In response to the editorial ("Save a seat" SN 3/16), I think The State News is giving too much credit to East Lansing. East Lansing would not be a McDonald's and a stop light without MSU; it would be a cornfield.

As for the economic boost that we, the students, give East Lansing businesses, figure that, without students, there wouldn't be coffee shops or the four bookstores that cater directly to student needs. And let's not forget the amount of money we pay in rental housing, which lines the pockets of residents.

Would Eastwood Towne Center exist without us? As someone who works in retail, let me tell you that it would not. Every day, I deal with townies who complain that Eastwood is "too expensive" and should be an "outlet mall."

In fact, why isn't East Lansing part of Lansing? There isn't a city of West Lansing. Maybe it's because of MSU. Think of that. Without MSU, there wouldn't be a separate city council for the east side of Lansing, and thus these elected officials wouldn't have positions at all. How sad.

As for "facilities," why is it that lap swimming only exists during the day while "family swim" and "swimming lessons" exist at night? I doubt that this schedule is meant to help students. Similarly, the MSU indoor tennis facility is now open to the public. I'm sure the citizens of East Lansing wouldn't have these perks if it weren't for MSU. Of course, they probably wouldn't have time for swimming and tennis because farming is very tedious work.

Get a clue. We are the life of this tiny town, and the reason we don't vote here is because of Republican-passed legislation requiring students to vote at home and not at school, unless they feel like changing their address every year at the Secretary of State. Just one more reason why no student should even consider voting Republican this November.

Daniel Scheimer
social science senior