Northern Star Monday, November 3, 2014
Volume 115, Issue 40
The Northern Star is the daily campus newspaper serving Northern Illinois University and the surrounding community. 2 2 2
Opinion Sports Scene
Kelly Bauer Editor in Chief H @BauerJournalism
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News Student Association votes in a bylaw change to enforce neutrality in senator voting. Page 3. News Student Spotlight: A transfer student pursues art therapy. Page 3. Scene The Black Student Union worked with other organizations to host a variety show. Page 5. Perspective The Editorial Board sees the division of former vice president Bill Nicklas’ role as a positive move for NIU. Page 6. Sports Women’s soccer has advanced to the MAC Semifinals. Read more about the team on the Back Page.
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Nicklas says bye to 2nd family
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DeKalb | NIU provided a home for Bill Nicklas when he said he needed it most, but at a Friday retirement party he said goodbye to his second family so he can focus on his children and grandchildren. Dozens formed a line to say goodbye to Nicklas, former vice president of Operations and Community Relations, at his retirement party Friday. He pulled them in for hugs. He was “overwhelmed,” he said, at the “warm appreciation” he received. “... I feel connected to so many people, and I saw so many of those people today. And I know I won’t be seeing them as much and working with them as much on problems that I identify,” Nicklas said Friday. “... It’s bittersweet, but it’s the right thing to do with my family.” Nicklas came to NIU in 2011 after working as city manager in Sycamore and DeKalb; his new work gave him purpose after a year where he lost his wife, parents-in-law and friends, he said. Within a month of starting he felt like university’s community had become a family, he said. “I was engaged; I was purposeful,” Nicklas said. “I felt very strongly that I was making a difference.” Nicklas found that purpose among students and began attending Student Association Senate meetings. When the Senate didn’t meet, he found he missed it. The Senate named him an honorary member at its Oct. 26 meeting, and Nicklas wore a pin showing off his position Friday. “... I found I connected because
Kelsey Brown | Northern Star
Bill Nicklas, former vice president of Operations and Community Relations, gives a speech at his retirement party Friday at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center. Nicklas said NIU provided him a home and family when he needed it most.
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... It’s bittersweet, but it’s the right thing to do with my family.”
Bill Nicklas Former vice president of Operations and Community Relations
I found that I was no different than students who were searching for purpose and some meaningful work to do that was bigger than, in the case of the students, this or that course ...,” he said. “They would leave something better than what they found.” Nicklas became like a “big brother” to Baker when he was announced as NIU’s president in spring 2013, Baker said. By the time he retired, Nicklas
oversaw the NIU Police Department and human resources and worked as a liaison to the Board of the Trustees, among other responsibilities. “... My greatest accomplishment is I found people who were up to the task and were ready to work and make things better, and I was able to lead them without disappointing them,” Nicklas said. Angie Bollinger, who worked with Nicklas, said he “definitely became part of the NIU family” and she is sorry to see him go. “I think he comes in with a sense of respect and dignity that allows you to perform,” Bollinger said. Despite his passion for his work, Nicklas began to feel as if he was
making appointments to see his family and friends, he said. Over the summer, his 3-year-old grandson visited; after a week where Nicklas didn’t see the child as much as he’d have liked to, his grandson asked if he was ever home, Nicklas said. That moment led to Nicklas’ decision to retire. Nicklas plans to focus on his three children and seven grandchildren, though he has no set plans. “There will be many, many days and weeks where I have to find something meaningful and purposeful to do, but ... being able to pull away to have that kind of time gives me a lot more flexibility to be a father and a grandfather,” he said. “I could have my hands full. I intend to try.”
Athletics facilities to get $138M upgrades MAC stadium capacity
Frank Gogola Sports Editor H @FrankGogola
DeKalb | Huskie Stadium and its athletic facilities will see overhauls to the tune of an estimated $138 million as part of Athletic Director Sean Frazier’s Facility Master Plan. The facilities overhauls will be privately funded through donors and supporters, Frazier said at a Thursday news conference. Income from specialized seating and new amenities will help defray the cost. “This is the start,” Frazier said. “This is the part of the process of putting all of our priorities together. … We have to be good stewards of our resources… . The only way we’re going to be able to get these things done is through private gifts and passion about NIU Athletics.” No timeline for the overhaul was presented at the news conference, although Frazier said determining what gets done first includes taking into consideration the need of each sports program, donor interest and being strategic. The first project will be identified by the spring.
Courtesy NIU Athletics
This render shows changes to Huskie Stadium under the Facility Master Plan. For more renders and artwork showing the changes, go to bit.ly/1t4ukUZ.
shape after end zone seating is added to the south side of the stadium. Seating will increase to 30,00035,000, with the potential to go up to 42,000; it is currently about 24,000. Frazier said naming rights for the stadium may be available. “We always want more seats, but we also people to fill those seats,” Frazier said. “But we want someHuskie Stadium thing very intimate. We have a Plans revealed at the Thursday great, great facility right now. What news conference showed Huskie we want to do is build off of that. Stadium will have a horseshoe When that thing is full nobody
wants to play in Huskie Stadium. It is definitely a difference-maker when you’re out there.” The west side of the stadium will feature a full concourse after the relocation of gymnastics and wrestling practice areas. There will also be more concessions and easily accessible restrooms. The east side will contain luxury seating options, including suites, double suites, loge box seating, a club lounge and indoor and outdoor club seating.
Akron: 30,000 Ball State: 22,500 Bowling Green: 24,000 Buffalo: 29,013 Central Michigan: 30,255 Eastern Michigan: 30,200 Miami (Ohio): 24,286 Kent State: 25,319 Ohio: 24,000 Toledo: 26,248 Western Michigan: 30,000 NIU: 24,000 Massachusetts: 17,000 (McGuirk Stadium); 68,756 (Gillette Stadium) New complexes Additions to NIU’s athletic complex include a baseball stadium, a tennis facility and an Olympic sports facility. The baseball stadium, with a turf field, will be located northeast of the Convocation Center and south of the Outdoor Recreation Sports Complex. The current field, Ralph McKinzie Field, is grass, and baseball head coach Ed Mathey said the turf won’t be affected by weather as much.
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