(01-30-2013 09:58 PM)UIHuskie Wrote:  

(01-30-2013 09:43 PM)sterling1man Wrote:  Marketing creates perception. U.I. does an excellent job, NIU does a poor job.

Exactly what marketing would that be? I don't think putting up a billboard here or there, or having the occasional commercial on the BTN impacts how people perceive the safety level of a campus or city.

Marketing is more then billboards. People talking to other people is a major form of marketing. Recruiting is not done mainly by billboards.
Advertising by college recruiters , alumni etc.
NIU's marketing achilles heel is its special and general education department. It consists of many fossilized attitudes who are tenured , protected and care more about there own comfort then the school's reputation or their students. At NIU college of business Professors serve their students. In NIU's college of Education students serve their professors. Only college where tenured faculty can disqualify accepted majors based on character perception. High school teachers see potential recruits more then anyone else. Bad perceptions by graduates hurt NIU. Wish they could change the paradigm of the educational college? NIU has lost hundreds , maybe thousands of students to National Louis because of this department. National Louis University does not disqualify educational students.

(01-30-2013 10:14 PM)sterling1man Wrote:  Marketing is more then billboards. People talking to other people is a major form of marketing. Recruiting is not done mainly by billboards.
Advertising by college recruiters , alumni etc.
NIU's marketing achilles heel is its special and general education department. It consists of many fossilized attitudes who are tenured , protected and care more about there own comfort then the school's reputation or their students. At NIU college of business Professors serve their students. In NIU's college of Education students serve their professors. Only college where tenured faculty can disqualify accepted majors based on character perception. High school teachers see potential recruits more then anyone else. Bad perceptions by graduates hurt NIU. Wish they could change the paradigm of the educational college? NIU has lost hundreds , maybe thousands of students to National Louis because of this department. National Louis University does not disqualify educational students.

I understand that, but what does any of that have to do with the perception of safety on campus? Why would alumni from NIU feel any less safe than those that went to UI if the crime rates are similar? Something has to create that perception somewhere with those alums (if your theory holds), and it (apparently) doesn't come from an actual increase in crime in DeKalb compared to Champaign or other Illinois university/college towns.

Maybe U.I has a better sense of community? Friendlier professors? Easier time communicating with other students?

I am not buying marketing at all. There is more to this and I'd like to hear from those who feel NIUs campus is unsafe and why. I will say this. I lived in the grey town houses off edgebrook in the early 90s and it was fine. Those apts to the west were starting to get run down. The off campus dorm style apt building was ghetto even then. Music, late night arguments and cops there on occasion.

That was the area where someone was shot a year or 2 ago. Townhouses are run down, those other apt are "being remodeled" when I was there in the fall. No one on the street in the afternoon other than a few shady guys. I have heard that whole are to the old theater / hannigans shady and it looks it. Likely do to other newer options for students.


I know other schools have some bad areas. But this close to a campus and general population? Run down is one thing, crime is another.

And I would still like some more in depth stuff on dorms, not read between the lines. I don't see what there is to hide, and again you can Email in privacy.[/font]

(01-30-2013 09:29 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  I want to know what is wrong with the dorms like Grant, preferably specific examples.And if it is so bad as some say, then I wouldn't say it is happening "everywhere" as I know people with kids at or just graduated U of I and other state and B-10 schools and have never heard of them "not feeling safe."

If you feel you can't say it on here, please send a PM. Confidentiality is assured. I have a family member that is looking at NIU.

Especially since right now 3/4 of the Grant towers are closed along with the dining hall.


In 99 as an incoming Freshman I lived in Grant North. I did not have any issues so much that I returned to the same tower the next year. I then moved to Stevenson the next year after all of my friends moved to apartments or UP. There were 2 issues that I was aware of around Grant South but one was before security started and the other was outside the building. Security at the front door started at 11pm was NEVER an issue.

(01-30-2013 09:29 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  I want to know what is wrong with the dorms like Grant, preferably specific examples.And if it is so bad as some say, then I wouldn't say it is happening "everywhere" as I know people with kids at or just graduated U of I and other state and B-10 schools and have never heard of them "not feeling safe."

