Category: Voices
Parameters of the budget discussions will be set this week. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn presents his budget address Wednesday, Feb. 16, and is expected to identify cuts that have already been made, debts that must be paid and the need for bonding in order to expedite those payments to vendors. The size of current obligations range from...
The House of Representatives was on recess last week. The Senate was in session, and one of the main issues senators dealt with was a proposal by the Republicans to repeal the federal health insurance law, commonly referred to as “Obamacare.” This proposal was defeated in the Democrat-controlled Senate, although the Senate did agree to...
The February blizzard of 2011 postponed the first full week of the 97th General Assembly before the first snow flake fell. Legislative bills are being introduced and a host of issues — old and new — are on the horizon but will wait until the second week in February for the process to begin. House members are...
The shakeup in the U.S. Congress during the mid-term elections in November 2010 caused the departure of both freshmen and long-tenured members of Congress, resulting in new Congressional leadership, new composition of House and Senate committees, and correspondingly new legislative priorities. For NIU, we saw the departure of Bill Foster and the installation of Randy...
In class one day, I was discussing pseudoscience and the fact that it can be a waste of taxpayers’ hard-earned money, when a student asked, “Why do you care if we waste our money?” Well, I do care. We all should.
by Lori Clark, director, NIU Federal Relations The United States Congress has been discussing the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act since it was first introduced in 2001. Even with bipartisan support, it has never managed to pass out of both chambers of Congress, despite changes to the bill designed to address various...
Twenty-six of the best community colleges in the United States scattered throughout northern Illinois. A dozen private and independent colleges tucked into suburban communities and the Chicago Loop. Quality state universities in Chicago and Champaign-Urbana and Big 10 powerhouses such as Iowa, Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan within a short drive. High school juniors and seniors searching for their personal college experience don’t have...
by Scot Schraufnagel, assistant professor, NIU Department of Political Science The Nov. 2 general election is fast approaching and will actually arrive on the NIU campus sooner than Election Day. From Monday, Oct. 18, through Thursday, Oct. 21, students, faculty, staff, and other DeKalb County residents will be able to vote early in Gallery Lounge on the main...
Interestingly enough, this sort of story used to conjure up salacious images in the minds of everyday citizens. We presumed the level of lies, deceit and manipulation was surely beyond that of ordinary people – while such stories figuratively left the taste of “soap” (as in soap opera) in our mouths.
by David Hedin, NIU Board of Trustees Professor of Physics NIU physicists and students played a major role over the years in the design and construction of elements of a detector at Fermilab used to identify subatomic particles known as muons. That science is now helping scientists shed new light on what the New York...
by Matt Streb, Associate Professor of Political Science If you have paid even minimal attention to coverage of the upcoming midterm elections, then you have probably heard an anchor, reporter or pundit refer to 2010 as the “year of the anti-incumbent.” It is understandable why such a perception exists. Consider the high profile losses in...
NIU Women’s Studies and English professor Diana Swanson shares some thoughts on Illinois’ annual ethics training for state employees and how it relates to political choices for citizens of the state. Swanson’s commentary can be heard online at WNIJ-FM. . Diana Swanson, is an Associate Professor of Women’s Studies and English. She has taught at NIU in the...