Board to consider student selection for committees

The MSU Board of Trustees will decide today whether or not to transfer power from faculty to student government officials when selecting undergraduate students to serve on academic committees. Robert Murphy, former chairperson for ASMSU's Academic Assembly, said the proposal would amend bylaws of the Academic Governance system that affect both standing committees and ad hoc committees, which are temporary committees formed by administrators to discuss a specific issue that arises throughout the year. Currently, MSU faculty members possess the power to assign students to Academic Governance committees, such as the Executive Committee of Academic Council, which schedules agendas for Faculty Council and Academic Council as well as reviews university legislation. "It's merely correcting a small oversight in the bylaws," said Murphy, of MSU's undergraduate student government.

Student group reaches out to Muslim faculty

The Muslim Students' Association is trying to raise awareness in the MSU community that there are numerous Muslim professors on campus because their achievements often go unnoticed among the larger community, members said. The group will bring together more than 20 Muslim professors Friday for an honorary dinner to build support in the Muslim community and to recognize the professors' academic achievements. "We're trying to show the community that Muslim professors are amongst us, teaching and making contributions," said Abdulahi Sufi, a business administration and prelaw junior and member of the association.

Local spa promotes health, relaxation

Grand Ledge — It was just a birthday gift for a day of beauty treatments at a local salon, but for Sheila Laing, something clicked. Laing, who had worked as an MSU secretary for 14 years and had been an MSU student for more than two years, quit her job and began to chase her long-time dream of starting her own salon business. "I told my husband this is what I wanted to do," Laing said.

Nazis may sue city for counter-gathering

A group of American Nazis might sue the city of Lansing for holding a diversity rally the day of its white supremacist rally later this month, a group spokesman said. The group, dedicated to the preservation of the Aryan race and the establishment of a socialist state in America, is also angry that a fence and metal detectors might be used for security at the National Socialist Movement's rally April 22 at the state Capitol Building. Spokesman Bill White said the diversity rally violates First Amendment rights because it's not neutral, and added that a lawsuit is very probable. "They're doing this to target us and to infringe our exercising of our rights," White said of the diversity rally.

Passover services provided to students

Passover services and Seder dinner will be provided tonight at 7 p.m. at the Hillel Jewish Student Center, 360 Charles St., and at 9:30 p.m.

Police briefs 04/12/06

No. of law school applicants on rise

Applications to the MSU College of Law have almost doubled in the past five years, at a time when law school applications nationwide aren't seeing much of an increase. As of April 7, the college received 2,731 applications for fall 2006 admission — just 10 applications short of the total amount received for fall 2005, according to numbers provided by the law college's admissions office.

Court holds benefits hearing

A Michigan Court of Appeals three-judge panel heard oral arguments Tuesday on whether same-sex couples should receive health care benefits from state entities.

Friday last day to sign up for Safe Place race

The deadline to register for the 12th annual MSU Race for the Place 5K Race, which benefits MSU Safe Place, is Friday. MSU Safe Place is the nation's only on-campus domestic violence shelter and program.

A second chance for Coke

In spite of the University of Michigan's decision Tuesday to begin selling Coca-Cola products on campus after boycotting them since January, MSU students say it won't hinder their campaign against the company. U-M stopped its contract with Coca-Cola on Jan.

Faculty addresses non-MSU work code

A revision to a university policy dealing with faculty's work outside MSU sparked lengthy discussion during Tuesday's Faculty Council meeting. Under the changes, faculty members will now be responsible for reporting to their department administrator about any outside work they do for which they receive financial compensation. The University Committee on Faculty Affairs proposed changes to the university's Outside Work for Pay policy, since the policy hasn't been modified in recent years, committee chairperson Ross Emmett said at the meeting. However, no official authorization from the department administrators is needed and the work only needs to be reported if it deals with the faculty member's academic work at MSU, Emmett said. But several Faculty Council members raised concerns about the vagueness of the policy, such as what type of work qualifies as outside work and what situations are exempt from the policy. "We, as a faculty, have not yet revisited the core of this problem," Dr. Jim Potchen, chairperson of the Department of Radiology, said at the meeting.