If you feel you can't say it on here, please send a PM. Confidentiality is assured. I have a family member that is looking at NIU.

I have a friend who just graduated from UofI in December. During his junior year he was coming home from the library and stopping for a sandwich with a friend. A couple guys came along, took their bikes (my friend was watching the bikes while the other guy got the sandwiches.) and they beat the crap out of my friend. Spent a good amount of time in the hospital. He recovered just fine. Happened in a fairly public place, albeit later in the night. One of the many reasons why I believe its not an NIU problem, its a societal problem.

(01-31-2013 05:39 PM)PeoriaHuskie11 Wrote:  

(01-30-2013 09:29 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  I want to know what is wrong with the dorms like Grant, preferably specific examples.And if it is so bad as some say, then I wouldn't say it is happening "everywhere" as I know people with kids at or just graduated U of I and other state and B-10 schools and have never heard of them "not feeling safe."

If you feel you can't say it on here, please send a PM. Confidentiality is assured. I have a family member that is looking at NIU.

I have a friend who just graduated from UofI in December. During his junior year he was coming home from the library and stopping for a sandwich with a friend. A couple guys came along, took their bikes (my friend was watching the bikes while the other guy got the sandwiches.) and they beat the crap out of my friend. Spent a good amount of time in the hospital. He recovered just fine. Happened in a fairly public place, albeit later in the night. One of the many reasons why I believe its not an NIU problem, its a societal problem.

Thank you for re-enforcing my point in making the original post

(01-31-2013 05:53 PM)OldTtimeNIU Wrote:  

(01-31-2013 05:39 PM)PeoriaHuskie11 Wrote:  

(01-30-2013 09:29 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  I want to know what is wrong with the dorms like Grant, preferably specific examples.And if it is so bad as some say, then I wouldn't say it is happening "everywhere" as I know people with kids at or just graduated U of I and other state and B-10 schools and have never heard of them "not feeling safe."

If you feel you can't say it on here, please send a PM. Confidentiality is assured. I have a family member that is looking at NIU.

I have a friend who just graduated from UofI in December. During his junior year he was coming home from the library and stopping for a sandwich with a friend. A couple guys came along, took their bikes (my friend was watching the bikes while the other guy got the sandwiches.) and they beat the crap out of my friend. Spent a good amount of time in the hospital. He recovered just fine. Happened in a fairly public place, albeit later in the night. One of the many reasons why I believe its not an NIU problem, its a societal problem.

Thank you for re-enforcing my point in making the original post

I agree. Never wanted to imply it doesn't happen everywhere. NIU is isnt that big and not real spread out. And I am talking more apt and dorms, moreover the
second.

(01-31-2013 06:01 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  

(01-31-2013 05:53 PM)OldTtimeNIU Wrote:  

(01-31-2013 05:39 PM)PeoriaHuskie11 Wrote:  

(01-30-2013 09:29 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  I want to know what is wrong with the dorms like Grant, preferably specific examples.And if it is so bad as some say, then I wouldn't say it is happening "everywhere" as I know people with kids at or just graduated U of I and other state and B-10 schools and have never heard of them "not feeling safe."

If you feel you can't say it on here, please send a PM. Confidentiality is assured. I have a family member that is looking at NIU.

I have a friend who just graduated from UofI in December. During his junior year he was coming home from the library and stopping for a sandwich with a friend. A couple guys came along, took their bikes (my friend was watching the bikes while the other guy got the sandwiches.) and they beat the crap out of my friend. Spent a good amount of time in the hospital. He recovered just fine. Happened in a fairly public place, albeit later in the night. One of the many reasons why I believe its not an NIU problem, its a societal problem.

Thank you for re-enforcing my point in making the original post

I agree. Never wanted to imply it doesn't happen everywhere. NIU is isnt that big and not real spread out. And I am talking more apt and dorms, moreover the
second.

If Eddie Williams owns it ...stay away!

