NIU third baseman Rob Marconi took the good with the bad this weekend as the Huskies took three out of four from Toledo.

On Saturday, Marconi began by hitting two home runs, one in each game and combining for four hits, three RBI's and four runs scored in the two games.

"Well, we knew coming in that Marconi had been swinging a pretty hot bat," Toledo coach Joe Kruzel said. "He's a very good hitter, a very good third baseman and he's a gifted player."

Marconi also did it in the field as he made a diving catch and threw back to first for a double play in the seventh inning of Game 2. NIU had a 4-0 lead at that point and the play helped pitcher Zach Minor finish his day unscathed.

"That was something I needed to do because the play before I made an error," Marconi said. "I needed to help out my pitcher and he gave me another chance to make the play."

Even though Saturday was good to the Huskies and Marconi, Sunday wasn't quite as pleasing.

Marconi combined to go 1-for-8 with five strikeouts as the Huskies split Sunday's twin bill.

Marconi said he takes pride in being a consistent player. But in baseball, an off day will happen.

The Student Association and Collegiate Services Inc. are offering NIU students a chance to save money by using the Student Savings Club Card.

This card will allow students to receive a discount at many local retailers in the DeKalb/ Sycamore area. According to the SA, if the cards are used frequently, the discounts can add up to a lot of money during the the course of a school year.

There are several restaurants listed on the card, such as Shelly's, McDonald's, Molly's Eatery and Drinkery and Pita Pete's. Auto services also are included on the card. Students can go to shops like Sycamore Mitsubishi, Lube Pro's and Tires Plus and receive a substantial discount on their automotive needs. Other services that offer discounts with the card are various hair salons, entertainment venues and retailers.

Kevin O'Kelly, SA chief of staff, said this service is good for students living off-campus.

"This service is great for off- campus students who don't have access to meal plans," O'Kelly said.

Kimberly Judson, assistant professor of the marketing department, said this sales promotion would not persuade students to spend more than they need to.

"I feel that NIU students possess good critical thinking skills and most likely make smart consumer decisions," Judson said.

Judson also said the collegiate services card appears to be a good sales promotion technique for area businesses seeking to create awareness and attract students as customers.

Despite the fact that the card offers several discounts, students have neglected the card, according to area retailers.

"I haven't seen any increase in sales since the card's release," said Pete Lutz, manager of Pita Pete's, 901 Lucinda Ave.

The card is not only available to students, but to faculty and staff members as well. O'Kelly also said this service is free for students. The cards are available at the front desks of the residence halls, the SA office and the University Programming and Activities office in the Campus Life Building. O'Kelly said eventually the cards will be available in academic buildings, such as DuSable and Barsema halls. O'Kelly also said that inevitably, more merchants will be added to the roster because student will opt not to go with them if they are not listed.

For information about the card, call the SA office at 753-0482.

An undefeated MAC season was not meant to be for the NIU softball team.

After taking the first game, 3-0, of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Mary Bell Field, the Huskies (14-10, 4-1 MAC) fell 4-0 to Western Michigan (14-12, 4-2 MAC) in the second game.

"We're having a problem with keeping pressure on our opponents," NIU coach Donna Martin said.

NIU entered Sunday's contest with the only undefeated record in the MAC at 4-0.

NIU got a solid pitching performance from Amy Krahula, who didn't allow a hit after the third inning. The Huskies got off to another quick start by posting three runs in the bottom of the first.

Reigning MAC West Division Player of the Week Paige Shemoski drove in Lisa Mattke on her fourth double of the year, and one of nine hits in the game for NIU, to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

Extending NIU's lead to three, first baseman Toni Del Toro, who's leading the MAC in fielding percentage and put-outs, showed off her offensive prowess by smacking a two-run double to bring in Shemoski and Shelby Bernard.

Krahula and the Huskies' defense combined for 12-straight outs at one point on their way to earning their first shutout of the season.

In the second game, NIU's sophomore pitcher Kathy Dearborn struggled, giving up nine hits and two home runs that proved to be enough for WMU to win.

"She needs to keep working through it," Martin said. "Her change-up needs to be more consistent, which will help slow their bats down."

WMU's Gina Dobbs hit the first home run to right-center, which brought in Dayna Crawford and broke a branch off the tree sitting outside the fence. Jaymie Voss hit WMU's second homer off the scoreboard in left-center, bringing in Mary McCloskey.

Laurie Stewart pitched the Broncos to victory the rest of the way, giving up three hits over seven innings and finishing off NIU with a one, two, three seventh inning.

"We need to sustain our concentration," Martin said. "We gave them too much confidence and let them think they could play with us."

The military still stands behind its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding homosexual activity.

A Department of Defense Official Spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said if you keep your orientation to yourself you're OK, but if not, your sexual preference could be grounds for dismissal.

"Because it's a personal matter, no one can ask you what your sexual preference is," she said. "But at the same time, you're not supposed to announce what your sexual preference is either."

According to the Army Homosexual Conduct Policy, chapter 4, paragraph 19, a basis for discharge from the army exists if the soldier has engaged in a homosexual act, the soldier has said that he or she is homosexual or bisexual, or made some statement that indicates a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts, or the soldier has married or attempted to marry a person of the same sex.

The Department of Defense spokeswoman added that homosexual conduct can pose a risk to morale, good order and discipline

"Congress has stated that homosexual conduct poses a threat to unit cohesion and readiness," she said.

Captain Dale Burbank of the NIU ROTC agreed and said issues like sexual orientation cannot be dealt with in a life or death situation.

"It's just people's natural opinions," he said. "They might not be right, but it's just something that we're not ready to tackle," he said.

But people outside of the military claim that a "don't ask, don't tell" policy isn't adequate

Karen Frost, co-president of PRISM and a senior communication major, said she doesn't think a personal freedom should not be taken away because of sexual orientation.

She added that people have many different prejudices about all sorts of people, like different races for example, and discrimination based on sexual orientation should not be viewed any differently.

"Asking someone to hide themselves is unacceptable," she said.

What will prevent a recruit from claiming to be homosexual in the hopes of dismissal in a time of war?

Frost said she doesn't think many people would claim to be gay in the hopes of discharge because the amount of scrutiny put into a claim like that would be tough to handle.

If a recruit voluntarily admits he or she is homosexual, the statement will be followed by an investigation by someone outside of the unit, said the Department of Defense spokeswoman.

"We pay commanders to know the people, to know the policy, and investigate those situations," she said. "And that's what we'd expect them to do."

A car accident early Saturday morning involving a Fox Lake police officer resulted in the death of NIU student Randy Varno, sophomore business major.

Danny Schroeder, 24, and a former NIU student, also died in the vehicle Varno was driving.

The Fox Lake Police Department declined to comment on the case.

On Sunday, the Daily Herald posted on its Web site that Varno and Schroeder were hit by Fox Lake police Sgt. Mark Schindler after pulling out on Route 12 in Fox Lake.

Lake County sheriff's police, who are handling the investigation told the Daily Herald that investigating the accident could take a while. The police also said the two key points being examined are how far in advance Schindler turned on his lights and how much alcohol Varno drank.

Kristen Artl, a sophomore finance major at NIU, knew the two individuals and described them as "fun guys."

"They liked everybody, everybody liked them," Artl said.

Artl recalled fond memories of her and the two men going out to parties.

"We got together toward the beginning of the school year," Artl said. "That was the last time I saw them."

In their obituaries, both men were described as avid sports fans.

Schroeder was a coach for the Round Lake Park District football teams and they had the goal of opening their own sports bar.

Schroeder's funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Justen's Round Lake Funeral Home, in Round Lake.

Varno's service will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Justen's.