As I was reading the article, “NIU’s budget already stretched,” from the Jan. 28 edition from The Northern Star, I was hoping that I would be the only one to see or read such a degrading article. I realize that accessibility for handicapped students on campus is an issue, and I am all for bringing it to the attention of NIU’s students. However, not only did it make the handicapped at Northern seem inferior to the rest, but it is embarrassing to think that a college-level student could write such an article on a senseless, witless wavelength.

We all know that it is going to take time to see full accessibility for the handicapped on this campus, but telling the handicapped students to tighten their belts like the rest of the campus is a desperate attempt to do away with this problem, don’t you think? The handicapped may be a minority group on this campus, but it is a bit naive to think that they, or anyone on this campus with a heart, is going to accept the fact that the handicapped can be talked about like they do not matter here on campus. Did you once stop to think that a student in a wheelchair cannot go to the washroom in Cole Hall because they do not have access?

As the article said, it would be nice to see NIU’s students holding hands, dancing and singing, but the budget just can’t fix all of the problems at the snap of a finger. However, until it can, let’s think about the fact that the handicapped on campus are here to be educated, not to tighten their belts.

Julianne Rodriguez

Sophomore

Undecided Professional Studies