NIU has many different types of wildlife that one can encounter on campus. It often seems like these geese, squirrels and ducks are a nuisance--especially the two geese I saw last week who swooped out of nowhere and attacked a couple of students. I am...

We should know things. As my mother once said, “ignorance is not a valid excuse.” At the time, she was lecturing me about checking the oil in my car, but the idea holds truth anywhere. I feel that with today’s technology, there is even less of an...

When most people think of college, the first things that might come to mind are very stereotypical: wild parties, sexual experimentation and ramen noodles. This might be a reality for some, but for most of us it is far from how students spend their college...

When I was a teenager, George Carlin was one of my biggest role models. I owe much of my passion for writing to him, as well as my love of history, politics, philosophy and much more. He wasn’t only a comedian, but he was also an observant critic of...

Making the transition into college life is always a bit confusing. There are things you just can’t expect and have no idea how to prepare for from life in high school. Luckily, making mistakes is a part of life and often the best way we learn. Just...

Long hours. Hectic schedules. Sleepless nights. Headaches. You’ve been living this way for quite some time now, and you’ve grown tired of all that has become of your life. The fun, the spark, the light that shines bright has all left and you just...

Why is it that, with all the trash cans located throughout campus, smokers are unable to ensure their cigarette butts end up in the garbage or smoke pits NIU provides? The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program has found cigarette butts contribute “28...

When I was first hired as a community adviser in Stevenson Hall, there was an activity called “Dialogue on Diversity” during the few weeks of training. This was an hour or so discussion of “diversity,” during which one of the hall directors read...

Last week, when I was asking around for “NIU First-World Problems,” someone whose name I didn’t catch offered me what I considered a “Real NIU Problem:” A young transgender man said our campus needs unisex bathrooms. For those who do not know,...

With college, many sleepless nights spent working away on assignments of varying complexity and concentrations often come--you know, that midterm exam or the eight-page research paper that’s due tomorrow. When the night has gone and it is morning, those...

Not too long ago, President Barack Obama signed HR 933 into law. Deep within Title VII, deceptively entitled “General Provisions,” lies a single yet terrifying paragraph known as Section 735. This little tidbit of the law “effectively bars federal...

A few months ago, while I was out at Dunkin’ Donuts with a friend back home, I received an interesting text from my mom around midnight. I was so confused at the paragraph-sized mess of jumbled letters and words that I thought she was drunk. The text...