I lived in Old Orchard town houses and the Twombly apartments.

OO is more of a weekend party place and Twombly is great if you want quiet but its so detached from NIU that you miss out of the campus even with the bus stopping right there.

I am taking my son to NIU Saturday for a tour. He has been accepted to NIU and Missouri. I would also like to know more about issues others have brought up about the towers. We have heard negative news about NIU, but I have to agree with others that it is a perception that keeps lingering and bad stuff happens at other schools too. My son loves basketball (and football ) and if time permits we might go to the Toledo bball game, but that could scare him off even more than the towers. He has been to NIU A few times for football games and bball camp (where he stayed in the towers a couple nights), but he hasn't seen most of the campus.

Please shed more light on real stories of campus crime.

I know this was 9 years ago almost (holy crap) but I didn't have a problem in Grant B. I never felt unsafe at NIU (or really anywhere else for that matter). If I made a mistake and had kids, I'd love for them to attend NIU.

(01-31-2013 05:39 PM)PeoriaHuskie11 Wrote:  

(01-30-2013 09:29 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  I want to know what is wrong with the dorms like Grant, preferably specific examples.And if it is so bad as some say, then I wouldn't say it is happening "everywhere" as I know people with kids at or just graduated U of I and other state and B-10 schools and have never heard of them "not feeling safe."

If you feel you can't say it on here, please send a PM. Confidentiality is assured. I have a family member that is looking at NIU.

I have a friend who just graduated from UofI in December. During his junior year he was coming home from the library and stopping for a sandwich with a friend. A couple guys came along, took their bikes (my friend was watching the bikes while the other guy got the sandwiches.) and they beat the crap out of my friend. Spent a good amount of time in the hospital. He recovered just fine. Happened in a fairly public place, albeit later in the night. One of the many reasons why I believe its not an NIU problem, its a societal problem.

Not an NIU problem, a societal problem. That in a nutshell is where we are at. Personal responsibility, two very important words. Unfortunately that has been eroding for the last several years (our nation's capitol is a prime example, but I'll leave that for the political forum).
When young kids, teenagers don't have positive role models or positive direction from their parents, they have no compass and they start free wheeling.

(01-31-2013 11:05 PM)bigdhuskie Wrote:  

(01-31-2013 05:39 PM)PeoriaHuskie11 Wrote:  

(01-30-2013 09:29 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  I want to know what is wrong with the dorms like Grant, preferably specific examples.And if it is so bad as some say, then I wouldn't say it is happening "everywhere" as I know people with kids at or just graduated U of I and other state and B-10 schools and have never heard of them "not feeling safe."

If you feel you can't say it on here, please send a PM. Confidentiality is assured. I have a family member that is looking at NIU.

I have a friend who just graduated from UofI in December. During his junior year he was coming home from the library and stopping for a sandwich with a friend. A couple guys came along, took their bikes (my friend was watching the bikes while the other guy got the sandwiches.) and they beat the crap out of my friend. Spent a good amount of time in the hospital. He recovered just fine. Happened in a fairly public place, albeit later in the night. One of the many reasons why I believe its not an NIU problem, its a societal problem.

Not an NIU problem, a societal problem. That in a nutshell is where we are at. Personal responsibility,two very important words. Unfortunately that has been eroding for the last several years (our nation's capitol is a prime example, but I'll leave that for the political forum).
When young kids, teenagers don't have positive role models or positive direction from their parents, they have no compass and they start free wheeling.

Please do.

(01-31-2013 07:17 PM)NIU17 Wrote:  I am taking my son to NIU Saturday for a tour. He has been accepted to NIU and Missouri. I would also like to know more about issues others have brought up about the towers. We have heard negative news about NIU, but I have to agree with others that it is a perception that keeps lingering and bad stuff happens at other schools too. My son loves basketball (and football ) and if time permits we might go to the Toledo bball game, but that could scare him off even more than the towers. He has been to NIU A few times for football games and bball camp (where he stayed in the towers a couple nights), but he hasn't seen most of the campus.

Please shed more light on real stories of campus crime.

