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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

Alessandra Alvizo, a first-year law student, responds to a street interviews prompt. What are your stress levels at right now, and how do you manage that stress? (Northern Star Grahic)

Street Interviews: Managing stress

By Lucy Atkinson and Sofia Didenko | November 4, 2024

It’s mid-semester, graduation and finals are fast approaching, and today we elect our nation’s president for the next four years. It’s a stressful time.  Students across campus have a variety of ways they handle stress, and since Wednesday...

A young child watches as Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris speaks Monday at a campaign event in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Opinion Editor Lucy Atkinson pleads for voters to think of America’s future generations and cast a vote for Harris this election. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Vote for Harris, vote for the future

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Columnist | November 4, 2024

When Donald Trump won the 2016 election, I was 12. I remember my father saying he’d eat his hat and we’d all move up the border to Canada if it happened. I remember my mother’s worried face on election night as we watched it happen, and I remember...

First-time voters hold up signs that clarify their status as first-time voters during an event Oct. 29 in College Park, Georgia. Editor-in-Chief Olivia Zapf recognizes the chaotic rush of information voters have faced this election season, encouraging first-time voters to listen to their own hearts on Tuesday and be unafraid to cast a vote. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Musings of a first-time voter

By Olivia Zapf, Copy Editor | November 4, 2024

Every news outlet and political candidate in America is trying to tell you what to think, who to vote for, what to care about and how to support the United States through this tumultuous time. As a first-time voter, I am confused.  Where are the best...

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris claps her hands and smiles while speaking Sunday at a rally on the Michigan State University Campus. Opinion Columnist Sofia Didenko hopes voters will remember Donald Trump’s attacks on Harris’ initiative are clearly misplaced with a better understanding of the vice president’s role in the White House. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Educate yourself on the vice presidency

By Sofia Didenko, Assistant Opinion Editor | November 3, 2024

After the Sept. 10 presidential debate, Donald Trump posed a question which sparked dynamic discussion: if Kamala Harris has served as vice president for three and a half years, why hasn’t she enacted any of her policies yet?  This question is unnecessary...

The silhouettes of four U.S. electors and a graph meant to represent the popular vote are separated by a versus symbol beneath the words "Look Both Ways" and the topic of the week. Is the Electoral College or popular vote the better system? (Jackson Shields | Northern Star)

Look Both Ways: Electoral College versus popular vote

By Olivia Zapf and Jackson Shields | October 31, 2024

With Election Day right around the corner, the debate between the Electoral College and popular vote is once again heating up. The popular vote is a democratic system in which a country’s citizens decide who is placed in power. Simply put, in an...

The word "Vote" is surrounded by various symbols representing issues important to the American public this presidential election. With just a few days until the election, which issue is most important to your vote? (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Poll: Which issue is most important to you this election?

By Santiago Montañez Bertoletti, Opinion Columnist | October 31, 2024

The Nov. 5 general election is nearly upon us, and the two main candidates – Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – have spent the campaign season outlining their proposals and ideas and garnering the support of their respective parties.  This election...

Olivia King, a junior marketing major, responds to a street interviews prompt. In three words, how are you feeling about the presidential election next week? (Northern Star Graphic)

Street Interviews: 2024 election

By Jackson Shields, Assistant Opinion Editor | October 28, 2024

We are officially one week out from the 2024 presidential election – which could be the most important one of our lifetime – and things couldn’t be more uncertain. The polls are close, public sentiment is divided, and the line between hope and...

Shopping bags, a ghost holding a trick-or-treat bag, and craft supplies sit beneath the words “Look Both Ways” and above the topic of the week. Is it better to wear store-bought or homemade Halloween costumes to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve? (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Look Both Ways: Store-bought versus homemade Halloween costumes

By Ethan Ernst and Lalita Rai | October 28, 2024

STORE-BOUGHT COSTUMES By: Ethan Ernst, Opinion Columnist An iconic part of Halloween is the costumes people wear. Monsters, fictional characters or professions that children may be interested in are common options found in stores. Many people...

Blood with a low battery symbol drips behind a salt shaker labeled “Boundaries” and a garlic head labeled “self-love.” Energy vampires might not seem as threatening as Nosferatu, but it’s important to to prevent the energy vampires in your life from draining you too often. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Don’t let the energy vampires get you

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Columnist | October 27, 2024

Most people don’t have to worry about blood-sucking vampires threatening their well-being – let’s hope – but we’ve all faced a foe arguably more terrifying. As you prepare your home for the arrival of ghosts and goblins this week, make it your...

Northern lights dance red and purple in the night DeKalb sky. Opinion Columnist Sofia Didenko gained a new appreciation for DeKalb’s small town beauty when the aurora borealis visited, a phenomenon she’d expected to witness in Iceland. (Sofia Didenko | Northern Star)

Chasing northern lights

By Sofia Didenko, Assistant Opinion Editor | October 24, 2024

In 2018 my mother booked a trip for herself, my sister and myself to the mysterious country of Iceland. Going in winter, we were unsure if the conditions would be tolerable. But we had grown up skiing, and my sister and I had tons of winter layers to...

A table in the Founders Memorial Library displays Safe Passage items and information. Opinion Columnist Lalita Rai encourages all cultures, religions and societies to abandon the dangerous ideology that women should remain in every marriage, even abusive ones. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Love should never be violent

By Lalita Rai, Opinion Columnist | October 23, 2024

A Nepali woman is suspected to have been killed by her partner in Virginia. Mamta Kafle Bhatt has been missing since July. She was living with her husband and a 1-year-old daughter. She was a licensed nurse and well-educated.   Her husband Naresh...

Five segments display different planets and symbols associated with them, all surrounding a tiny astronaut reading a book. If you had to take a remote class in outer space, which planet would you choose to study on? (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Poll: Remote learning in space

By Ethan Ernst, Opinion Columnist | October 23, 2024

“Star Trek” has popularized the idea that space is the “final frontier” for human expansion, and people like Elon Musk aim to make this a reality. Yet human colonists on other planets will still need to learn, and we already have the means for...