Your Huskie Bucket List

Your Huskie Bucket List

• 1

  

  Indulge Your Inner-selfie.

  From our giant N-I-U sculpture in the MLK Commons to Altgeld Hall’s famous garden gargoyle Grotesque—or “Olive Goyle” as we like to call her—you’ll find plenty of backdrops to show your Huskie pride in pictures. Capture a photo with our popular Huskie mascot Mission (you’re bound to see him around at some point), and flash our “Go Huskies!” hand symbol.

• 2

  

  Join Something.

  We’re just bursting with organizations and activities. Be sure to take part in biggies like Week of Welcome and Homecoming, but don’t stop there. Our new Huskie Hub will help you explore more than 300 student organizations that fall into all sorts of categories. Academics. Community service. Culture. Student government. Recreation and sports. Religion. Phew... you get the idea.

• 3

  

  Be Festive.

  We’re big on festivals around here. We celebrate corn. And pumpkins. And kites. And lots of other stuff. DeKalb’s late-August Corn Fest is one of the remaining free music fests in Illinois, while the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival offers a weekend of Halloween fun. Another fun draw is the DeKalb Kite Fest.

• 4

  

  Fall in Love with Our East Lagoon.

  One of the most scenic spots on our beautiful campus, the East Lagoon provides the perfect background for a walk or picnic. Enjoy a bonfire in our bonfire pit or hang a hammock. Feeling more adventurous? Plop a canoe or kayak in the water. We even rent out the boats through Outdoor Adventures! (Speaking of Outdoor Adventures, check out our spring trips.)

• 5

  

  Cheer on Our Huskie Athletes.

  Huskies are active on the field and in the stands for NIU Athletics events this fall. Students receive free admission to each regular-season home game, and it’s easy to get tickets with our mobile ticketing. Make sure to tailgate and wear red and black on game days! (Fridays too. That’s kind of a thing around here.)

• 6

  

  Take in Art, Culture, Music and All That.

  Inspire, connect and broaden your cultural knowledge by visiting our museums, theatres and cultural resource centers. See one of our concerts or check out an art exhibit. Venture beyond campus on our Huskie Line. From the historic Egyptian Theatre–deemed the heartbeat of downtown DeKalb—to concerts in the park hosted by DeKalb Park District to books stores and quirky spots like the throw-back Star Worlds Video Arcade and the Fargo Indoor Skatepark, you’ll find more to DeKalb than you expect.

• 7

  

  Hang out at the Holmes.

  You can’t miss our HSC—the tallest building in our friendly hometown of DeKalb. You’ll find plenty of options for food and fun including Starbucks (coffee, coffee, coffee!), QDOBA Mexican Eats and our Grill at Huskie Den. You’ll also find the Depot convenience store, bowling, billiards, an expanded bookstore and plenty of places to relax—even cozy spots by our fireplace.

• 8

  

  By All Means, Beer Nuggets.

  (Known as beer nuggets to loyal fans, they don’t actually have any beer in them.) They’re deep-fried pizza dough bites, and they’re legendary in our college town. Sold at several different pizza spots in town, they even made it into Urban Dictionary as a DeKalb invention. Bonus: Barbed wire is a DeKalb invention, too. Boom. There’s some trivia for you.

• 9

  

  Taste Your Way Through Campus and Beyond.

  You’ll find plenty of places to feast on campus and beyond—from Qdoba, Starbucks, The Grill at Huskie Den and the Depot C-Store in our HSC to Einstein Bros. Bagels at Founders Memorial Library. Within walking distance of campus, DeKalb brims with coffee shops and restaurants, ranging from fast-food to fine dining to family style to ethnic. For a sweet treat, try Ollie’s Frozen Custard in Sycamore. It’s a must.

• 10

  

  Work Off Those Calories.

  As a student, you automatically have access to NIU Recreation, with facilities throughout campus. Lift weights, squeeze in some cardio or join a pickup game or fitness class at our Recreation Center. Or how about a swim in our Anderson Hall pool? More of an outdoorsy type? DeKalb’s 44 parks offer space to venture out, whether on foot, bike or skates. Play disc golf, basketball, tennis or simply take a walk and breathe it all in.