FYI for tours. We took the tour with our son last fall. We were very impressed with the new dorm and food court. Most parents jaws dropped when seeing the new suites. Worth every extra dollar. Walking tour was center of campus by Altgeld Hall. Sat in the old business building lecture room. Nothing special. You will NOT go in or even see the engineering or the business building. The tour guides were great. Had lunch at Neptune cafeteria, which was run down and dated. My wife said nothing changed in forty years.
Why not have lunch at the new dorm and tour the two newest buildings on campus? Every campus tour we have taken has visited the health fitness center. We just drove by the old one at NIU.

Incoming students started picking dorms last month. I would check into this ASAP.

(02-01-2013 12:05 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  

(01-31-2013 07:17 PM)NIU17 Wrote:  I am taking my son to NIU Saturday for a tour. He has been accepted to NIU and Missouri. I would also like to know more about issues others have brought up about the towers. We have heard negative news about NIU, but I have to agree with others that it is a perception that keeps lingering and bad stuff happens at other schools too. My son loves basketball (and football ) and if time permits we might go to the Toledo bball game, but that could scare him off even more than the towers. He has been to NIU A few times for football games and bball camp (where he stayed in the towers a couple nights), but he hasn't seen most of the campus.

Please shed more light on real stories of campus crime.

FYI for tours. We took the tour with our son last fall. We were very impressed with the new dorm and food court. Most parents jaws dropped when seeing the new suites. Worth every extra dollar. Walking tour was center of campus by Altgeld Hall. Sat in the old business building lecture room. Nothing special. You will NOT go in or even see the engineering or the business building. The tour guides were great. Had lunch at Neptune cafeteria, which was run down and dated. My wife said nothing changed in forty years.
Why not have lunch at the new dorm and tour the two newest buildings on campus? Every campus tour we have taken has visited the health fitness center. We just drove by the old one at NIU.

Incoming students started picking dorms last month. I would check into this ASAP.

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure why NIU makes some of their decisions. I would like to see the new buildings as all I ever do is drive by campus on the way to football games. Maybe they'll serve us lunch at a remodeled cafeteria this year. My son is slow to get anything done until the last minute and he will most likely regret waiting. I think for a small fee you can reserve a dorm room even if you haven't decided yet. We can do that tomorrow, but I doubt the new dorms will have room left. Wasn't Stevenson towers remodeled in the last 5 years. I know they just finsihed one wing of Grant and will be done with another by Fall? So what should be our order of preference for a freshman in the fall?

1. New dorms
2. Grant?
3. Stevenson?
4. Neptune?
5. Lincoln or Douglas?

I was in Lincoln Hall for 2 years in 81-83 and my wife lucked out because there was no room left in the dorms, so they moved her to off campus apt towers (can't rememer the name).

Speaking of NIU tours, last fall, a large tour group of students and parents came through the cardinal & black lot before a football game (CMU, I believe). They had a grill set up and fed them lunch, which I thought was a really great idea.

First look at the cost. Cross off what you cant afford.
http://www.niu.edu/housing/_pdf/SignUp/f...2-2013.pdf

IMO don't get a triple unless you have 2 friends joining

IMO the Stevenson suite with a bathroom is a waste.


For the F2013-SP2014 year
There will be NO food service in Grant...so you have to walk to another dorm for food.

There MAY not be any food service in Lincoln (based on new info I posted this week)...so you MAY have to walk to another dorm for food.

Neptune and Stevenson (back in 99-02) were impossible to get into as a Freshman (you needed 24+ CR hours completed to be considered) but that may change with Gilbert opening up and the lower attendance.

I would not be comfortable sharing a small living space and TV with 11 other strangers. (small for 12 people that is)

IMO for the money and Freshman experience Douglas is the best option for this upcoming year. There are about 48 people per floor. This is good for meeting people but bad for bathroom space. One other good thing is that its just across the street from the REC and the East side of Huskie Stadium. They will also have wifi up by then. Douglas also has 3 different dining options...all you can eat, dog pound deli and A la Carte for breakfast and lunch. There were also a few gen ed classes held within Douglas (10 years back) so if that still is the practice you can schedule one of those it makes cold days like this a tad easier to get to class.

