Pamela Whitten, dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, recently was named one of four finalists for the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia. Whitten has been part of MSU since 1998, when she got a job as an assistant professor in what was then the Department of Telecommunication.
During his time as an MSU basketball walk-on, Anthony Ianni won two Big Ten Championships, a Big Ten Tournament Championship and went to a Final Four. He also was the first person with autism to play college basketball. After overcoming his obstacles, Ianni hopes to help other autistic children leap over theirs.
Although October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a team of MSU researchers is acutely aware of it all year long.
To promote appreciation of animals cemented in rock and preserved in time, the MSU Museum kicked off a series of activities in honor of National Fossil Day to appeal to all ages and dinosaur enthusiasts. Wednesday marked the annual National Fossil Day celebration, which focuses on educating the public about ancient plants and animals preserved naturally through fossilization. To commemorate the occasion, MSU Museum officials began a series of fossil-themed events, set to continue at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
DETROIT — After hearing oral arguments in DeBoer v. Snyder on Tuesday afternoon, Judge Bernard Friedman denied motions for summary judgement by both the plaintiffs and defendants, setting a trial date for Feb. 25. April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse are a gay couple suing the state for the right to marry and adopt each other’s children.
ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, is working to create another academic financial opportunity for students by constructing a new scholarship program. At the most recent committee meeting, the finance committee approved a $300,000 allocation from its Special Projects funds to create an endowed scholarship. The bill will need to pass through the general assembly at Thursday’s meeting for the allocation to occur.
A new faculty health care plan, which will be the third option available to faculty members, was explained to members of Faculty Senate on Tuesday. The new plan is a “consumer-driven” option that has a high deductible and an option for a health savings account that will roll over year to year that the university will contribute to each year, said Renee Rivard, director of benefits for MSU Human Resources.
The In Your Face Theatre Troupe is going beyond the typical measures to engage students in learning about sexual health by performing skits with topics ranging from masturbation to condom use. The Troupe performs several skits about sexual health throughout the school year at residence halls and the organization took its talents to Holmes Hall on Tuesday night.
A recent study conducted at MSU shows that certain “advergames” not only promote an inactive lifestyle for children, but also contain content that promotes unhealthy eating habits. A team of MSU researchers looked at more than 100 websites that sported the advergames, or video games that advertise a product or brand, and discovered that many of them are promoting high-sodium, high-fat and high-sugar food products.
MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon is expected to receive an honorary degree of laws in December from academic and athletic rival, the University of Michigan.
The Office of Campus Sustainability is looking to fund student projects that could promote a greener campus. The Be Spartan Green Student Project Fund offers students up to $5,000 to develop a project that would improve campus sustainability.
Members of MSU’s North American Indigenous Students Organization, or NAISO, and other supporters gathered at the rock on Farm Lane on Monday evening to protest Columbus Day, a federal holiday to celebrate the explorer’s discovery of America. A drum group performed and supporters held signs with messages such as “Columbus was lost” and “We were already here.”
A bill aimed at getting more students engaged with the undergraduate student government’s work could pass at ASMSU’s Thursday meeting. If passed, the bill would require ASMSU to start posting bills passed during committee meetings on its website one week prior to the organization’s general assembly meeting. ASMSU representative and public policy sophomore Evan Schrage introduced the bill because he felt students have not been sufficiently informed about the legislation being discussed by the organization.
After years of student organizations pushing to get a free-standing multicultural building on campus, the Union welcomed the new Mosaic Multicultural Unity Center on Friday with a ribbon tying ceremony emphasizing unity. For the past 14 years, the Multicultural Center was in the basement of the Union, making some students, such as communication senior Luis Zarco, think the space was too small and cramped to fit everyone.
One of MSU’s most recognizable structures, Beaumont Tower, was opened to the public on Saturday in honor of Homecoming and to raise money for the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, or RCPD. Self-guided tower tours took place for six hours before and after the homecoming football game against Indiana.
Thousands gathered on the streets of East Lansing and campus to celebrate MSU’s Homecoming parade on Friday. Many university departments and campus organizations built floats or marched in the parade.
Spartan Linen Services, located south of campus at 373 Service Road, might be the farthest thing from a laundromat. More of an industrial facility than laundry service, Spartan Linen Services washes almost all the linens used on MSU’s campus, from Kellogg Center tablecloths to employee uniforms. They also clean the linen packages that some on-campus students use.
For Ryan Claytor, life is illustrated. Claytor, who teaches comics studio courses at MSU and University of Michigan-Flint, self-published an autobiographical comic book series, “And Then One Day.” He’s been producing the comic since 2004. “I think it’s interesting to see what other people experience in this world and what they have to say,” Claytor said.
The ASMSU finance committee approved a bill to allocate up to $45,000 for the refurbishment of the undergraduate students government’s wing in the Student Services Building. The bill will be put to a vote at the next general assembly meeting on Thursday. ASMSU College of Business representative Christie Teske said it has been 58 years since the offices have been updated, adding the matter was urgent since asbestos, a toxic material which has been shown to cause cancer, has become exposed on parts of the ceiling where the tiles have fallen off.
MSU plans to give students the opportunity to sport some pink with their green and white by partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to raise awareness about breast cancer during this week’s Homecoming football game on Saturday. The nonprofit health care organization will provide attendees with reversible cheer cards in Spartan Stadium that read ‘Go Green/Go Pink’ or ‘Go White/Go Pink.’