The first official Cesar Chavez Day will be celebrated on Wednesday, with events scheduled at the MSU Main Library and a dinner at the Lansing Center. Cesar Chavez was best known for his civil rights work with farm laborers and founding the United Farm Workers Union. "This is kind of a celebration to get the community together," said Santiago Rios, chairperson emeritus for the Capitol Area Cesar E.
Kevin Campbell, director of programs for Habitat for Humanity International, will speak about poverty awareness Wednesday at MSU's Habifest, a day aimed at advocating affordable housing. An MSU social science professor and a Habitat for Humanity homeowner from the Lansing area also will speak at the event.
By Jessica Gershel Special for The State News At the station next to the Shaw parking ramp, exhaust fumes linger in the air, buses crowd the road and students rush to catch their ride.
The MSU Department of Anthropology took six of the 10 prestigious Fulbright Fellowship awards given to university students this year.
Standing at the bridge to the north of Wells Hall, anthropology senior Jason Munford drew quite a few odd looks from students walking to class.
More than 40 dissertations and 12 finalists, but only one winner: Eli Broad Graduate School of Management doctoral student Linda Shi.
Voters solidly supported the increase in the Residence Halls Association's tax from $21 to $22 during student elections held Wednesday and Thursday. Results from the vote, held at www.student-elections.msu.edu, showed about 67 percent of students voting in favor of the tax, while about 30 percent voted against it.
The Council of Graduate Students elected Carl Newman as its new president and appointed a new executive board to serve for one-year terms on March 17. Newman, former COGS treasurer, said he plans to expand the council's presence at MSU. "In general, I would like to make COGS more visible on campus and try to differentiate between graduate students and undergraduates," Newman said.
The 6-year-old Student Greenhouse Project received support from ASMSU's Student Assembly on Thursday night after representatives realized their constituents agreed with the plan for a biodome on north campus. Assembly members debated the bill heavily, pointing out that it could contradict a year-old plan passed by ASMSU's Academic Assembly that outlines a brick amphitheater in the same location, south of the Old Horticulture Building.
The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management has joined a nonprofit organization that focuses on increasing applications from underrepresented ethnic minority students pursuing masters' degrees in business administration. Management Leadership for Tomorrow is a New York-based organization that provides one-on-one interview coaching, admission test preparation classes, financial planning and school information for students.
When premedicine freshman Steve Swancoat couldn't find love on campus, he turned to eBay. On Tuesday, Swancoat, a long-time eBay user, placed himself in the dating market through the Internet. "It was kind of like for laughs and giggles," Swancoat said.
In the basement of McDonel Hall, graduate student Angie Allen sat with a group of undergraduates, laughing and discussing what it's like to be a woman on campus as part of the Women's Leadership Conference and Banquet Sunday. "I'm taking away how connected we are," Allen said, explaining what she learned during the four-hour event.
Instead of using nearly half of its remaining project fund to cover an estimated $9,810 budget deficit, ASMSU representatives voted Thursday to approve a new contract with its two legal attorneys. The new 10-year contract will save MSU's undergraduate student government more than $30,000, including $15,000 next year. "Concerns were expressed with issues on budgetary concerns," ASMSU attorney Brian Jeffries said.
The last of Residence Halls Association's elected positions were filled Wednesday with the appointment of Campbell Hall representative Josh Rabinowitz as vice president. Rabinowitz faced three other candidates: East Complex Black Caucus representative Jonathan Jones, Case Hall representative James Hensley and Michigan Organization Communications Coordinator Cory Rose.
Spreading a message of nonviolence is a crucial part of positive globalization, peace and justice activist Michael Nagler stressed in his speech Thursday night in Wells Hall. MSU's Peace and Justice Studies Program presented the second annual Peace and Justice Studies Lecture on Thursday night. Nagler, the founder and former chair of Peace and Conflict Studies at University of California at Berkeley, has spread his ideas across the country and written books concerning nonviolence and globalization. "The nation state has become subordinate to this network of corporations," Nagler said, stressing the need for a nonviolent fight against negative, corporate globalization. Community members came to hear Nagler's opinions and learn more about globalization. "I think especially in the times we're experiencing in this country, things like this are really important," Amanda Batts, a family community services junior, said.
Ashley Bloom Special for The State News Every Tuesday morning, Seth Barnett smacks his alarm clock, grabs anything clean to wear and rushes out the door.
The Women's Leadership Conference and Banquet will take place Sunday to celebrate women on campus.
After three years on campus, faculty from MSU's Peace and Justice Studies program are hoping to support research development and a graduate student component, if more funding from the university and outside donors becomes available. "We're trying to think about how we can respond to this tremendous danger of warfare and the proliferation of weapons," said Richard Peterson, philosophy professor and co-director of the program.
MSU Safe Place is holding its annual Race for the Place 5K to benefit the nation's only on-campus domestic violence shelter.
The MSU Libraries are accepting entries for the annual MSU Student Book Collection Competition. The contest is open to both undergraduates and graduate students. Entries must be turned in to the director's office of the Main Library by Thursday. For more information, visit lib.msu.edu/events/contest.html.