WHY IT MATTERS. Northern Star columnist Aaron Brooks offers advice to new students.

Basically, stay involved. NIU is a great university, and if you make the most of it you can get the same education as some ninny paying $40K a semester in tuition at Harvard.

The dean of Liberal Arts made his State of the College presentation Friday afternoon, wherein he expressed a wish to offer each student an opportunit to participate in research or an internship or study abroad and another wish that students not be priced out of these opportunities, something that might be difficult in a political environment that views higher education as job preparation and the marginal benefits to a degree as purely private.