Admissions office to accept online transcripts

MSU now can connect directly with instate high schools, speeding up the online application process and saving time and money for the university, admissions officials said. An agreement with ConnectEdu Inc., a Boston-based company providing interactive technology for high schools and colleges, allows MSU to receive high school transcripts online, which is another step in making MSU's application process entirely electronic. "We're already halfway there, but we still rely on high schools to send us the transcript by mail," said Jim Cotter, senior associate director of the Office of Admissions and Scholarships.

Marksmanship club holds open house today

An open house for the MSU Marksmanship Club and air rifle team will be held at 7 p.m. today in the Demonstration Hall Ballroom. Information on the club's activities will be presented, and the air rifle range will be available for those interested. The MSU Marksmanship Club offers different safe firearm activities, including clay targets and training sessions.

Simon to answer student questions tonight

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon will speak to students about leadership as part of the Faces of Courage Lecture Series presented by the University Activities Board, or UAB, at 7 p.m.

National Socialists argue Lansing's counter-event illegal

The Nazi group planning to hold a rally in Lansing later this month is upset about a rally the city is planning as an alternative for people opposed to the group's viewpoint. The National Socialist Movement, a group dedicated to the preservation of the Aryan race and the establishment of a socialist state in America, claims the city's alternative rally would violate the law which requires the city to be "content neutral," in preparing for a demonstration. Both rallies are scheduled for April 22. "Frankly, we may just decide to join the city's diversity rally, which is 'free and open to the public,' and help them celebrate our white heritage," Bill White, the group's spokesperson, said in a press release. Despite this, the city plans to continue with its alternative celebration, said Randy Hannan, deputy chief of staff to Mayor Virg Bernero. "Our plans haven't changed a bit," Hannan said.

New research findings could boost rice yields

MSU researchers have identified a gene in rice that regulates how easily individual grains fall from the stalk they grow on — a discovery that could improve global rice production. Rice is the main food source for about half the world's population, said Tao Sang, an MSU associate professor and leader of MSU's research team. "People in some regions of the world still lose a lot of their crop because the grains fall off too easily," Sang said.

Hubbard takes the cake

The Hubbard Hall cafeteria was voted students' favorite cafeteria based on a recent poll conducted by the Residence Halls Association, or RHA. Brody Hall came in second, and Akers Hall came in third. "We think of ourselves more as a restaurant," said Larry Tarnowski, food service manager of Akers and Hubbard cafeterias.

WEB EXTRA: 'Take Back the Night' aims to bring sexual assault awareness to community

Today, a series of events will bring sexual assault awareness to the forefront. "Take Back the Night" is a daylong event held during Sexual Assault Awareness Month which aims to draw survivors of sexual assault and the community together to help end sexual violence. There will be a clothesline project display in the field near Beaumont Tower from 10 a.m.

Faculty groups' work could be delayed

An idea to combine a series of committees, formed to increase faculty input in university decisions, could stall the outcome until the fall — and some faculty members said the action could be detrimental to the impact they hope to have on the Academic Governance system. Five committees, called the Faculty Voice Task Forces, were created last fall to address faculty's role in specific issues — such as restructuring the Academic Governance system, reviewing administrators and academic programs, defining the role of fixed-term faculty and improving communication within the system. After working the entire semester, four of the five committees looking to increase faculty input in university decisions have final recommendations ready for approval — but some faculty members have concerns about whether these recommendations should be implemented yet. Discussions are expected to be held at today's Faculty Council meeting regarding an integration committee, which will look at the costs and logistics of each committee's recommendations to find out if they're feasible to carry out.

House candidates debate on campus today

The declared Democratic candidates for the 69th District seat in the state House of Representatives will meet in a debate today at MSU. Mary Lindemann and East Lansing City Councilmember Mark Meadows are seeking the nomination. The debate is free and open to any student or community member.