Acting mayor of DeKalb Kris Povlsen has seen NIU change over the course of his life. He grew up in Sycamore and has lived in DeKalb for 35 years.

He remembers acting in plays at the O’Connell Theater and marching at football games with his high school bands at the old field by the river. Povlsen remembers when the field house was literally in the middle of a field.

But he always has felt that NIU was an integral part of the community.

Povlsen said if anyone had any doubts about NIU being a part of the DeKalb community, the tragedy of Feb. 14 brought everyone together. He said everywhere you go in DeKalb, you see the Huskie, and every time you see that dog, you are reminded that we are all NIU.

“With any tragedy, it brings people together,” Povlsen said. “We’re all vulnerable and we’re all really one in the same. It’s not a matter of someone who lives in one part of town or are you a student or are you a resident. We’re all people here that live and reside and shop and work and go to school here in the community and are a part of DeKalb.”

The acting mayor said you cannot draw a line to divide NIU from DeKalb.

“The community is NIU, and NIU is the community,” Povlsen said.

On Feb. 14, Povlsen was 2nd Ward Alderman. He was appointed as acting mayor after the July 23, 2008, death of Mayor Frank Van Buer by pancreatic cancer.

Povlsen said he couldn’t speak directly for Van Buer, but said he believes the mayor did a great job handling the tragedy. He said, like himself, that Van Buer was a part of DeKalb for many years, and they both shared the thought that NIU and DeKalb were inseparable.

“I think he represented the city well,” Povlsen said. “I think that he certainly helped bring NIU and the community together, and I think he did a great job with the healing process just because of the kind of man he was.”

Povlsen has deep ties with the university so the tragedy really hit home for him.

“I got my graduate degree at NIU, my wife is an NIU graduate, and I have a daughter that went to NIU,” Povlsen said. “And a father that went back after he was a dentist and got another degree in counseling at NIU.”

With a daughter enrolled in college at the time of the shootings, he realized how difficult it is to go through something like this both as a member of the community and as a parent. He said he and his family learned a lot through Feb. 14.

“[I learned] how vulnerable our young people are; how vulnerable we all are,” Povlsen said, “and never to take anything for granted one minute.”

The acting mayor said he is looking forward to taking part in the activities in the community this year. He said he hopes it is a day where everyone can come together and celebrate NIU.

“This is hopefully a day of remembrance, but an upbeat day,” he said. “A day to move us forward and to socialize, remember, celebrate the meaning of NIU, what we are.”

Povlsen said he defines NIU as an important part of the DeKalb community that has affected everyone in the city.

“I see [NIU] as a very vibrant, stimulating part of the city of DeKalb that brings in ideas, new people, and … really enhances the quality of life for the community,” Povlsen said. “Everybody is touched by NIU in one way, shape or form in the community.”