According to the NIU's fast facts website, "NIU yields the highest number of transfer students out of all the Illinois state universities." However, under President Peter's Vision 2020 Initiative there are few, if any, plans to attract a higher caliber...

Have you ever used a restroom in Reavis or DuSable?If you have, you may have noticed that the accommodations are far from ideal: broken stalls, unexpected odors and cramped spaces. DuSable doesn't fare much better. Compare these buildings to others, like...

NIU plans to increase enrollment to 30,000 students by 2020. Vision 2020 boasts many positive additions to the campus; but the board feels this initiative fails to identify several important areas necessary to attracting the proposed number. On Monday,...

In Thursday's paper, the Northern Star's editorial board said it will address NIU's plan to increase enrollment to 30,000 students by 2020. Vision 2020 boasts many positive additions to the campus; but the board feels this initiative fails to identify...

Since President John Peters announced his plan to attract higher quality students while increasing NIU's enrollment to 30,000 by 2020, the Northern Star has had it's doubts.To us, the idea sounds like a paradox. How can NIU attempt to improve its overall...

If you were caught violating NIU's drug policy for the second time, you'd have to complete substance abuse treatment under the revamp of NIU's sanctions for violations of the Student Code of Conduct. In this substance abuse treatment, the first step of...

It's nearly impossible to go to the movie theater, look up at the marquee and see a movie that isn't a sequel, prequel, remake or a movie based off an already existing idea.In light of this recent realization, it should come as no surprise that someone...

How does the Student Association spend its money? Good question. Transparency is very important in government, even student government. In order for the public to ensure that any body is being run responsibly, they must be able to see where the money...

  Recruitment, enrollment and student retainment are all concerns of any university, especially when the economy is taken into consideration. Beginning with the Feb. 14 shootings, there has been a rise in the number of violent crimes on campus and in...

Is atheism a religion? Is a group that openly supports a position on abortion still just a social group? Is lobbying for the decriminalization of marijuana a political activity? There are no right answers here, and the answers are really up for debate...

For a couple years now, NIU has been weathering a terrible storm of financial calamity. First, state support for the university (indeed, for all institutions of higher education) has been eroding, slowly but surely. Couple this with the fact that the...