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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

A red fish figure, “Bad Sushi” with dramatically enlarged eyes and fangs bares its teeth. Bad Sushi is an idea that arrived when his illustrator was hangry and had a hankering for some sushi. Although he is tiny, he packs enough attitude to go around. (Aidan Renteria | Northern Star)

Cartoon: Bad Sushi

By Aidan Renteria, Cartoonist | September 12, 2024

A nest of paper wasps is covered with busy wasps inside the "Don't Walk" pedestrian sign at the intersection of Annie Glidden and Normal Road. Wasps and hornets are the subject of many people's fear, but especially as autumn approaches even the creepiest crawlies become vulnerable. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Sharp edges are vulnerable too

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Editor | September 11, 2024

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...

A personified Supreme Court building holds a judge's gavel threateningly over a personified blue book labeled: "College Debt by Biden." The Northern Star Editorial Board is unsurprised but disappointed to see federal government continue to reject plans to forgive student debt. (Aidan Renteria | Northern Star)

EDITORIAL: Government’s failure to support students follows disappointing trail

By The Northern Star Editorial Board | September 11, 2024

While the Northern Star Editorial Board encouraged students not to get their hopes up, the continuous blows to Biden’s student loan debt plans are still a disappointment. Millions of Americans’ pleas for the forgiveness of student loan debt were...

Four quadrants display different methods of public transportation, including: ferries, trains, buses, bikes and scooters. What method of public transportation is your favorite? (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Poll: What’s your favorite method of public transportation?

By Sofia Didenko, Opinion Columnist | September 10, 2024

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....

An eye peers out beyond chaotic gray and brown scribbles. Opinion Columnist Jackson Shields views his anxiety as a myopic - or near-sighted - enemy that aims to keep him from meaningful experiences. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

My myopic self and I

By Jackson Shields, Assistant Opinion Editor | September 10, 2024

My myopic self and I have problems. We’re not exactly on speaking terms.  Anxiety has followed me for as long as I can remember, but it was the worst at the beginning of high school when I was at my most vulnerable. During those years, I was a passenger...

A figure in bed sits between a map icon for school and a map icon for home beneath the words "Look Both Ways" and the subject of the week: first-years on campus. Should first-years be required to live on campus? (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Look Both Ways: First-years on campus

By Santiago Montañez Bertoletti and Will Thiel | September 9, 2024

FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO LIVE ON-CAMPUS By: Santiago Montañez Bertoletti, Opinion Columnist During their first year, many university students may have doubts about how university life works. Among the many decisions you have to...

A speaker wearing blue talks at a podium with a smile while images of a figure surrounded by destruction and fire are visible over her shoulder. Opinion Columnist Jackson Shields believes the conflict in Gaza deserved greater attention from the Democratic National Convention last month. (Daniela Barajas | Northern Star)

Silence isn’t an option, Democrats

By Jackson Shields, Assistant Opinion Editor | September 9, 2024

Rage echoes in the streets outside of the United Center in Chicago where the 2024 Democratic National Convention is being held. Passionate chants gather force as a crowd of thousands forms. Protesters demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israeli forces in...

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a session of the Eastern Economic Forum Thursday in Vladivostok, Russia. Opinion Columnist Sofia Didenko was disappointed in the International Olympic Committee’s failure to uphold its ban of Russian athletes who supported Putin’s stance on the Ukraine-Russian war in the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

2024 Olympics should’ve held Russian athletes accountable

By Sofia Didenko, Opinion Columnist | September 8, 2024

A little over a month ago, viewers all over the world tuned into the 2024 Olympic Games held in Paris, France. These are games that historically bring nations together through the spirit of athletics. However, Russian athletes who were found to support...

I’liyah Jones, a freshman health sciences major, responds to a street interviews prompt. What’s the nicest thing someone’s done for you today, and what’s the nicest thing that’s ever been done for you? (Northern Star Graphic)

Street Interviews: National Courtesy Month

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Editor | September 8, 2024

September is National Courtesy Month, so from random acts of kindness to polite exchanges to lifelong love — we’re celebrating niceness in all its forms.  Like in most places, life at NIU can have its chaotic and stressful moments, but campus...

A chalk drawing from the NIU CRU Christian Ministry at MLK Commons spells out “Explore faith in Jesus.” Opinion Columnist Will Thiel identifies as Christian and inspires his politics from religious values. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Everything will be OK

By Will Thiel, Opinion Columnist | September 5, 2024

I am the by-product of sin, a man forged from lust into a world of frailty and imperfection. But that is not my fault.  There is an excuse to forgive myself for everything that has happened or will happen to me, regardless of the circumstances. For...

A student reads her book while wearing noise-canceling headphones and sitting at a table with her coffee drink. It’s time to learn, Huskies! (Mary Ngo | Northern Star)

Cartoon: Study Time

By Mary Ngo, Cartoonist | September 5, 2024

An old brown water tower is marked with gold graffiti lettering on Pleasant Street next to the Forge Resources Group in DeKalb. Without obtaining permission ahead of time, graffiti may be defined as vandalization instead of art. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Graffiti is vandalization, not art

By Emily Beebe, News Editor | September 4, 2024

Art is considered a form of self-expression and self-care for people all over the world, and what is considered true art could be up to interpretation. There are many different kinds of art including drawings, paintings, sculptures and, some argue,...