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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 word "Matter" from the phrase "Black Lives Matter" is painted in red letters along Castle Drive.

Editorial: Repaint Castle Drive BLM mural

By Northern Star Editorial Board | April 27, 2022

What once served as a powerful recognition of the importance of Black lives is now barely visible as the words “Black Lives Matter” continue to fade on Castle Drive.  The Northern Star Editorial Board believes that the words Black Lives Matter...

NIU non-tenured English instructor Dan Libman, walks with a sign saying "NIU we miss you" during Wednesday's IFT and UPI informational picket outside of Altgeld Hall. Libman has been an instructor since 1998 and said he's never seen the university walk away from the bargaining table until this go around.The picket comes after university officials walked away from non-tenure negotiations and have refused to begin tenure contract negotiations. (Wes Sanderson | Northern Star)

Editorial: NIU walkout on negotiations impacts relations, student success

By Northern Star Editorial Board | April 21, 2022

Educators are the backbone of any university. They are faces students interact with often and have the most responsibility in teaching the next generation in the labor force. NIU’s tenure and non-tenure-track faculty are the faces that make up that...

Editorial: Diversity at NIU must be reflected throughout

Editorial: Diversity at NIU must be reflected throughout

By Northern Star Editorial Board | March 2, 2022

Editor’s Note: The Northern Star Editorial Board feels that its current makeup of editors does not allow for the board to accurately speak on topics of race. For this editorial, the Editorial Board voted to hold a session consisting of just Black staffers...

Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel speaks to reporters Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins announced the hiring of three former players as part of McDaniel's first coaching staff with the NFL football team. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Editorial: NFL’s Rooney Rule needs modifications

By Northern Star Editorial Board | February 24, 2022

Of the head coaches hired to fill the nine head coaching vacancies this offseason, two identify as minorities: Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is biracial, and Houston Texans head coach Lovie Smith, who is Black. The NFL has made efforts...

NIU is working to help those students who need it most, with its support of the DoublePell campaign.

Editorial: Doubling Pell Grant creates opportunity for success

By Northern Star Editorial Board | January 25, 2022
Doubling the Pell Grant would allow students a better opportunity for future success.
Editorial: Newsroom content policies provide trust with audiences

Editorial: Newsroom content policies provide trust with audiences

By Northern Star Editorial Board | January 18, 2022
Without a sense of trust between readers and the media, our job is ineffective.
After a Business Insider article was released depicting Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy as having "rough" sexual encounters, the online media organization could be on thin ice with the public going forward. (Madeline Schuster | Northern Star)

Editorial: Portnoy should be out of bowl festivities

By Northern Star Editorial Board | November 17, 2021
The upcoming Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl has a cloud of uncertainty looming over thanks to Barstool founder Dave Portnoy.
A ticket to Thursday's Jesse McCartney concert.

Editorial: Charging students to attend McCartney concert was unnecessary

By Northern Star Editorial Board | November 10, 2021

Every year, students pay about $9 per credit hour in student fees, which support university operations and student activities. In return, students can attend athletic events, fine arts performances and other campus activities for free.  However, this...

Kyle Rittenhouse looks back at the gallery in the courtroom as the room is let go for an afternoon break at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Rittenhouse, an aspiring police officer, shot two people to death and wounded a third during a night of anti-racism protests in Kenosha last year.

Editorial: Trial of Kyle Rittenhouse should be based on merits not rhetoric

By Northern Star Editorial Board | November 3, 2021

Nearly 14 months removed from the news headlines, the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse has made national headlines once more as news surfaced that Rittenhouse’s defense team successfully argued that prosecutors cannot refer to the three people who were shot...

A pile of Northern Star newspapers is scattered.

Editorial: Journalists should act with integrity

By Northern Star Editorial Board | October 27, 2021

When journalist Katie Couric edited out controversial quotes made by late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during a 2016 interview, Couric did a disservice to Americans by wanting to “protect” Ginsburg rather than carry out her duty as a...

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden leaves after speaking during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Las Vegas, in this Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, file photo. The Northern Star Editorial Board believes his former employer, ESPN, repeatedly failed to recognize the severity of his hate speech and were too quick to move on from discussing it.

Editorial: Sports media falls short covering systemic issues

By Northern Star Editorial Board | October 20, 2021

The news broke right in the middle of Monday Night Football on Oct. 11. Jon Gruden had resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after the New York Times released a report just hours prior detailing Gruden’s racist, sexist, homophobic and toxic...

A student holding a phone with the NIU Safe App.

Editorial: NIU needs to better promote Safe App

By Northern Star Editorial Board | October 13, 2021

The NIU Police Department has started phasing out emergency call boxes on campus in order to transition to the NIU Safe App. A planned dismantling of the call boxes will happen over the next two semesters. The features on the NIU Safe App sound helpful,...