THE NATURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION. A Northern Star columnist suggests some cost-cutting measures.

I constantly hear many of my peers say, "What does this class have to do with my major?" Getting rid of classes that we most likely will not use would help the university save money. (For example, I'm journalism major, yet I have to take classes such as French and calculus.) By cutting the fat, the university would save money simply because it would not have to hire as many faculty.

That comment pretty well sums up why press coverage of anything technical, such as air traffic control, the safety appliances on a train, or a steel mill leaves much to be desired. Perhaps the columnist would be better off apprenticing at a newspaper. Be ashamed to call yourself a college graduate if you're unable to explain why e^x is its own derivative.

It might be wise to do some research, too.

As much as I love lifting weights at the Campus Recreational Center (that was a lie - I don't believe in lifting weights), the university would benefit from spending more money on the educational side of campus, as opposed to the recreational half. After all, we came to NIU for a degree, not to work out. NIU spends more money on recreation than most schools.

That's news to me. Our exercise facilities, such as they are, are pretty much clapped out. The swimming pools require constant patching. I'm not sure there is a climbing wall. It gets better.

Out-of-state students pay more for tuition than in-state students. To encourage students from neighboring states to attend, NIU would have to become better known at the national level, similar to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Hmm, so we're supposed to make do with fewer professors and a curriculum with no core or area requirements and become better known, but not as a great place to play.