WHY IT MATTERS. A Northern Star columnist weighs in on the bomb threats and background street crime, which he suggests is inducing some students in good standing to transfer.

Fortunately, NIU has not reached the level of violence of Chicago Public Schools right now, which have seen a horrific increase in gun-related fatalities.

However, with as much tuition as we pay, one would think that this institution would be free of the same neglected atmosphere that plagues some of the poorest and most crime-polluted areas of our state. I’m not saying that DeKalb is particularly affluent, but if you have the intellect to get into college and don’t like to waste money, it’s ironic that you would be the same type of person to call in a bomb threat or try to rob any of Shelley’s delivery drivers (and those are pretty cool guys).

So that begs the question: “What kind of place am I in?” And that is dependent upon the kind of people who populate the area.

“The people who should be leaving are the ones making the threats,” junior English major Vinny Slowiak said. “Those people want classes and exams canceled. If you don’t want to take a test, why are you in college?”

Exactly. Administrators, rethink "access" and retention will take care of itself.