Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget cuts will put a roadblock on the path NIU students take to get an education.NIU was given about $93 million from the state for Fiscal Year 2015, but that would be cut by about $29.3 million to about $64 million with Rauner’s...

Pass: Voting will bring DeKalb togetherCorn Fest’s nomination for a Rockford Area Music Industry award is a great way to bring the community together with a common goal.Corn Fest used Twitter to ask people to vote on the Rockford Area Music Industry...

Rachel ScamanThe Student Association’s plan for the Huskie Bus Line is well overdue and I am excited to see what comes.Students are the main priority at NIU and they should be involved in the bus system. Having students be involved in deciding the routes...

How to cope with coming back to school after a snow day• Make sure your car isn’t stuck. You don’t want to start your day with pushing your car out of a mountain of snow. Make sure it’s ready to go before you leave.• Go to bed early. Having...

PassThe campus will be closed due to severe weather conditions today.The snow is up to my knees and I am happy NIU took the right step in canceling classes. Students and faculty would not have been safe while driving or walking to class.Sunday’s blizzard...

Students should be given the chance to smoke in their cars when the Smoke-Free Campus Act goes into effect July 1.The Smoke-Free Campus Act prohibits smoking in indoor and outdoor areas of college campuses in Illinois. The NIU Smoke-Free Campus Task Force,...

SA moves quickly with bar entry planThe Student Association is being quick and efficient in trying to have DeKalb’s bar entry age lowered to 20.SA members plan to go in front of the City Council today to discuss the possible decrease to DeKalb’s bar...

Pass: Trivia at Rec will connect studentsThe Recreation Center starting a trivia contest on Facebook is a great way to get students more involved with NIU.Every Tuesday, the Rec’s Facebook page, on.fb.me/1Ja7g1P, will post trivia questions. The first...

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...

Pass: Power Five decision to benefit athletesThe Power Five approved cost of attendance scholarships for student-athletes at the NCAA convention.University-funded scholarships will now cover the full cost of attendance for student-athletes who wish to...

Perspective will push for more hard-hitting news columns and editorials more frequently.I plan to turn Perspective into the section readers want to go to when they pick up the Northern Star by helping make the opinion pieces more relevant and interesting.ColumnsAs...