Some MSU students refuse to rest and relax until they get a fall break from school. The University of Michigan Board of Regents decided in December students will get a two-day fall break during October.
A new service is trying to keep college-bound families shopping online without breaking the e-piggy bank.Upromise, an online-based service, gives families the opportunity to put money away for college every time they buy toys, gasoline or even a new car.
Dairy cows experience stress like the average person - and MSU agriculture researchers were able to milk $2.8 million from the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems to study the effects of stress on farmers’ bovines at the genetic level.“We’ve identified over 18,000 unique genes in cattle and we have those on hand right now,” said Paul Coussens, director of the MSU Center for Animal Functional Genomics. Coussens is the primary investigator in the set of studies.
Although the weekend is approaching, Sarah Lockwitz can hardly wait to attend Brian Greene’s lecture about the elegance of the universe. “I’ll have to break a hot date to go to it, but I think it’s worth it,” the physics freshman said. Lockwitz met the Columbia University professor of physics and mathematics on Tuesday when he visited her Physics 193H class. Greene will discuss his best-selling book, “The Elegant Universe,” tonight during the first McPherson Professorship lecture.
Money cuts from the undergraduate student government are forcing ASMSU’s Programming Board to cut entertainment events this semester.Matt Weingarden, Student Assembly vice chairperson of internal affairs, said ASMSU’s expenses have increased, which has caused less money to be allocated toward concerts, speakers and other cultural events.“When you only have so much money to work with, someone has got to lose,” Weingarden said.The Programming Board had about $100,000 this year to divide among several student organizations.About six years ago, the organization had about $200,000 per year.Increased expenses from Student Legal Services and other budget problems caused the cuts, despite a 20 percent minimum of ASMSU taxes going to the Programming Board.“This means there’s going to be much more limited programs,” Weingarden said.
Since Shawn Henn came to MSU, he’s bounced between residence halls - but he’s never left campus.The electrical engineering senior signed up this week to live in Wilson Hall next year.
Olin Health Center is hosting an open house today to showcase its newly renovated front lobby and pharmacy.The open house will take place from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
MSU science students normally don’t spend a day with an internationally known theoretical physicist - but this week is different. Brian Greene, a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, is the first of two speakers in this year’s McPherson Professorship program. The professorship was created last year after an anonymous donor gave $2 million to the university.
The Council of Graduate Students will hold its first meeting of the semester at 5 p.m. today in the International Center Spartan Rooms B and C.The meeting will focus on the state of international student applications with emphasis on how anti-terrorism legislation passed last year will affect them.
Although it’s still two months away, planning for the Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Ally College Conference is already under way.The event will be held March 15-17 at the Kellogg Center, and will feature workshops, caucus groups and presentations about issues such as battling homophobia.
Gone are the days when bleary-eyed, late-night computer lab assistants waited at a desk to help out other exhausted students.This semester, the computer labs will not be constantly monitored by lab assistants.
Although the greek system at Indiana University at Bloomington will have an organization available for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgendered students, some MSU students say such an idea might not be successful in East Lansing.Delta Lambda Phi is the first fraternity catering to gay students at Indiana.
For the first time in the history of East Lansing, ASMSU’s Academic Assembly and city council are collaborating to gain a better understanding of student and city issues. Mayor Mark Meadows and Academic Assembly Chairperson Matt Clayson, decided this meeting would be a valuable opportunity for the entire community. ASMSU is the undergraduate student government. Clayson, who worked with city council officials to organize tonight’s agenda, said he is looking forward to the joint meeting. “It will be a learning experience for me to see how a small city government operates rather than just an academic government,” Clayson said. But more than focusing on the operating strategies each body possesses, Clayson said he would like to build an academic relationship with the city.
Don Jordan felt the sting of tuition last year, but didn’t bother to feel the pain again April 15. He didn’t fill out his tax forms. He said the forms were to confusing and he was too lazy. “One thing that really gets me is there are so many forms,” he said.
The Women’s Resource Center is sponsoring various events throughout January on issues ranging from health to finances. Judy McQueen, educational program coordinator for the center, said it tries to provide a variety of topics for the public, including students, faculty and staff.
With ASMSU elections about a month away, members of the elections steering committee are hoping to increase student participation.Steve Lovelace, Academic Assembly internal vice chairperson, said students should get involved with the elections to have an active voice in the undergraduate student government.“Joining ASMSU is a good way to learn outside of the classroom,” Lovelace said.
Early decision admissions policies have been called a great way for students to get into their colleges of choice - but some critics say early is not always better.Three Harvard University professors who recently completed a study on early decision said a greater number of students are applying earlier, and colleges have set lower standards for early applicants.The 2000 study of 14 selective colleges showed there was a slight admissions advantage to students who applied with early decision.
A $25,000 grant from AT&T helped the Campus Center and RHA Movies in Wells Hall by offering students what was missing - better picture and sound quality.
As the weather takes a milder turn in the next couple weeks, Michigan residents can expect a break from the harsh conditions many come to expect from the early part of the year. But this kind of weather isn’t unusual for this time of year, said Walt Felver, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids.Temperatures are still around average for the month. “We often have a mild period in January,” Felver said.
MSU researchers are trying to fill fields and grocery stores with strawberries - even when the red fruit is out of season. Researchers are investigating the possibility of cross-breeding wild strawberries with conventional short-day breeds to produce a new variety of strawberry that can produce fruit throughout the growing season. Instead of the usual short growing season consisting solely of the beginning of summer, these strawberries would produce fruit from spring through fall. The primary trait researchers are hoping to adapt into the strawberries is a resistance to a particular fungus that causes a condition called black root rot.