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Monday, February 22, 2016
815-753-5606 H @NIUNorthernStar H NorthernStar.info/Opinion
Student athletes should not have to choose between sports, protest participation Northern Star Campus Life Building, Room 130 545 Lucinda Ave. DeKalb, Ill., 60115 Web: www.NorthernStar.info Fax: 815-753-0708
SA delivers letters, student voices clear The Student Association has been active in lobbying for a state budget which shows a great deal of leadership. The SA delivered roughly 20,000 letters and postcards to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office in order to make it clear the students of NIU and residents of DeKalb will be heard. I would also encourage students to flood Rauner’s office with phone calls in addition to letters. I am proud of my community for writing so many letters. It is inspiring to know that the SA will not give up and plans on delivering more letters soon.
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 Digital Editor: Margaret Maka, Jessica Plessner Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9644
Fail
Perspective Editor: Angela L. Pagan Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9637
Students in the dark about power outages
Sports Editor: Chris Loggins Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9637 Assistant Sports Editor: Thomas Hiley Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9637 Scene Editor: Darius Parker Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-5606 Photo Editor: Nick Bosshart Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-1602 Other Advertising Manager: Derek Noel Ads@NorthernStar.info 815-753-0108 Faith Mellenthin | Northern Star
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High winds on Friday knocked out power at schools in the DeKalb area, including NIU, but the university failed to notify students. NIU remained open though I noticed there were no lights on in Reavis Hall and DuSable Hall. The power outages also caused emergency tornado sirens to activate. A way to calm students during all this would have been for the university to send out a communication to let everyone know the wind was to blame. In situations like this, the university should communicate with students so they know they are safe.
Point/Counterpoint: Plasma donations
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Letters to the editor Letters should not exceed 300 words and may be edited for clarity and brevity. The deadline for a letter is 4 p.m. one day before the desired date of publication. Submissions may be held due to space limitations. Letters written by students should include the author’s year and major. Letters should include a phone number where the author can be reached. Phone numbers will not be published. Letters may be submitted to Editor@NorthernStar.info.
See what’s a pass and what’s a fail as judged by columnist Kara Mercer.
Pass
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Perspective
People can donate their plasma in exchange for money at Biolife Plasma Services, 1455 County Farm Road. This month, first time donors can earn up to $130 with a coupon.
Plasma donation for Money for plasma money convenient donation dangerous Kaylyn Zielinski Columnist
Donating plasma is an easy way to save a life and earn some money. The plasma that is donated goes toward a lot of great causes. Plasma at Biolife Plasma Services is used in various therapeutic ways to save thousands of lives each day. Serious disorders that are treated with plasma include hemophilia and immune system deficiencies, according to BioLife Plasma Services website. While not as important as saving thousands of people’s lives, donors also benefit financially from successful plasma donations. After every donation, donors get money loaded onto a debit card provided by Biolife Plasma
Services that can be used everywhere debit cards are accepted. For the month of February, there is a coupon for first-time donors at the DeKalb BioLife Plasma Center, 1455 County Farm Road. BioLife Plasma Services will give first-time donors $130 within three donations as long as the first donation is done by Feb. 29, the second within 30 days of the first donation and the third within 30 days of the second donation, according to the coupon. This is a simple way to earn extra cash which is something a lot of college students need. Some donors bring books to read or play on their phones while donating. Between homework and classes it is hard to remember to relax. If a student’s work load is particularly large, they could even bring school work to do as well. Donating plasma gives donors the ability to save lives and earn money.
Faith Mellenthin Columnist
Donating plasma does help others, but I do not think the BioLife Plasma Services recent coupon is the right way for students to donate. As a college student I enjoy the idea of getting paid. However, I donate whole blood at Heartland Blood Centers and noticed they only allow plasma donations every 28 days, not twice a week like BioLife Plasma Services. While there are few risks to donating plasma frequently, it is still a lot of stress on the body to donate at a biweekly rate. There would still be needle wounds on the arm by the third and possibly fourth donation. The body
replenishes plasma very quickly, but this means it is working harder than usual to heal itself and may leave people tired, according to the Heartland Blood Centers website. The American Red Cross also uses the 28 day marker for plasma donors. Plasma is the part of the blood that carries antibodies that fight off sickness, so it would be wise for a person to keep these at a high level, according to the American RedCross. The incentive of cash is very enticing, but students should keep their health and well-being in mind first. Students should be cautious when attempting to donate as frequently as the coupon encourages. If students plan on donating I feel it is better to do so out of generosity and not just because they need money. There are other ways to earn money that do not put your body at risk.