(02-01-2013 01:28 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  First look at the cost. Cross off what you cant afford.
http://www.niu.edu/housing/_pdf/SignUp/f...2-2013.pdf

IMO don't get a triple unless you have 2 friends joining

IMO the Stevenson suite with a bathroom is a waste.


For the F2013-SP2014 year
There will be NO food service in Grant...so you have to walk to another dorm for food.

There MAY not be any food service in Lincoln (based on new info I posted this week)...so you MAY have to walk to another dorm for food.

Neptune and Stevenson (back in 99-02) were impossible to get into as a Freshman (you needed 24+ CR hours completed to be considered) but that may change with Gilbert opening up and the lower attendance.

I would not be comfortable sharing a small living space and TV with 11 other strangers. (small for 12 people that is)

IMO for the money and Freshman experience Douglas is the best option for this upcoming year. There are about 48 people per floor. This is good for meeting people but bad for bathroom space. One other good thing is that its just across the street from the REC and the East side of Huskie Stadium. They will also have wifi up by then. Douglas also has 3 different dining options...all you can eat, dog pound deli and A la Carte for breakfast and lunch. There were also a few gen ed classes held within Douglas (10 years back) so if that still is the practice you can schedule one of those it makes cold days like this a tad easier to get to class.

This interests me greatly.

Tell me, are all the floors mixed men and women now? I could see this an an interesting and challenging issue in dorms with communal bathrooms. I would expect the gents and ladies to have separate bathrooms, but how does that affect the men walking about with their genitals hanging out and the women in skimpy undies (if any) and tiny towels. Can someone fill me in? Thank you very much.

(02-01-2013 01:38 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  This interests me greatly.

Tell me, are all the floors mixed men and women now? I could see this an an interesting and challenging issue in dorms with communal bathrooms. I would expect the gents and ladies to have separate bathrooms, but how does that affect the men walking about with their genitals hanging out and the women in skimpy undies (if any) and tiny towels. Can someone fill me in? Thank you very much.

LOL most of the floors are co-ed but there are an equal number of women only floors...unfortunately for equality men only floors too. My FR year was on one of those men only floors and it was 94% FR. It was the funniest thing to see all the doors open up when there was a girl on the floor. I hated it at the time but looking back it wasn't that bad.

But back to your bathroom question they are totally separate.

Again assuming a 50/50 split of men and women on the floor you have 24 people sharing 4 toilets in Lincoln/Douglas, 16 sharing 4 toilets in Grant (after remodel) and 12 sharing 4 toilets in Stevenson. If you run into the issue of all the stalls being full one inconvenient time...its BAD!

(02-01-2013 01:49 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(02-01-2013 01:38 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  This interests me greatly.

Tell me, are all the floors mixed men and women now? I could see this an an interesting and challenging issue in dorms with communal bathrooms. I would expect the gents and ladies to have separate bathrooms, but how does that affect the men walking about with their genitals hanging out and the women in skimpy undies (if any) and tiny towels. Can someone fill me in? Thank you very much.

LOL most of the floors are co-ed but there are an equal number of women only floors...unfortunately for equality men only floors too. My FR year was on one of those men only floors and it was 94% FR. It was the funniest thing to see all the doors open up when there was a girl on the floor. I hated it at the time but looking back it wasn't that bad.

But back to your bathroom question they are totally separate.

Again assuming a 50/50 split of men and women on the floor you have 24 people sharing 4 toilets in Lincoln/Douglas, 16 sharing 4 toilets in Grant (after remodel) and 12 sharing 4 toilets in Stevenson. If you run into the issue of all the stalls being full one inconvenient time...its BAD!

I can always barge my way into a toilet. What I'm most interested is in the level of cover-up of the kids after they leave the showers. I may re-enter NIU as a freshman and ask to stay in the dorms. Basically, what I'm asking is will I be able to prance around the floor with almost nothing on?