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MSU

MSU officials: Zipcar program a success

Beau Hayhoe
June 14, 2011

About five months after its implementation at MSU, campus officials said the Zipcar program has been successful. Jennifer Battle, assistant director of campus sustainability, said the car sharing program — originally launched in January through a partnership with Cambridge, Mass., company Zipcar — has been well-received among MSU students and faculty. “I would generally say we’re on a successful track,” she said.

MSU

Graduate students create website designed to help graduate students share experiences

Beau Hayhoe
June 7, 2011

Graduate students navigating the world of higher education now have a forum for discussing their experiences, following the launch of an MSU-created website. Gradhacker.org — a site created by five MSU graduate students — was unveiled this past weekend at The Humanities And Technology, or THAT, Camp at George Mason University. The site hosts a blog that allows graduate students to both post and comment on the challenges of graduate school and their various experiences pursuing their degrees, said Katy Meyers, an anthropology graduate student who helped start the site. “The purpose of it is to kind of act as a digital roundtable for graduate students,” Meyers said.

MSU

Students work on website for quickest walking routes

Beau Hayhoe
June 2, 2011

Visitors to MSU’s campus soon might find quicker ways to navigate campus thanks to a new website created by an MSU student. Electrical engineering sophomore Nick Hess has teamed up with four other college students — including a fellow Spartan — to start campusroutes.com, a website that uses GPS features to help students and visitors find the fastest walking routes between buildings using campus sidewalks. Hess and Chris Ostrowski — a computer science junior at Western Michigan University — first came up with the idea during Lansing’s Startup Weekend, an event held in April, which showcases innovative business ideas and provides monetary prizes to the best idea as selected by a panel of judges.

MSU

Artistic activities lead to success in business

Beau Hayhoe
May 31, 2011

A new study led by MSU researchers has found that sustained involvement in artistic activities could be linked to success in starting a new business or producing an innovative product. MSU’s Center for Community and Economic Development surveyed 86 MSU Honors College graduates from 1990-95 and found that exposure to the arts among the graduates was closely related to producing patentable products or leading creative business ventures in the future. The findings are critical for retaining creative people in the state and generating additional funding for arts programs, said Rex LaMore, the director of the center. “I hope it will help us reconsider how we treat the arts — not as an add-on or frill but as an essential component,” he said.

Compiled by Beau Hayhoe, Production by Lindsey LaParl ·
MSU

Union’s purpose has changed little in 85 years

Beau Hayhoe
May 30, 2011

Although it’s been more than 85 years since the Union first opened, Kat Cooper said the original mission of the building isn’t any different. “We like to think of the Union as kind of being the living room of campus — that really hasn’t changed,” said Cooper, the communication manager for Auxiliary Resources, the department that operates the building.

MSU

Museum continues as scheduled

Josh Mansour
May 25, 2011

As the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum continues to take shape, it is becoming clear MSU is going with a modern look to display modern art. The $45 million project is on schedule — expecting to be completed in December and opened in April 2012 — despite an additional $6 million to $7 million to be raised, museum director Michael Rush said.

Dena Elian ·
MSU

Environmentally friendly cabs hit campus

Josh Mansour
May 25, 2011

A new mode of transportation with a Far East feel has been circulating across campus — the pedicab. Spar-Thai Green Cab Service has begun using pedicabs, or bicycles with electric assistance and a canopied seating area, giving students a new way to get around.

MSU

Students help increase Wikipedia credibility

Britteny Dee
May 24, 2011

Many professors prohibit students from using Wikipedia for class assignments, considering it to be an unreliable source, but a nationwide initiative is working toward increasing the site’s credibility through student involvement. This past academic year, MSU teamed up with the Wikimedia Foundation to participate in the Wikipedia Public Policy Initiative, a program that enables students to edit, contribute to and write their own public policy-related Wikipedia articles. The initiative started with 14 classes in fall 2010 and grew to 33 by spring 2011.

MSU

MSU professor recognized by Graduate Employees Union

Beau Hayhoe
May 24, 2011

The Graduate Employees Union, or GEU, has recognized an MSU professor, along with the Department of English, for her work with graduate students during this past school year. Stephanie Nawyn, an assistant professor of sociology, was named Outstanding Supervisor by the union, and the Department of English received the nod for Outstanding Department. The GEU looked for departments and professors that support teaching assistants with balancing both schoolwork and research, said Sam Otten, president of the GEU.

Production by Lindsey LaParl ·
MSU

Big picture change

Beau Hayhoe
May 23, 2011

Emmons, Rather, Bailey and Wells halls are just a few of the ongoing construction projects helping project MSU into a new look.

MSU

Solar car team places 6th at Formula Sun Grand Prix

Rachel Jackson
May 17, 2011

When Lindsay Karn and her teammates stepped on the track at the Formula Sun Grand Prix in Indianapolis May 6, she knew all of her hard work finally had paid off. After years of designing, building and testing, the MSU Solar Car Racing Team was finally ready to race. “Hitting that first lap just meant the world to us,” Karn, an MSU alumna, said.

MSU

MSU-produced beef to be used in cafeterias

Josh Mansour
May 17, 2011

This summer, homegrown beef will be making its way to the MSU cafeterias with the help of a group of students in the beef management program. Through the fall, the beef will be served in the Case Hall cafeteria and Brody Square, said Kurt Kwiatkowski, corporate chef for MSU Culinary Services. Kwiatkowski said he is excited to see the fruits of what has been a year-long process. “This is a long-term thing we hope grows and continues to develop,” he said.

MSU

TA’s ratify new union contract

Megan Durisin
April 28, 2011

The members of the MSU Graduate Employees Union, or GEU, ratified a new four-year contract ­— which will include increases in pay and better health and dental care ­— by a 94 percent vote.