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Monday, February 1, 2016
Northern Star
815-753-5606 H @NIUNorthernStar H NorthernStar.info/Opinion
Professors should be aware of students who joined classes last minute
Campus Life Building, Room 130 545 Lucinda Ave. DeKalb, Ill., 60115 Web: www.NorthernStar.info Fax: 815-753-0708
New bus app makes travel more simple
ETA Spot is a free app that students can use to track the HuskieLine bus system. The new app is replacing the old HuskieLine tracking app and hopefully it will be more accurate. The introduction of this app is a good step towards making the bus system a reliable means of transportation for both on and offcampus students. The old app often froze or just flat out did not track the busses well. Students were left waiting in the cold guessing when the bus would get to their stop. The new app is simple to use and more convenient than the previous app because each line is identified by a specific color and the app estimates how far a bus is from each stop.
Editor in Chief & Publisher: Jackie Nevarez Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-0105 Managing Editor: Rachel Scaman Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-0177 News Editor: Alexander Chettiath Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9643 Assistant News Editor: Leah Nicolini Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9643 Digital Editor: Margaret Maka, Jessica Plessner Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9644 Perspective Editor: Angela L. Pagan Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9637
Fail
Egyptian Theatre needs attendance
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See what’s a pass and what’s a fail as judged by columnist Kaylyn Zielinski.
Pass
Editorial Board Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board; columns reflect the opinion of the author alone.
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Perspective
Faith Mellenthin | Northern Star
The Egyptian Theatre lacked a sufficient audience Friday night at their showing of “Clue” and a comedic performance. As students of NIU, we are also members of the DeKalb community. Students should support local DeKalb businesses. The Egyptian Theatre has been a pillar of the community for more than 80 years. Without consistent business, it is likely that landmarks like the Egyptian Theatre will disappear from DeKalb and we will eventually lose parts of this city’s history.
Should the unlawful assemblies ordinance be passed? Faith Mellenthin Columnist
Hanna Markezich Columnist
Kara Mercer Columnist
Abby Zaccaria Columnist
There are several specific changes I think should be made before the unlawful assemblies ordinance is considered. To avoid violating the First Amendment, the law should not be written based on restrictions. It makes sense to want a law to help keep large gatherings peaceful, but it is not fair to hold an entire crowd accountable to just a few people’s actions. The best approach would be to define a peaceful crowd, not to redefine the Illinois ordinance on mob action with stricter detail. If written carefully and correctly, I believe an ordinance could be useful for the safety of those who gather in large numbers. When guided by a vague description of what “disturbing the peace” means, it is hard to know exactly where to draw the line. The definition of “disturbing the peace” could range from violence to an offending phrase depending on who was breaking up the assembly.
I do not think Dekalb needs to pass the unlawful assemblies ordinance. During the first week of school, students participated in Martin Luther King Jr. week events on campus. There was no misconduct that occurred. NIU President Doug Baker even participated in the week’s events and listened to the concerns students had. I believe students who participate in protests are expressing their opinions in a professional manner. The City Council cannot stop students from attending events, like the march for peace in Chicago. Students that attend are aware their actions reflect us here at NIU. The ordinance mentions the use of cannabis as a reason to consider an assembly illegal. In this case, it makes no sense to target protestors for drug use when the entire city should not be using illegal drugs either way. Students are fighting for the right to be heard; the city council cannot take away the voices of the students.
I believe there should be some kind of action when an assembly gathers and becomes unruly, however I do not believe that the entire gathering should be ruined if it is only the fault of some individuals. Protests that start off peaceful can quickly become unmanageable if the group getting together is large enough. There needs to be an ordinance in place so a situation that gets out of control can be handled. A group of 10 or more persons conducting unlawful behavior could be considered an unlawful assembly, according to the revised ordinance. This means if just a few people misbehave, an entire demonstration could be ruined. There are still more issues that need to be addressed in the ordinance, so I appreciate the decision being postponed to receive more feedback from the public. It is important to have an open dialogue about the ordinance and listen to the concerns of the public. It would not be right to pass it without addressing these concerns.
I think the unlawful assemblies ordinance should be passed in order to protect the community and encourage peaceful protests. The ordinance makes it a violation of city code for a person to fail to obey a command of a sworn peace officer or fail to disperse after a reasonable effort is made to advise the participants that the assembly is unlawful and must disperse, according to the first draft. The final draft has yet to be reviewed and passed. Passing the ordinance would help the police keep protests from getting out of hand, which could lead to someone getting seriously hurt. I think that passing the ordinance is a good idea because it does not prevent legal protests and assemblies that are covered by the First Amendment. The ordinance only requires people to disperse after a police officer tells them too if the assembly or protest is illegal; it will also keep riots from happening which may cause people to get hurt.