Tuesday marks the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Several events will be held in the community to highlight the country's continued involvement in the conflict. • "Voices of Resistance — Poets Against the War," will feature poets from the Lansing area sounding off on peace and violence.
Suzanne Cross gave her American Indian foster children more than just a safe place to live — she provided them one rooted in tradition and culture.
Lulu Fall, who has been singing since she was 8 years old, decided to try drumming when she was in the eighth grade. "So many people told me that the drums weren't ladylike, so eventually, I quit," the jazz studies senior said. She said she wishes someone would have told her that instruments don't connect with a specific gender — music is about how passionate someone is about the instrument or songs. Fall is a vocalist for the Women in Jazz concert, which will promote women's involvement in the arts and music performance in celebration of Women's History Month. The show is at 8 p.m.
If it wasn't for his Palm Pilot, Peter Spadafore wouldn't be able to survive. His list of activities includes being the chairman of the James Madison College Student Senate, working in the college's admissions office and being a teaching assistant for an honors research seminar in public policy. And in February, the social relations and policy senior added to the list — becoming a student member of Academic Council. "I found it as a way to get involved and get my feet wet and explore university governance a little bit more than what I was doing from my college perspective," Spadafore said. Academic Council is the final step of approval for many university programs and policies before they appear in front of the MSU Board of Trustees.
With temperatures reaching highs of 73 degrees Tuesday and 59 degrees Wednesday, Spartans across campus took advantage of the spring weather. "Everybody's happier when it's warmer," child development senior Trista Tacey said.
When students vote for their ASMSU representatives for next year, they also will have the opportunity to vote on two student referendums. Great Issues, a group recently removed from ASMSU's Programming Board, obtained the necessary 1,000 signatures to get on the ballot.
Growing up in a multicultural family, Sierra López's ethnicity was never really something to be celebrated. Yesterday, on the other hand, she was one of three students who won an Excellence in Diversity Award for her entry in the "Students Making a Difference Through Artistic Expression" contest. López, whose father is Mexican, said her ethnicity has allowed her to have unique experiences, yet she still considers it a struggle. "It's hard to be accepted because it's difficult to recognize anything but the majority," she said.
Graduate students who push their classwork to the back of their minds until nearly the end of the term may need to break that habit. The University Graduate Council approved a revision to the DF-Deferred policy stating that graduate students may only be permitted the chance for two six-month extensions at the end of a course's term, instead of the possible two-year extension that currently exists. The revision is working its way through the Academic Governance system and is not yet a policy. "Everyone hopes this will help graduate students complete their programs faster," said Brad Love, president of MSU's Council of Graduate Students, or COGS.
To be an emcee for Cultural Vogue 2007 is an honor for Lemuel Goopio — as a graduating senior, he said this will complete his college career. The Asian Pacific American Student Organization, or APASO, sets up the biennial event with the help of some Asian-based campus groups.
The ballot is set for ASMSU's spring election, with students vying for 32 open seats between the Academic and Student assemblies, which make up MSU's undergraduate student government. Of the 36 names on the ballot, 28 are for Student Assembly.
For many Jewish students, MSU's Hillel Jewish Student Center is a home away from home. It is a place where students can feel comfortable, meet and hang out with other students with common beliefs and heritage. Some go to become closer to their faith and others closer to their culture. "For me, getting involved was because my family is so involved in the religion," said Heather Kerwin, a reformed Jew and communicative sciences and disorders senior.
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies will host a presentation today titled "Indigenous Reporting in the Americas: The Need to Hear Native Voices." Leonardo Ferreira, associate dean and director of graduate studies at the University of Miami's School of Communication, will speak at 3 p.m.
When Jill Feldpausch wanted to get the MSU Rodeo Club more involved in community outreach, she didn't know where to begin.
Onesimo Hidalgo will lead a discussion at 6 p.m. today in the Union's Multicultural Center about ongoing issues including indigenous armed resistance to free trade centered in southern Mexico. Hidalgo is the co-director of the Center for Economic and Political Research for Community Action in Chiapas, Mexico. "We wanted to get a speaker to come to campus and talk about immigration," said Rigo Lopez, a packaging senior who helped coordinate the event.
The intricate topic of the restructuring of MSU's governance system will be brought up again today at Faculty Council. This will be the council's second discussion and overview of the proposed Faculty Voice Task Force 1. "This is a complex topic, clearly," Provost Kim Wilcox said.
A discussion on how to maintain positive family communication will be led by Dr. Tina Timm of the MSU Family and Child Clinic at noon March 19 in room 27 of the Nisbet Building. Topics of the class include recognizing the spoken and unspoken rules about communication, how to communicate directly, what is heard versus what is said and basic communication tips. Admission is free.
The "American Images and the Workers' Landscape" lecture will be held at 12:15 p.m. today at Kresge Art Museum as part of the Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives Spring 2007 Brown Bag Series.
The documentary film "Invisible Children" will be shown at 8 p.m. today in 101 N. Kedzie. The film was created by three California residents to show how the ongoing conflict in Uganda has affected children in the African nation.
The Marathon of Majors will be held at 5 p.m. March 22 in the first-floor classroom wing of Bessey Hall.
A presentation on caring for a newborn baby will take place at noon Wednesday in room 27 of the Nisbet Building. The one-hour class will present infant care topics on the characteristics of newborns, such as crying, safety, signs of illness and feeding. Mary Machowicz, a registered nurse and education coordinator for the Expectant Parents Organization, will run the class.