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MSU

Book drive to benefit Africa

At one point this semester, Laura Sologuren Sanchez had about 1,600 books in her residence hall, but none of them were hers. The learning disabilities freshman started the student group Books for Africa when she arrived to MSU from her native Bolivia, and kept donations in a Mason Hall storage room. The group collects new and used English-language books for all ages and donates them to organizations working to help reduce costs for building community libraries and educational centers in African countries. "We are changing African children's lives — it's amazing," said Sanchez, who is president of the group.

MSU

Supplies sent to Miss. schools, kids

Corinne Devries
December 8, 2005

More than 10,000 books, boxes of school supplies and backpacks were donated last month to a Mississippi school district hit by Hurricane Katrina, after an MSU student adopted the district. Through her organization called Heart 2 Heart, elementary education senior Michelle Buffa collected donations at drives held at local libraries and schools, and at her hometown school in Grand Blanc.

MSU

Student remembers conflict

Kristen Daum
December 7, 2005

Azra Kapetanovic remembers people constantly running from place to place in Prijedor, Bosnia, during the early 1990s. When the Bosnian conflict began in 1992, she said members of her community were living day-to-day, just trying to survive. "There were days when 100 people would be sleeping in one house, not even sleeping, just sitting and waiting for the night to be over," the 24-year-old electrical engineering senior said of her memories from the conflict in the country now known as Bosnia-Herzegovina. Kapetanovic, who will graduate from MSU on Saturday, left her hometown with her family in December 1994 and arrived in the United States in April 1995. She said she enjoys MSU because she is seeing things from a different perspective. "In Bosnia, there's the same culture," Kapetanovic said.

MSU

MSU prof tackles stress

Melissa Domsic
December 7, 2005

An MSU professor has been granted $1.8 million to spend researching stress stemming from work and family. One of Professor Ellen Kossek's projects looks into these stresses, and another focuses on flexibility policies for unionized employees. "What happens with grants is you don't expect two pretty big ones, because it's so hard to get one," said Kossek, a labor and industrial relations professor. Kossek works with Leslie Hammer, a psychology professor at Portland State University in Oregon, on a $1.4-million project to research how stress from balancing home life and work affects people. Oregon Health & Science University is also involved in the study. The two professors, who previously worked together at national conferences, are using their specializations to uncover relationships between work-family stress, safety and health. The project is based out of PSU's Center for Work-Family Stress, Safety and Health, but some of the research is being done at MSU. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is funding the three-year project. Work-family stress or conflicts occur when the strain of one role affects the other, Kossek said.

MSU

Senior awarded fellowship for kidney research

Jennifer Toland
December 7, 2005

A microbiology and molecular genetics senior recently received a fellowship to continue her current research on kidney defects. Jennifer Edwards was awarded a 2005 Undergraduate Research Fellows Outstanding Local Students fellowship from the American Physiological Society. The 10-week fellowship will allow her to continue working in a lab and pay travel expenses to an experimental biology conference in San Francisco in April, where she will present her work — the relationship between kidneys and blood pressure. She has always known that she wants to go into medicine and do research, so she said this has been a good opportunity for her. "It's got to be something you have a true interest in and true passion for," Edwards said.

MSU

Students awarded journalism prizes

Kristen Daum
December 7, 2005

Patrick Wellever said his desire to create global awareness is why he wants to be a journalist. A 2004 research trip to China with 10 other students and an adviser resulted in an article on the social impacts of environmental protection initiatives. "Part of my story was to show the side that isn't told," said Wellever, an anthropology and journalism junior.

MSU

MSU to fix traffic circle

Melissa Domsic
December 6, 2005

A proposed intersection with traffic lights that would replace the traffic circle at Bogue Street and Wilson Road would better control the flow of pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles, administrators say. As part of the 2020 Vision plan, Wilson Road between Farm Lane and Conrad Hall and Bogue Street between Shaw Lane and the Veterinary Medical Center parking lot will be reconstructed, adding bicycle lanes and changing the intersection. The MSU Board of Trustees will vote on an architect and engineer for the project at its meeting Friday. The proposed reconstruction of the traffic circle to include a traffic light fits with the priorities for pedestrians first, bicycles second and vehicles third, said Jeff Kacos, director of Campus Planning and Administration and chairman of the Campus Infrastructure Planning Work Group. "While traffic circles are very efficient for moving vehicles, they're not pedestrian-friendly," Kacos said.

