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Northern Star

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Tamiah Griffin, a freshman art major, responds to a street interview prompt. How often do you skip classes, and do you think attendance should be mandatory? (Northern Star Graphic)

Street Interviews: Attendance and missing class

By Lucy Atkinson, Opinion Editor | September 30, 2024

Every school day, all college students have to make a choice: do I attend class today? Do I really need those notes?  Most professors would argue yes, you really need those notes.  Even plenty of students agree it’s in their every benefit...

Continuously leaving classes can have a number of impacts on a college student's career.

Point/Counterpoint: Leaving class in the middle of a lecture

By Summer Fitzgerald and Zulfiqar Ahmed | January 19, 2022
The college experience consists of having total freedom, especially when it comes to attending classes.

Mandatory attendance increases student sickness

By Chris Grask | October 3, 2018

Strict attendance policies coupled with bad student health are forcing sick students to attend classes when they should be at home resting. Professors forcing students to attend every class, regardless of circumstances, pushes ill students to drag themselves...

Attendance alerts good step for better retention

By Rachel Scaman | January 21, 2015

NIU’s new attendance check-ups are a realistic way of improving retention because they will get students out of bed and into the classroom.NIU has announced it will start keeping tabs on attendance in several classes. If a student misses two or more...

NIU should show good, bad of changes in cost

By Northern Star Editorial Board | November 13, 2014

NIU needs to illustrate costs for all new students when comparing tuition, fees and room and board between the 2015 and 2016 academic school years.Next year’s new students will pay $578 less than the $23,284 in tuition, fees and room and board paid...

Don’t go to class if you have a cold

By Northern Star Editorial Board | November 5, 2013

It looks like the cold has set in for good, as have sniffles and sore throats in classrooms.Students, take these symptoms as a warning sign: When you get sick, stay home from class.​ Not only is it important to get your rest as soon and often as possible,...

Attendance shouldn’t affect grades

By Anthony Szudarski | February 4, 2013

As a student, every now and then I’ve realized that there will be days where I simply cannot go to class and days where my bed is just too comfortable to leave. My question is this: Should my grade for a class I’m paying to take be affected by this...

Attending class is worth the trouble

Attending class is worth the trouble

October 3, 2011

Even though strong winds blow away your good mood, it is not an excuse to blow off classes. Instead of skipping a lecture, you could find that tackling the weather head-on actually brings great rewards.On a rainy Tuesday, several students from my journalism...

Even if attendance isn't mandatory, it's still important

Even if attendance isn’t mandatory, it’s still important

By Phil Case | April 19, 2011

At some point during our time in college, I'm sure we have all noticed that attendance in large lecture halls tends to be rather sparse. Whether students are nursing themselves through another hangover, avoiding the walk through unbearable DeKalb weather...

NIU Volleyball deserves attention

By Chris Dertz | September 20, 2010

The number of columns that I've written during my time at this newspaper asking the student body to pay attention to sports other than football has to be astronomical. I don't want to preach at you anymore than you don't want to hear me talk at you about...