The Northern Star doles out grades for current events. But, unlike your least favorite professor, we reveal the explanation behind the grade we give.

“Economic Treason:” FAIL.

Negative campaign ads have become endemic in politics, but the recent announcement by U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias is simply too much.

Giannoulias accused his opponent, Republican Congressman Mark Kirk, of committing economic treason for soliciting campaign donations from American businessmen operating in China.

Wow.

Crazy things are said during campaigns, and there’s no modern politician who is not guilty of exaggerating the supposed threat their opponent portrays.

But treason? That’s laying it on pretty thick, especially when Giannoulias has done almost the exact same thing.

NIU Football: PASS.

A passing grade to NIU Football for trouncing Central Michigan and making us bowl eligible.

The fact that NIU has gone to a bowl game two years in a row is remarkable. But three years? That’s not just astounding, but history-making.

All that remains to be done is for the Huskies to thrash the remaining four teams: Western Michigan, Toledo, Ball State, and Eastern Michigan.

And if we do win, we’ll find ourselves in the MAC championship in Detroit, which is somewhere we haven’t been since 2005. And then hopefully, another bowl game.

Let’s go Huskies!