At NIU, many of us college kids are new to the world of adulting. Our childhood memories are still pretty fresh, and we’re figuring out how to manage social relationships, bills, work commitments and less time for carefree play.  We’re also...

One part of my life I feel luckiest for is having a sister.  When I was born, mine brought a dandelion to the hospital to greet me with, clutched in her tiny, toddler fingers. Every day after that, my sister – who is two years older than me –...

Imagine a college football game stripped of its soul, reduced to mere athleticism without the electrifying presence of the marching band. NIU needs the marching band more than ever, and we are taking it for granted at our football games. The football...

It’s not outrageous for workers to request a tip. Stop getting your feelings hurt when they do; be courteous and spread a little green joy next time you go out to eat. TIPPING CULTURE IN AMERICA Compared to other countries, Americans tip far more...

On March 22, 2024, hip-hop’s boogeyman returned from a 10-month silence to do what he does best: shake the industry awake. With a single feature verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s collaboration project “We Don’t Trust You,” Kendrick Lamar put...

THE U.S. SHOULD NOT GO CASHLESS By: Jackson Shields, Opinion Columnist Day after day our lives become more digitized. From how we communicate to how we get our food, the analog ways of the past have been thrown to the wayside in favor of digital...

Wake up, get clean, eat our first bites of the day, then be faced with a choice: what will I wear today?   Going to the gym? Reach for quick, dry materials. Going to the pumpkin patch? Reach for a warm sweater and boots.  We may have seen...

Renowned voice actor James Earl Jones passed away last Monday at age 93, leaving fans grieving. For those who are not hard-core pop culture fans, however, it may be easy to forget Jones’ discography until someone mentions Darth Vader or Mufasa. But...

What do “that’s the brakes,” “you’re the right kind of girl” and “I love you” have in common? Absolutely nothing.  Unless you’re me – in which case they have everything in common.  My great-grandmother – affectionately...

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...

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...

Problematic, convenient, sustainable and iconic are all adjectives for a service many of us use daily: public transport.  Especially when living in a city like Chicago or Rockford, there are a multitude of options to choose from when making a commute....