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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

The Liberty Bell in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

That Time I… visited the Eastern Midwest

By Philip Arduini, Opinion Columnist | September 16, 2022

Traveling is an activity that many enjoy but do not have the funds to do very often. For those that do not have the budget to visit any exotic places, I recommend taking a road trip through the Eastern Midwest. When the price of gas was extremely low...

Columnist Derek Bos captured what it looked like at the top of Angels Landing at Zion National Park.

That Time I… took a road trip to Utah

By Derek Bos, Opinion Columnist | September 15, 2022

Our story out west begins as every good road trip story does — in a tightly packed SUV unable to see out the back window. My three public school besties and I, with our freshly shaven faces, set off west from DeKalb to Utah: The Beehive State.  21...

Columnist Quade Evans thinks that men need targeted advice, but wished that voice was more introspective and helped men genuinely be a better version of themselves.

Unpopular opinion: Men’s health content isn’t that great

By Quade Evans, Opinion Columnist | September 15, 2022

Over the last few years there seems to have been a meteoric rise in the popularity of content aimed specifically for men. When I first heard about this, I was 100 percent on-board. However, after being in those spaces for a certain amount of time, I felt...

Students are paying tens of thousands to attend NIU. It’s important to know where your money is going and how it is being used to benefit your college experience.

NIU students deserve to know what their fees pay for

By Yusra Jaleel, Opinion Columnist | September 14, 2022

Northern Illinois University’s affordable tuition is an appealing and recognizable feature of the school. However, when the “general fee” charged to students each semester amounts to 22.27% of the cost of tuition – and is only the beginning of...

Thomas Rhett performs during CMA Fest 2022 on Friday, June 10, 2022, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

That Time I… went to a country concert

By Angelina Padilla-Tompkins, Former Editor in Chief | September 14, 2022

When you see a crowd of people in boots, worn jeans, t-shirts and Stetson hats, you know you are at a country concert.  I have been to a handful of concerts over the years, some of the bigger names being Keith Urban, Brantley Gilbert, Luke Combs and...

It is important to realize that users can be banned on many social media platforms, but their ideas might not go away.

Opinion: We shouldn’t celebrate Andrew Tate’s banning

By Philip Arduini, Opinion Columnist | September 13, 2022

Forcing Andrew Tate's audience into an echo chamber means they no longer see the critique or rebuttal to these ideas. This can reinforce potentially harmful concepts into young impressionable minds. Andrew Tate is a controversial figure that many are...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second left, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba talk during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. Blinken on Thursday announced major new military aid worth more than 2 billion dollars for Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia.

Opinion: We need to stop sending military aid to Ukraine

By Philip Arduini, Opinion Columnist | September 13, 2022

The United States needs to stop sending military aid to Ukraine. President Joe Biden announced Aug. 24 that his administration would be sending nearly $3 billion in military aid to Ukraine. As the student loan forgiveness plan and stateside matters...

The MLK Commons on the campus of NIU in DeKalb.

Fill in the blank: My first few weeks of school were…

By Philip Arduini, Opinion Columnist | September 12, 2022

My first few weeks of school were very time consuming; however, as a transfer student looking to have the college experience, that is what I was hoping for. As one would expect for a junior going to NIU, classwork has been the most time consuming aspect...

Making it to class helps to keep you on track with what’s expected and digest material that wouldn't be found in your textbooks.

Why attendance shouldn’t be mandatory

By Derek Bos, Opinion Columnist | September 11, 2022

Two truths and a lie: I’m almost legally blind; I have five siblings; I love mandatory class attendance. Believe it or not, but waking up for an 8 a.m. biology lecture is not how I’d like to start every morning — so freshman year, I slept in.  By...

President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt forgiveness in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, in Washington.

Opinion: Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness is a step in the right direction

By Angelina Padilla-Tompkins, Former Editor in Chief | September 10, 2022

Student loan forgiveness was a big part of President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign throughout 2020 and he is finally fulfilling his promise.  Biden announced his official plan on Aug. 21 to forgive a decent portion of student debt. Students...

President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt forgiveness in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, in Washington.

Opinion: Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness is a step in the wrong direction

By Philip Arduini, Opinion Columnist | September 10, 2022

Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is a step in the wrong direction, despite its short term effects. On Aug. 24, President Joe Biden announced his plan to combat the high costs of college. The plan details several provisions, with the most eye-popping...

A "blood bag" filled with fruit punch.

That Time I… visited Mystic Falls

By Angelina Padilla-Tompkins, Former Editor in Chief | September 8, 2022

Through the minds of author L.J. Smith and writer-director Julie Plec, Mystic Falls is home to vampires, witches, werewolves and hybrids; a town consumed by magic, romance and death.  What first began as a popular book series was brought to the television...