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MSU

Budget halts hiring, but talks leave 'U' positive

Meghan Gilbert
April 12, 2004

A Thursday evening meeting between College of Arts & Letters faculty members and Provost Lou Anna Simon left participants positive about future conversations and alternatives to large teaching assistant cuts. More than 50 people from the college filled a Linton Hall room for an hour and a half of open dialogue. Scott Michaelsen, associate professor of English, brought his experience as the director of the Ad Hoc Committee on Faculty Voice to his college and organized the meeting. "We had a very open and very productive dialogue about our shared values regarding the humanities and we agreed to work together in the coming weeks to find ways to protect and enhance our core humanities programs, both graduate and undergraduate," he said. Simon said the discussion led to an understanding between faculty and the administration as to the reality of budget cuts. "We sort of shared realities and concerns, and then tried to think about some ideas we could pursue in a context in which the resources are constrained," she said. The discussion was spawned from TA position offers made on March 31, a deadline established by the Graduate Employees Union.

MSU

Looking forward

Elizabeth Piet
April 12, 2004

When it comes to thinking about attending college, MSU's King-Chavez-Parks College Day programs encourage underrepresented kids to start planning early.

MSU

Few ready for upcoming session

As the 2004-05 session of ASMSU begins in two weeks, only a few new representatives are preparing for their first meeting. On April 20 and 22, members of MSU's undergraduate student government will choose who will fill chair positions for both Academic and Student assemblies, but only three representatives attended orientation last weekend. To further help new representatives ease into their responsibilities, current ASMSU vice chairs held a new-representative orientation on April 3.

MSU

RHA adds new executives, passes legislation

Joseph Clark
April 9, 2004

More people were added to the new Residence Halls Association Executive Board on Wednesday. The General Assembly validated four more positions, leaving three positions to be confirmed next week. Those accepted Wednesday were Director of Health and Safety Megan Muscia; Director of Recycling Clark Llamzon; Executive Secretary Cory Rose and Director of Special Events Eric Bolf.

MSU

TAs rally to save jobs

Meghan Gilbert
April 9, 2004

Cloudy skies and chilly winds did not prevent teaching assistants from spending the day outside the Administration Building and the evening in Linton Hall rallying for their jobs. Based on preliminary budget numbers crunched by individual colleges, a smaller number of teaching-assistant positions was offered by the Graduate Employees Union's March 31 deadline. Many teaching assistants consider the Department of Spanish and Portuguese to be the hardest-hit.

MSU

Association gives last-minute funding

Joseph Clark
April 9, 2004

With the end of the semester nearing, a number of student organizations are approaching governing groups that allocate money, hoping to get one last piece of the pie. Three such requests were presented to the Residence Halls Association General Assembly at its Wednesday meeting, but only two of the bills made it to a vote. The African Student Union put in a request for $100 to the assembly.

MSU

Higher costs come with companies' new birth control options

Tara May
April 8, 2004

The recent price jumps in birth control products for women are probably due to a new wave of those products hitting pharmacy shelves, experts say. "The company that develops those products is trying to recoup their costs for research and development," said Lori Lamerand, vice president of the Planned Parenthood Mid-Michigan Alliance.

MSU

Freshman Class Council chair resigns after concerns arise

After repeated warnings to improve his performance as chair of the Freshman Class Council, Brandon Gualdoni resigned Monday evening. The computer science freshman, who also is an Eagle Scout and member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, was replaced by James Madison freshman Karissa Chabot. Freshman Class Council is a part of ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government. "Some members of the council brought forward their concerns about Brandon's participation in events this year and his leadership position," Chabot said.

MSU

ASMSU passes committee bill

ASMSU services will undergo scrutiny next fall by a new committee formed Tuesday night. A bill to form a committee to evaluate the effectiveness of ASMSU's services was proposed to Academic Assembly for the second time this semester at the Tuesday meeting. MSU's undergraduate student government provides legal services, blue books and funding for campus events.

MSU

Fair-labor activists upset by meeting

Emily Bingham
April 7, 2004

A student group supporting fair labor is upset with the university after MSU President M. Peter McPherson met with the executive director of a labor-monitoring organization without notifying them. Members of Students for Economic Justice, or SEJ, said they have been campaigning for four years to get McPherson to consider joining the Worker Rights Consortium and were disappointed to find out that the meeting took place earlier last month without their input or presence. "That's unprofessional," said economics senior Dave Mitchell, a member of SEJ.

MSU

Scientists refine apple-quality tests

Don't judge an apple by its cover - shiny red skin and a plump appearance might just be masking a squishy texture or sour taste. Renfu Lu, an adjunct associate professor at MSU and agricultural engineer with the U.S.

MSU

Sweet bill to promote elections, activities

Two weeks ago, the ASMSU Candy Initiative passed through Student Assembly, but until today, the offices of MSU's undergraduate student government were sweet-free. The bill, which passed with one dissension, allocates $150 to buy candy for the business office on the third floor of Student Services.

MSU

Student's health work rewarded

Within the offices of the Health Education Services at Olin Health Center, MSU senior Deanna DeHaven has been working for two years to help bring some MSU students peace of mind.

MSU

Students, Hollywood use 'U' voice library

Laura Collins
April 6, 2004

History can be relived at the touch of a button at the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library. Tucked away in the fourth floor west wing of the MSU library, more than 50,000 voices and sounds are housed, creating the nation's largest academic voice library. Its earliest recording is a Sept.

MSU

About $1 million given for plant agriculture

Grants for 38 new research projects in the 2004 fiscal year have been awarded by Project GREEEN, totaling more than $952,200. Project GREEEN, which stands for Generating Research and Extension to meet Environmental and Economic Needs, is Michigan's plant agriculture initiative at MSU. Projects were awarded funding in four categories: basic research, value-added research, applied research and extension/education/demonstration. There were 78 new project proposals and 36 continuation proposals this year. For listings of 2004 newly funded and continuing Project GREEEN research projects, visit www.greeen.msu.edu/newspage.htm.

MSU

Law & Order

Elizabeth Piet
April 6, 2004

The MSU Mock Trial Team might be young, but don't cross the members in the courtroom. The four-year-old team took eighth place in March at the American Mock Trial Association National Tournament in Richmond, Ky. "Our program is getting better by leaps and bounds every year," said Pete Martini, a public administration and public policy senior and mock trial member.

MSU

ASMSU members reflect on year of work

Over the past year, ASMSU debated 83 bills, held 32 general meetings and spent almost 80 hours in deliberation. As 21 new members take office tonight, officials from MSU's undergraduate student government reflected on a session where few bills were passed, even fewer had a direct impact on students, and an Academic Assembly initiative to add candy to the business office was half-jokingly referred to as "the best thing we've done all year." Election confusion Officials attributed most of the session's troubles to an election debacle last spring in which more than 60 representatives were disqualified, leaving the assemblies with fewer than a dozen representatives on each, many of whom did not have previous ASMSU experience.