather information on the subject.

“I think it’s a conversation that we need to have when we’re living, and it’s just kind of getting your life in order, and I think all persons should be looking at that every so often as they go through their stages of life,” Kitterman said. “How do you want end of life care to look? What you think you want end of life care to look like at 21 may not be what you want at 51, 61, 91. It’s just like a budget: You’re always having to look at it and make sure you’re right in line and everything is getting paid as it should be and I think it’s the same with advanced directives, making sure you have those tools in place in case a catastrophe happened.”

Alonso said as a commuter from Naperville, he thinks his need for filling out an advance directive is even greater than the average student’s.

“I have a larger chance of being in a car accident being a commuter, and since it is on the highway it’s a little bit more dangerous,” Alonso said.

Further, Alonso said, because NIU has such a high commuter and internationally-based student population, the need for Health Services to make available pertinent information and forms is definite.

“For me, I think it’s wrong of them to say, you know, ‘We don’t want to do it here,’” Alonso said. “I do think it’s that person’s choice, but I think they should provide the opportunity right there on the spot since it is student’s first health care, aside from Kishwaukee Hospital. That’s a lot of students’ primary care physicians right there on campus, so I think they should be a little more proactive.”

If a student were to be admitted to the hospital, Kitterman said Illinois law requires hospital personnel to ask if the patient has any advanced directives, and if not, if they would like to sign one.

“This is another reason why students should know about these, especially if they’re not from the area,” Kitterman said.

In an email to the Northern Star, a representative of Health Services said she or he would suggest a student Google information on the documents if they were interested.