Let’s start with a summary of events. — The group now known as Preserve Our Neighborhoods (PON) was formed last spring in response to concerns that residents were not being included in DeKalb-NIU redevelopment plans that would directly affect them. — Misty Haji-Sheikh of PON received unsigned documents from an anonymous sender regarding a corporation…
Tag: NIU
AG is Reviewing DeKalb’s Denial of Information to Neighborhood Rep
The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) has agreed to examine a City of DeKalb denial of information to a representative of a neighborhood group. Here’s the usual drill. Upon the PAC accepting a Request for Review it invites the public body to respond with the legal basis for denial. The response is shared…
College Town Partners Agreements are Kind of Cray, but Still Important
I’ve read the College Town Partners documents that were leaked to the Preserve Our Neighborhoods (PON) group. (Want copies? Send an email to preserveourneighborhoods@gmail.com.) The agreements, which were never signed, lay out a corporate partnership between City of DeKalb, NIU, a local developer and two banks. They strike me as kind of nuts, actually, being…
Observations: Yesterday’s Town Hall Meeting with NIU
NIU president Baker and the mayor each spoke to the group, as did NIU vice-president Bill Nicklas and an architect who explained the process involved in the development of the Bold Futures Thesis. In a nutshell, NIU wants to transform the thesis into a real plan for better use of the physical campus in nurturing…
Can DeKalb Really Help Fix NIU?
The Daily Chronicle’s editorial board scolded a group of residents this week for being total NIMBYs hating on good and necessary change. [D]espite all the benefits that our communities draw from having the university here, there is resistance to ideas that could change the nearby neighborhoods, particularly the Ellwood historic and Hillcrest neighborhoods, where residents…
NIU Enrollment by Campus — Er, Mostly
When we talk about NIU enrollment we are usually referring to the enrollment at all four campuses, which is the number NIU must report to the state. With a drop of 4.9% as we had this year, a lot of questions come up. Hypothetically speaking, what if DeKalb had lost 10% but nobody knew because…
DeKalb’s Population Illusions
**Update: DHS enrollment projections for next year have been corrected from 17,000 to 1,700 and I appreciate receiving the email heads up.** Possibly the worst argument in support of the land swap deal between District 428 and Shodeen is this: The land near [DeKalb High School] offers more promise for the district than Kiwanis Park.…
Warrants Issued in NIU “Coffee Fund” Case
Daily Chronicle has the story that arrest warrants have been issued for nine current and former Northern Illinois University employees in the “Coffee Fund” case. Those charged are: Robert Albanese, Michael Hall, Lawrence Murray, Susan Zahm, Kenneth Pugh, Keenon Darlinger, Mark Beaird, Joseph Alberti and Keith Jackson. According to the NIU Materials Management website, Pugh…
“We Are Taking Edgebrook”
The following is a report from DeKalb Police of a gathering on the 800 block of Edgebrook Drive in the wee hours of Saturday, August 25. Due to a large crowd gathering the previous night, I assigned officer Boldt to monitor the lot at 809 Edgebrook and to advise me of any large parties forming.…
Northern Star: NIU 2012 Fall Enrollment Report
The Northern Star is Tweeting (from about 4:40 p.m.) NIU enrollment numbers obtained from a press release: Fall 2012 new freshman enrollment is up 2.9%. There’s an increase of 25.7% in the Honors Program incoming class since 2010, and the number of minority students in the Honors Program has more than doubled, to 253. New…