The MSU Student Alumni Foundation will hold an outdoor movie night at 7 p.m. Friday at field next to the Auditorium to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. Two movies will be shown: "Happy Feet" at 8:30 p.m.
By Ken Chester For The State News While snow swirled outside East Lansing High School on Saturday evening, a warm atmosphere of diversity, tolerance and brotherhood filled the cafeteria inside. "There are five words: Accept people as they are," said Tammam Alwan, president of MSU's Muslim Students' Association, introducing the evening's speaker. It was MSA's second annual Diversity Dinner, where mostly members of MSU's Muslim community shared traditional food, prayed and discussed race, diversity and religion. During the dinner's keynote speech, MSU visiting religion Professor Mohammad Khalil touched heavily on the subject of Muslim/non-Muslim community. "My hope is that we can open up lines of communications between various Muslims, and between Muslims and non-Muslims," he said. In harmony with Khalil's message, premedical freshman Garrett Nelson, who is Christian, attended the event because most of his friends are Muslim and he wanted to learn more about Islam. "All their moral values are like mine," he said.
Thirteen MSU students carried a 12-foot cross weighing more than 50 pounds across campus on Friday. They carried it one at a time on their shoulders, re-enacting Jesus Christ's journey to crucifixion. "When I was carrying it, I can't imagine him carrying his own cross and putting the weight of the world on his shoulders just for us," said Stella Bunn, a kinesiology junior and member of His House Christian Fellowship.
The topic of whether affirmative action is reverse discrimination or equal opportunity has been debated for years. "Many people think of this as a racial issue, and it is not a racial issue," said Anton Woods, a computer engineering freshman.
Across campus, in dorm rooms and computer labs, students are hunching down at computer screens to complete that all-too important spring ritual — signing up for next year's classes.
Officials at a national First Amendment organization say they could list MSU as a place where constitutional speech isn't protected — unless the university responds satisfactorily to their demands. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, wants MSU to dismantle a disciplinary seminar it says stifles students' constitutional rights. The possible placement on the list "sounds to me like a threat," said Lee June, MSU's vice president for Student Affairs and Services.
Candace Barnes, State News advertising manager, recently was honored as Advertising Manager of the Year by the College Newspaper Business and Advertising Managers, or CNBAM. "It feels so good to know that I've worked so hard to make changes and to make the office operate better as a whole," Barnes said.
U.S. News & World Report ranked nine MSU programs at the top of the list in the 2008 edition of America's Best Graduate Schools. The university's law school also moved up in the magazine's rankings by state. The programs are in the College of Education, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Eli Broad College of Business, Eli Broad Graduate School of Management and College of Natural Science. Although it dropped from fourth to fifth in the nation for primary care, the College of Osteopathic Medicine still holds the top spot in the country among osteopathic schools. For the third year in a row, the College of Education was ranked 14th overall.
Campus Crusade for Christ is hosting a presentation on how pornography negatively impacts college students. Michael Leahy, a self-called recovered sex addict, will present at "Porn Nation," which begins at 8 p.m.
Lyman Briggs School is one step closer to becoming a college once again — 26 years later. The Executive Committee of Academic Council unanimously voted Tuesday to place a proposal to change the school's status on the Faculty Council's April 10 agenda. "I think it went rather well," said Elizabeth H.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Lisa Kuuttila when she returns to Michigan from New Mexico as the new director for a university business organization for MSU students. In May, the Traverse City native will lead MSU Technologies, a new career-training opportunity for business students in commercializing science and technology created within the university.
A proposed two-day fall break is closer than ever to being approved by the university, but would probably not be in place by next school year. The break would allow students and faculty extra rest and help to relieve stress, Brandon Sethi said.
The Midwest Social Forum will hold a discussion with Patrick Barrett at 7 p.m. April 11 at Everybody Reads bookstore, 2019 E.
MSU athletes will be hosting a lip-synching contest at 8 p.m. April 12 at Jenison Field House. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Children's Miracle Network. The rowing, football, basketball and track teams are just some of the groups who will be performing in the contest. There will be a raffle including donations from local businesses and athletic gear. Tickets are now on sale for $3 from any student athlete or at the Jenison Field House Box Office.
ASMSU representatives converged on the nation's capital last Wednesday to rub elbows with politicians and give a voice to MSU students. Fifteen members of Student and Academic assemblies took a two-day trip to Washington, D.C., to lobby for increased funding for higher education, a hot topic this year in Michigan. "A lot of the people (politicians) see out here that aren't their age coming into their office are coming for tours," said Brandon Sethi, Academic Assembly chairperson for external affairs.
Animal lovers got some hands-on experience this past weekend on how they can turn their passion into a career — veterinarian medicine. The MSU College of Veterinary Medicine held its Vet-a-Visit event Saturday to teach attendees about the life of a veterinarian and how to become one. Vet-a-Visit featured more than 30 exhibits and demonstrations, including a K-9 agility course, proper pet care, a stuffed animal hospital and an equine treadmill. Families roamed from one exhibit to the next, speaking with students, faculty and staff along the way. "My daughter, who is 14, is running around with her mother looking at the small animals now," Owosso resident Charles Dahl said.
On March 16, Monica Mukerjee was called to the Board of Trustees office. What she expected was a follow-up interview after her nomination as a Truman Scholar. After she said, "I never thought I would make it this far," MSU President Lou Anna K.
In one MSU staff union election this week, five incumbents were re-elected to its Executive Board — following a controversy surrounding an e-mail sent on the union's listserv. On March 15, Chairman of the Administrative-Professional Association, Leo Sell, sent a personal e-mail to members of the union he had "marginal connection" with — about 200 of the union's 1,700 members. Some union members who received the e-mail were upset because they could not respond or see other recipients of the message. The APA chapter at MSU is a middle-level union, largely for clerical and technical faculty. Among concerns of low voter turnout and reminders to return ballots, Sell wrote in the e-mail, "I am concerned about an attempt by way of the current ballot to replace current, experienced, diverse Executive Board members with people from a single unit, with a parochial interest and view, not to mention, NO experience in APA leadership or bargaining or otherwise. "Should they be successful in whole or in part, it will weaken our union." The union's current board has 11 women and two men.
By Jenna Ulicki For The State News For many MSU students, volunteering while in college is as important as academics. While the university runs a variety of community service programs, there also are other ways to get involved.
A new digital presentation room and Intel Mac Lab opened at the Main Library last month, giving students and faculty another resource when developing multimedia group projects. The first-floor presentation room features a camera built in to the ceiling, which records speeches and presentations, and an Interactive Smart Board computer screen that uses touch navigation in place of a mouse. On the second floor, the new computer lab contains two Intel Macs with multimedia software, including 3-D animation, video editing programs and Web content tools.