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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

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,...

Yellow and blue flowers and a line of school pencils surround a cartoon school building and the country Ukraine. Opinion Columnist Sofia Didenko grew to love the Ukrainian School she attended as a child, grateful for the exposure it provided to her heritage. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Too cool for Ukrainian school

By Sofia Didenko, Opinion Columnist | September 4, 2024

I remember pushing through the heavy iron doors, taking a breath of air that smelled 50 years old and tasted like a sour spider's web. I greeted the man at the front desk and told him my grandpa said hi on my way to the classroom.  I was probably...

A Huskie reaches through trees in a forest, staring uncertainly at a calculator and a compass that reads “Deficit Plan.” Students and faculty should not be overtly concerned about the deficit, but Huskies should also be aware that NIU is not out of the woods yet. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

Editorial: NIU deficit not dire but worth attention

By The Northern Star Editorial Board | September 3, 2024

Colleges and universities across the United States are staring down significant debt. While NIU’s roughly $32 million deficit is not an anomaly, it is something to watch. NIU ended the fiscal year 2024 with around $77 million in total holdings and...

TyLyn Martin, a junior pre-med major, responds to a street interviews prompt. How did you handle the heat on campus? (Northern Star Graphic)

Street Interviews: How do you manage heat on campus?

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Editor | September 3, 2024

Last week was the first week of the fall semester, and Huskie students and faculty alike braved sweltering weather.  Trekking across campus with a heavy backpack and five minutes until your next class can work up a sweat on an average day, but...

Box fans line the windows in Neptune West, one of the residence halls without air conditioning. How do you manage the sweltering heat on campus? (Lucy Atkinson| Northern Star)

Poll: What’s the best way to spend a hot day?

By Jackson Shields, Assistant Opinion Editor | September 2, 2024

Only a few weeks from its end, summer shows no signs of easing up. As DeKalb boils in the midst of a heatwave, many students are trying to keep the sweat off their backs by any means necessary.  Bottled water, portable fans and the almighty air-conditioning...

Explosive devices sit in Thomas Matthew Crooks’ car as they were originally discovered July 13. Crooks was responsible for the shooting that took place at a Trump rally over summer, wounding the former president in the ear. (FBI via AP)

America numb, political violence not satirical

By Will Thiel, Opinion Columnist | September 2, 2024

Making light of a disaster is one thing, but the distinction between satire and going off the deep end is a line worth defining. In the United States, the influence of political correctness has become so potent that when someone defies it, the outcome...

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris talks with Liberty County High School marching band members Wednesday in Hinesville, Georgia. Popular social media platforms are among the tools the Harris Walz campaign is using to generate engagement with young, Gen Z voters. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Kamala HQ campaigns right with social media

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Editor | August 29, 2024

The Harris Walz campaign is revitalizing the youthful energy voters were craving earlier in the presidential race, and the social media content it’s producing feels refreshing after years of being subjected to Former President Trump’s habits on X.  Social...

A plane symbol flies from the Colombian flag and an outline of Colombia to the United States' flag and an outline of Illinois. Opinion Columnist Santiago Montañez Bertoletti emigrated from Colombia three years ago. (Lucy Atkinson | Northern Star)

What I left behind in Colombia

By Santiago Montañez Bertoletti, Opinion Columnist | August 29, 2024

As humans, we often have no control over the events that happen around or to us. In the face of adversity, therefore, what we can or cannot do is not what matters most, but how we react to each obstacle. Through “The Travelers,” Bruno Catalano...

Opinion Editor Lucy Atkinson’s 12-year-old knees are crossed with bandaids. For children, scrapes are evidence of fun at the playground, just like failures as adults should be viewed as evidence of progress. (Courtesy of Shelley Atkinson)

Failure isn’t scary on summer legs

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Editor | August 28, 2024

As a child, I spent every summer running on what my parents called "summer legs."  Summer legs were bruised from stumbling over tree stumps, bloody from tripping on asphalt, grass-stained from rolling down hills and dusty with remnants of rainbow...

The MLK statue sits near the Holmes Students Center. MLK Commons is where many activities and events are held during the semester. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Poll: What’s the most iconic spot on campus?

By Olivia Zapf, Editor in Chief | August 27, 2024

Put away your backpacks and pencils, Huskies, and pull out your thoughts on the most iconic place at NIU. Everyone has their favorite spot to grab a snack or study, but some places at NIU trump the rest.  Some icons, like William the Goose and...

Cartoon characters of the seven members of the 2024 fall semester Northern Star Editorial Board sit around an office table. The Northern Star Editorial hopes readers will benefit from a run-down on the basic purposes of editorials in news media. (Jenny Javkhlantugs | Northern Star)

Editorial: Read editorials, spark conversation

By The Northern Star Editorial Board | August 27, 2024

Welcome back new and returning readers! As the school year begins, the Northern Star Editorial Board wanted to explain what content you can expect from the board this semester.  WHAT’S AN EDITORIAL ANYWAY? An editorial is an opinionated story...