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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 rescue worker walks through the wreckage of a home after twin Russian bombings Sep. 1 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Opinion Columnist Santiago Montañez Bertoletti believes supporting Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war is crucial to peace in Europe. (AP Photo/George Ivanchenko)

Ukrainian war, the cost of peace

By Santiago Montañez Bertoletti, Opinion Columnist | September 12, 2024

The war in Ukraine is not only a demonstration of how uncivilized humanity is, but also a sign of how geopolitics are handled today. To this day, the only thing that separates the world from a nuclear war is, ironically, the war in Ukraine. Peace is maintained...

A nest of paper wasps is covered with busy wasps inside the "Don't Walk" pedestrian sign at the intersection of Annie Glidden and Normal Road. Wasps and hornets are the subject of many people's fear, but especially as autumn approaches even the creepiest crawlies become vulnerable. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Sharp edges are vulnerable too

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Editor | September 11, 2024

Autumn has always seemed bitterly beautiful to me, lovely in its colors but harrowing in the life it escorts away.  In Alaska, autumn smells spectacular but gets swiftly cold, often taking its inhabitants by surprise when it arrives. Tiny birch...

An eye peers out beyond chaotic gray and brown scribbles. Opinion Columnist Jackson Shields views his anxiety as a myopic - or near-sighted - enemy that aims to keep him from meaningful experiences. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

My myopic self and I

By Jackson Shields, Assistant Opinion Editor | September 10, 2024

My myopic self and I have problems. We’re not exactly on speaking terms.  Anxiety has followed me for as long as I can remember, but it was the worst at the beginning of high school when I was at my most vulnerable. During those years, I was a passenger...

A speaker wearing blue talks at a podium with a smile while images of a figure surrounded by destruction and fire are visible over her shoulder. Opinion Columnist Jackson Shields believes the conflict in Gaza deserved greater attention from the Democratic National Convention last month. (Daniela Barajas | Northern Star)

Silence isn’t an option, Democrats

By Jackson Shields, Assistant Opinion Editor | September 9, 2024

Rage echoes in the streets outside of the United Center in Chicago where the 2024 Democratic National Convention is being held. Passionate chants gather force as a crowd of thousands forms. Protesters demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israeli forces in...

Yellow and blue flowers and a line of school pencils surround a cartoon school building and the country Ukraine. Opinion Columnist Sofia Didenko grew to love the Ukrainian School she attended as a child, grateful for the exposure it provided to her heritage. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Too cool for Ukrainian school

By Sofia Didenko, Opinion Columnist | September 4, 2024

I remember pushing through the heavy iron doors, taking a breath of air that smelled 50 years old and tasted like a sour spider's web. I greeted the man at the front desk and told him my grandpa said hi on my way to the classroom.  I was probably...

A Huskie reaches through trees in a forest, staring uncertainly at a calculator and a compass that reads “Deficit Plan.” Students and faculty should not be overtly concerned about the deficit, but Huskies should also be aware that NIU is not out of the woods yet. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Editorial: NIU deficit not dire but worth attention

By The Northern Star Editorial Board | September 3, 2024

Colleges and universities across the United States are staring down significant debt. While NIU’s roughly $32 million deficit is not an anomaly, it is something to watch. NIU ended the fiscal year 2024 with around $77 million in total holdings and...

Box fans line the windows in Neptune West, one of the residence halls without air conditioning. How do you manage the sweltering heat on campus? (Lucy Atkinson| Northern Star)

Poll: What’s the best way to spend a hot day?

By Jackson Shields, Assistant Opinion Editor | September 2, 2024

Only a few weeks from its end, summer shows no signs of easing up. As DeKalb boils in the midst of a heatwave, many students are trying to keep the sweat off their backs by any means necessary.  Bottled water, portable fans and the almighty air-conditioning...

A plane symbol flies from the Colombian flag and an outline of Colombia to the United States' flag and an outline of Illinois. Opinion Columnist Santiago Montañez Bertoletti emigrated from Colombia three years ago. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

What I left behind in Colombia

By Santiago Montañez Bertoletti, Opinion Columnist | August 29, 2024

As humans, we often have no control over the events that happen around or to us. In the face of adversity, therefore, what we can or cannot do is not what matters most, but how we react to each obstacle. Through “The Travelers,” Bruno Catalano...

Cartoon characters of the seven members of the 2024 fall semester Northern Star Editorial Board sit around an office table. The Northern Star Editorial hopes readers will benefit from a run-down on the basic purposes of editorials in news media. (Jenny Javkhlantugs | Northern Star)

Editorial: Read editorials, spark conversation

By The Northern Star Editorial Board | August 27, 2024

Welcome back new and returning readers! As the school year begins, the Northern Star Editorial Board wanted to explain what content you can expect from the board this semester.  WHAT’S AN EDITORIAL ANYWAY? An editorial is an opinionated story...

A figure stares at a computer as a red, demon-like being with yellow eyes peers over their shoulder. Artificial intelligence is a new temptation in the classroom for students to overcome. (Aidan Renteria | Northern Star)

Cartoon: LifeHACK

By Aidan Renteria, Cartoonist | August 26, 2024

A computer in the Founder’s Memorial Library displays NIU’s 2024-2025 academic calendar. Some universities outside the United States rely on year-round academic calendars different from the calendar used at most American universities, like NIU. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Consider year-round academic calendar

By Santiago Montañez Bertoletti, Opinion Columnist | August 25, 2024

Summer break has the perfect weather for summer outings through the different villages of the Midwest, and the perfect opportunity to attend — without pressure — different sports championships, concerts and more. However, the extended break in...