Grad union to file case against MSU for wages
MSU’s Graduate Employees Union, or GEU, will seek third party-mediated negotiations after the university denied a grievance claiming more than 300 teaching assistants have not been paid their full wages.
MSU’s Graduate Employees Union, or GEU, will seek third party-mediated negotiations after the university denied a grievance claiming more than 300 teaching assistants have not been paid their full wages.
Bare trees were an all too common sight for Michigan apple growers last fall. But this year, experts said the crop is coming back in full force. A heat wave in March 2012 coupled with an April 2012 frost decimated the apple crop throughout the state last year, with apple farmers losing between 70-100 percent of the average haul, depending on the area.
After recently being named the No. 1 ranked supply chain management program in the country, a team of MSU supply chain students is taking its talents to the annual General Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition. MSU, along with 19 other competing universities from across the country, were invited to the weekend-long competition hosted at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, with the task of figuring out what kind of battery should be used for an ELR-extended-range electric vehicle and where the it should be placed for best performance. John Taylor, director of supply chain programs at Wayne State University, said the competition is designed to bring attention to careers in the auto industry supply chain. On Friday, teams will be divided into five regional groups and participate in a competition presenting their ideas. “The four regional winners are given a new competition twist Friday afternoon,” Taylor said.
ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, passed a bill Thursday night allowing the student government to sponsor the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event. ASMSU will allocate $500 for the event, which is hosted by the MSU Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils on Oct. 5. “Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council are an important part of ASMSU, they’re always sitting in on our general assemblies, so it’s important that we support them,” said Teresa Bitner, vice president for internal administration.
While sitting around at a graduation party, physiology junior Tristan Worthington and his friends decided playing games with Nerf guns sounded fun. What started as a fun party activity has turned into a registered student organization on campus known as the MSU Assassins Club. Worthington was able to register the club in 2012, but not without some difficulties. Worthington said the organization ran into some speed bumps when it came to using Nerf guns on campus.
While Justin S. Morrill Hall is no longer around, the name still will linger over the new landscaped plaza that will be replacing the building. The MSU Board of Trustees approved the new nature area Justin S. Morrill Plaza at its meeting last Friday. The nature area is open for students to use, but small tasks such as planting trees still must be done.
MSU’s Graduate Employees Union, or GEU, will be seeking arbitration after the university denied a grievance filed by the union alleging the improper compensation of more than 300 teaching assistants.
When Stephanie Amada began teaching WRA 140, she didn’t expect it to inspire a book about “hookup culture,” or the idea that most young adults today are more interested in casual sex than relationships.
Faculty are responding to English professor William Penn’s in-class rant, which some are calling anti-Republican, by putting together a subcommittee to address social media, rights and responsibilities in the classroom, but some students think they should be part of the process.
MSU has been gradually increasing the campus’ network of bike lanes, but one thing remains unchanged — bicyclists, for the most part, stick to the sidewalk.
The Residence Halls Association, or RHA, discussed spreading awareness on how student groups can get involved in the Homecoming parade during its meeting Wednesday night. “This year’s theme will be Creating Spartan Heros,” said Ellen Evans, RHA’s University Activity Board representative. Mathias Koller, adviser of the Homecoming Committee and Homecoming Court, said this years theme includes four new super heros, who “relate to what a real Spartan is.” “This year we want to make (a theme) that (students) can identify with,” Koller said. Homecoming Court is made up of 10 students who will represent the student body during Homecoming week, said RHA President Zachary DeRade, who is also part of the court. This year’s theme is also will feature MSU alumnus and Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment Geoff Johns as grand marshall. Homecoming will take place the week of Oct.
To help the growing international population in East Lansing, city officials have added an interpreter service to all departments to broaden communication with the international community. LanguageLine Solutions is a 24-hour phone service that will translate face-to-face interactions between city staff and community members whose primary language is not English.
After returning from a 10-day investment mission in China and Japan, Gov. Rick Snyder addressed the importance of the international student base and immigration issues during a question-and-answer session at the the Kellogg Center on Wednesday
The new iOS 7 software will be available for download Wednesday. Here’s a look at some of the major updates and new features iOS 7 has to offer.
With the East Lansing City Council elections coming up in November, ASMSU has decided to step in to spread awareness among students to register and vote.
Faculty weighed in on what qualities the next MSU provost should have at an open forum on Tuesday, saying that the provost should have strong ties to the university while balancing diversity and inclusion.
The MSU community celebrated United States Constitution Day on Tuesday with activities that honored the nation’s founding document in both serious and light-hearted ways. Constitution Day, originally known as Citizenship Day, commemorates the day the Constitution originally was signed. It was named a federal holiday in 2004.
For more than 60 years, the MSU Evening College has served as a way for alumni to stay engaged with the university through courses and instruction. With the new Alumni Lifelong Enrichment for Spartans program, or LENS, the MSU Alumni Association looks to “re-envision” what the former evening college should be.
With the intent to improve student and community relations and establish communication between the two, a University Student Commission, or USC, is appointed each year. At Tuesday’s East Lansing City Council meeting, new members of the USC were appointed, representing the Residence Hall Association, Inter-fraternity Council, Nation Panhellenic Council, ASMSU, Olin Health Center, Community Relations Coalition and the council of Graduate Students.
Greek letters and signs are everywhere around campus with Rush week kicking off, but not all the pledges will be flocking to the major fraternities and sororities. Special education junior Manisha Manchanda is one student who elected to steer away from the stereotypical “sorority girl” image and join a multicultural sorority. “What I like best is that everyone respects … that we all grew up in different parts of the world,” said Manchanda, who is a member of Sigma Sigma Rho, a traditional Southern Asian sorority.