Students’ opinions are affected, intentionally or not, by their teachers. While some professors wished to keep their political views to themselves, these professors agreed to share their thoughts with the campus on several issues that have been a large concern in this year’s campaigns.

The Republican professors backed President George W. Bush on nearly 100 percent of all topics discussed, while the Democrats voiced their opinions on a need for change.

The war in Iraq:

Carolyn Miller, business communication instructor (R) - “I see the war in Iraq as a tragedy. I think President Bush’s approach is more proactive in finding terrorists there. I feel more confident with him looking out for my safety than Sen. Kerry.”

Barbara Burrell, political science professor (D) - “It was a mistake to go into Iraq. Bush didn’t pay enough attention to hunting down Osama bin Laden.”

Tomis Kapitan, philosophy professor (I) - “It was a tremendous mistake. Iraq had not threatened us and now we’ve made more enemies. We haven’t advanced at all; it doesn’t serve our interests to be there.”

Abortion:

Rich Wozniak, marketing instructor (R) - “[Kerry] claims to be Catholic and personally opposed to abortion, but on the other side of his mouth, he voices his opinion about a woman’s right to have an abortion. I don’t think he has a clear positioning strategy.”

Shawn Iden, English teaching assistant (D) - “I believe that if Bush is given a second term, he will appoint a Supreme Court Justice whose intentions will be the reversal of Roe v. Wade.”

Kapitan (I) - “I think Kerry will continue the current policies, whereas Bush is much more conservative on the issue; [he] may try to push things on Congress with restrictions on abortion rights.”

Same-sex marriage:

Miller (R) - “Bush is against gay marriage, but I think neutral on gay partnerships.”

Iden (D) - “It seems that Bush has flip-flopped on gay marriage during the campaign. He claims to be for states’ rights, but when a ban on gay marriage was being debated in the Senate, Bush said he would sign the bill into law if it passed.”

Kapitan (I) - “Democrats are more recipient to this idea. Bush has come out very strong against it. “

Health care:

Gary Glenn, political science professor (R) - “As far as I can tell, Kerry has made a lot of rhetorical attacks on health care, but no concrete proposals on how to control costs of health care.”

Iden (D) - “Kerry would allow consumers to purchase medicine from other nations, which will allow for greater choice while also forcing domestic markets to price their products more fairly.”

Miller (R) - “Bush’s position with health care is pretty much ‘government hands-off.’ If he’s given four more years, I think he would initiate some special programs to accommodate small businesses.”

Outsourcing jobs:

Wozniak (R) - “I hate the fact that Americans are out of work, but usually, the jobs that are being outsourced aren’t the kinds of jobs that people want.”

Iden (D) - “Kerry unfortunately also does not seem interested in heavily curbing free trade, although he does recognize the need for empowered working class and will do a better job than Bush in fighting for their interests.”

Kapitan (I) - “That’s a big concern. There are many communities in this country that have been hurt by the fact that jobs are being transferred to other countries.”

Stem-cell research:

Glenn (R) - “Bush’s position is that stem-cell research is not objectionable and he denies federal funding for use of fetal stem cells. However, he has not yet signed a law against it.”

Robin Moremen, director of undergraduate studies in sociology (D) - “While Bush has endorsed using existing stem-cell lines for research, this doesn’t go far enough to cover solutions that would benefit everyone. Kerry would open the possibility for greater opportunities in this area. There are a lot of people who would benefit from research in this area.”

One way NIU solicits donations from alumni is through the Huskie Telefund, which has been operating since 1997.

The Telefund is a division of the NIU Annual Fund, which contacts alumni to give them the opportunity to support the university.

Meghan Marsden, director of the Annual Fund, said the Telefund has more than 35 automated calling stations and employs about 60 students.

In FY2004, the Annual Fund raised about $910,000. The goal for this year is to raise $1 million, which would be a 10-percent increase from last year.

“So far, the Annual Fund is 10 percent ahead of where we were this time last year,” Marsden said. “We are optimistic that we will reach the goal.”

The main focus of the Telefund is to raise funds for NIU’s colleges and their individual departments.

Input and participation from deans and department chairs are essential to the success of the Telefund, Marsden said.

“We work closely with deans and department chairs to update alumni on how past support was used and to outline the current year’s needs,” she said.

Marsden said the Telefund’s hardworking staff of students does not get enough credit for the positive impact they have on NIU each year.

In FY2004, 61 percent of the money raised by the Annual Fund resulted from calls made by students, she said.

“Not only do they keep alumni connected with NIU through their conversations - they are making a huge difference at their school,” she said.

Those interested in learning more about the NIU Annual Fund can visit www.niufoundation.org/annualfund.