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Northern Star

Northern Illinois University’s student media since 1899

 

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

A group of students walk around to different tables at the Campus Meets Community event. The Fall 2024 Involvement Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday in MLK Commons and the Campus Meets Community event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday in MLK Commons. (Northern Star File Photo)

Annual Involvement Fair to be hosted at MLK Commons

By Gray Edelstein and Joseph Ndu | September 2, 2024

DeKALB – The Involvement Fair will be hosted from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at MLK Commons. At the event, students are given the opportunity to explore a variety of organizations and clubs. This event is a space for students to discover...

Executive Vice President and Provost Laurie Elish-Piper (left) and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer George Middlemist give a presentation about NIU's deficit mitigation plan. NIU plans on reducing the deficit to $15.4 million by the end of fiscal year 2025 and to $0 by the end of fiscal year 2026. (Northern Star File Photo)

NIU to decrease deficit to $15.4 million by FY25

By Olivia Zapf, Editor in Chief | September 2, 2024

DeKALB – As the academic year begins, NIU is staring down a roughly $32 million deficit, meaning finances will be lean; however, the university plans to decrease low-enrollment courses and advocate for additional funds from the state of Illinois. END...

A sign that reads "Disability is Diversity" hangs on a wall in the Disability Resource Center. The Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is a new service through the DRC that provides captioning for students with hearing impairments. (Ethan Rodriguez | Northern Star)

NIU provides accessibility to students with hearing disabilities

By Devin Oommen, News Reporter | August 29, 2024

DeKALB – A captioning service offered by NIU allows students with hearing disabilities to participate in classes alongside their peers.  The Communication Access Realtime Translation service (CART) is offered through the Disability Resource Center....

A Northern Star book from Oct. 7, 1955, sits open on a table. The Northern Star archives digitization project is delayed until the spring 2025 semester due to switching online platforms. (Ethan Rodriguez | Northern Star)

Northern Star archives digitization delayed to the spring 2025 semester

By Austin Lamb, Senior News Reporter | August 29, 2024

DeKALB –  The completion of the Northern Star digitization project, an effort to convert print issues from 1899 to 1997 to a digital format, was originally slated for the end of the 2023 fall semester but has been delayed. Matthew Short, an assistant...

A group of students gather at the kickoff of Food Truck Wednesdays hosted at the MLK Commons on Wednesday. Each Wednesday there will be up to 12 food trucks for students to go to. (Zahra Yousif | Northern Star)

Food Truck Wednesdays return to MLK Commons

By Kahlil Kambui, Assistant News Editor | August 28, 2024

DeKALB – At 11 a.m. Wednesday at MLK Commons, Food Truck Wednesdays, an NIU tradition, kicked off. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as many as 12 different food trucks were available on Normal Road for students to purchase from. Many other activities,...

A laptop sits open with the Bright Start website shown on screen. The Illinois 529 Rollover plan allows for leftover money in college savings accounts to be rolled over into a Roth IRA. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Illinois 529 rollover plan signed into law

By Victoria Wakeford, News Reporter | August 28, 2024

DeKALB – Earlier this month, an Illinois bill was signed to allow unused college savings to be utilized for retirement.  With this plan, parents are able to roll over their leftover Illinois 529 college funds (Bright Start and Bright Directions)...

(From left) Margee Myles, director of the LRS undergraduate student success center, Victor E. Huskie, Joan Phillips-Hernandez and Olivia Collier, a senior business management major pose for a photo while making the huskie sign. Phillips-Hernandez was recently hired as the new dean of the College of Business in July. (Courtesy of Rachel Schmit)

Joan Phillips-Hernandez aims for student success

By Emily Beebe, News Editor | August 27, 2024

DeKALB – Joan Phillips-Hernandez is the new dean of the College of Business. Phillips-Hernandez spoke to the Northern Star about herself and her goals as dean. CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF? “I'm a first-generation in my family...

A police car sits in the parking lot of the NIU Police Department building, located at 395 Wirtz Drive. Crimes such as criminal damage to property and theft were reported in May, June and July 2024 on NIU’s campus. (Emily Beebe | Northern Star)

NIU crime log, May, June, July 2024

By Emily Beebe, News Editor | August 27, 2024

DeKALB – The information in this report is compiled from the NIU Police Department’s Daily Crime Log. Any case defined as “unfounded” was not included in this list. Any “closed by exception” case is closed due to circumstances outside of...

A Jewel mascot walks through the Jewel-Osco store at the Jewel Jamboree event. At the event, students received free items such as snacks and drinks. (Emily Beebe | Northern Star)

Week of Welcome provides fun events for students

By Emily Beebe, News Editor | August 26, 2024

DeKALB – From Aug. 21 through Aug. 25, Week of Welcome events occurred across campus for new and returning students. Events throughout the week included a campfire to Corn Fest. WOW Campfire Connections: From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday...

Students and parents unload cars and fill carts with items along the curb of Stevenson Hall. NIU fraternities and sororities volunteered to help new students have a smooth transition into the dorms Wednesday afternoon. (Ryanne Sandifer | Northern Star)

NIU students move into residence halls

By Emily Beebe, News Editor | August 25, 2024

DeKALB – From Aug. 21 through Aug. 25, NIU students moved into the residence halls while enjoying the weather prior to the start of the fall semester. Cars were lined up outside of the various residence halls as students unloaded their belongings...

NIU President Lisa Freeman (from left), George Middlemist, vice president and chief financial officer, and Dennis Barsema, board secretary of the NIU Board of Trustees sit at a table during the Feb. 15 Board of Trustees meeting. NIU's Finance, Audit, Compliance, Facilities and Operations committee will discuss NIU's deficit at Thursday's meeting. (Northern Star File Photo)

NIU sees $50 million holdings decrease in FY24

By Skyler Kisellus, Senior Sports Reporter | August 21, 2024

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 5:32 p.m. Aug. 23 to reflect the details of Thursday’s meeting of the NIU Board of Trustees’ Finance, Audit, Compliance, Facilities and Operations Committee. DeKALB – A dwindling holding balance and...

An NIU Police car sits parked on NIU's campus. Crimes such as burglary and theft were reported in April 2024 on NIU's campus. (Northern Star file photo)

NIU crime log, April 2024

By Emily Beebe, News Editor | May 5, 2024

DeKALB – The information in this report is compiled from the NIU Police Department’s Daily Crime Log. Any case defined as “unfounded” was not included in this list. Any “closed by exception” case is closed due to circumstances outside of...