MSU

'Wonder Dog' recovers from hospital visit

Fredricka Paul
December 6, 2005

Zeke the Wonder Dog was taken to the MSU Small Animal Clinic last Friday after he chewed some carpet in the home of his owners, Jim and Terri Foley. He was taken in for surgery after the carpet became stuck in his intestines, and he went home Monday evening. Zeke, whose real name is Dexter, is best known for catching flying discs during pregame and halftime events at Spartan football games and other locations. Terri Foley, Zeke's owner, said he might not have meant to eat the carpet. "We think he may have gotten sick from something else and tried to clean it up, but ended up eating the carpet, too," Terri Foley said.

MSU

MSU sponsors study of views about Mich.

Laura Collins
December 6, 2005

In a season of low economic conditions in Michigan, 55 percent of Michiganians still say the state's cities generally are important to them. This data was part of a bigger State of the State Survey, which is conducted by MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. While the percentage of Michigan residents who value the state's cities is down from 71 percent in 2002, Doug Roberts, director of the institute, said the data is still positive for Michigan's cities. "When you look at the state with all the things that are going on, the economy is not particularly great," he said.

MSU

Cattle herding part of weekend event

Melissa Domsic
December 5, 2005

Competitors only had one minute to complete their task — guide cattle into a pen without using ropes or their hands. People on horseback directed the cows and raced to beat their opponents, with varied success. About 150 people — ranging in age from about 6 to 80 — competed with their horses in Cowboy Christmas, a horse competition held at the Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education during the weekend.

MSU

UAB gets crafty at holiday art show

By Danielle Grondin Special to The State News Shannon Hoffman said she sang holiday songs in the dark Saturday morning, waiting to help crafters line their cars up before the 42nd annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Show. "Why else would you want to be at the Union at 4:45 a.m.

MSU

Seniors selected to deliver farewell speeches

Laura Collins
December 5, 2005

Philip Lauri was inspired while interning in Houston this summer. The supply chain management senior decided to write a speech reflecting on his time at MSU and approaching his final semester. "I had been working and sitting in a cubicle, and I thought, 'What am I going to do here with my life?'" Lauri said.

MSU

WEB EXTRA: Free origami lesson held today in Union

Kristen Daum
December 5, 2005

A program teaching the art of origami will be held from noon to 1 p.m. today in the Ohio State room of the Union. At "Origami — Holiday Ornaments from Paper," event participants can learn the Japanese craft of paper-folding to create holiday ornaments and decorations. The MSU Women's Resource Center is providing all supplies, and the program is free to the public.

MSU

Dreams of dressage

Margaret Harding
December 2, 2005

Maureen Kennedy dances with horses. After a four-year hiatus following an injury, the MSU police sergeant is back at practice for dressage competitions — where a mounted horse is trained in a series of movements such as prancing in place and pirouettes. Kennedy said she trained with Royal Canadian Mounted Police and is now working with horses Gigi and Winzig — each with their own personality — to get ready for competitions this summer. "He's as brave as they come, but he's like a big, fuzzy lumpkins," Kennedy said of Winzig with a smile.

MSU

Campus groups 'spread' virus, awareness on World AIDS Day

Kristen Daum
December 2, 2005

As of 6 p.m. Thursday, 420 members of the MSU community discovered they had "contracted" the AIDS virus by going online. The Alliance of Les-Bi-Gay-Transgender and Straight Ally Students, with the help of other campus organizations, created an interactive Web site in honor of World AIDS Day on Thursday.

MSU

Hurricane effects still observed

Melissa Domsic
December 1, 2005

On a volunteer trip one month after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Ashley Wright couldn't believe the town of Pass Christian, Miss., was still in ruins. "I felt like I got dropped off in the woods and had to pick up trash," the economics senior said.

MSU

Prof. strives to end world hunger

Laura Collins
December 1, 2005

After decades of working with hunger and the poor, animal science professor Sam Varghese has focused on his home country of India this last year. Last month, he returned from another trip to India, where he worked with relief efforts for the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia in December 2004.