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MSU

Craft show kicks off Christmas cheer

Ryan Wallace
December 3, 2001

Santa Claus stood quietly as the masses viewed his facial features and caressed his clothing. Santa, who was made of porcelain, was one of thousands of crafts and artwork available for purchase at the Union for the 38th Annual Holiday Arts-N-Crafts Show this weekend. More than 200 booths ranging from knick-knack items and jewelry to holiday ornaments and decorations were set up on three floors of the building. The show was a fund-raiser put on by the University Activities Board, which helps organize events for students on campus, including concerts and speakers. Jodi Roberto Hancock, associate director of the University Activities Board, said the timing for the show is perfect. “It’s kind of a kickoff for the holiday and it’s a very festive atmosphere,” she said.

MSU

Patriotic greeting captures contest

Tanee Elston
November 30, 2001

Months after the terrorist attacks on the United States, Jennifer Brigham developed a greeting card that focuses on the nation celebrating the holiday season in unity.Brigham, a studio art senior, created the winning design for the Kellogg Center’s ninth annual Holiday Card Design Contest.

MSU

Undergraduates give advisers positive marks

Megan Frye
November 30, 2001

MSU advisers are doing more to accommodate and inform students and as a result, students’ perceptions have improved, a recent study said. Lee June, vice president for Student Affairs and Services, said the 2001 Survey on Undergraduate Academic Advising, officially released about two weeks ago, is a repeat of a 1998 survey. Results from the survey showed 81.1 percent of students rated the overall quality of MSU advising as excellent or good, up from 76.6 percent reported in the 1998 survey. “We’re encouraged,” June said.

MSU

Law school donation gives hands-on education

Megan Frye
November 30, 2001

Selected MSU-Detroit College of Law students are getting a unique opportunity through a new program initiated this fall.The Trial Practice Certificate Program is part of the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute.A $4 million donation for the institute from Michigan lawyer Geoffrey Fieger was announced Tuesday.

MSU

New science building to open Feb. 1

Eric Morath
November 29, 2001

Many MSU faculty members are looking beyond the holiday season to the Feb. 1 opening of the new Bio-Physical Sciences Building, located on Wilson Road. “Personally, I am very excited.

MSU

ASMSU nears completion of its online text exchange

Ryan Wallace
November 29, 2001

After months of work, ASMSU members put some of the finishing touches on the organization’s textbook exchange Web site Wednesday. MSU’s undergraduate student government will have the site running by the end of the semester, after it’s tested and all the details are worked out. The site will operate like a message board, in which students can set their own prices to exchange textbooks with other students. Jared English, an Academic Assembly representative for James Madison College, has been watching the site’s progress and said the timing couldn’t be better. “This would be the best time to use the site to the full potential, for both selling and buying,” he said. The international relations and finance sophomore said the book exchange should appeal to students because it’s free, unlike others that charge students.

MSU

ASMSU representative resigns

Ryan Wallace
November 29, 2001

At the end of last Tuesday’s ASMSU Academic Assembly meeting, Monica Leslie, a representative for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, calmly wished her colleagues a Happy Thanksgiving - then she resigned. Leslie, who has been active in MSU’s undergraduate student government, said she felt it was the appropriate time to inform everyone of her decision because she didn’t want to disrupt the business that needed to get done. The communication freshman said time commitments, internal conflicts and lack of communication with administrators were reasons for her resignation. “I wanted to learn how the system worked - and I learned a lot, but I still have a lot to learn,” Leslie said.

MSU

Firstborn children more likely to contract allergies

Leslie Escobar
November 28, 2001

Recent research conducted by an MSU professor discovered that firstborn children are more likely to suffer from asthma and other allergies.Wilfried Karmaus, an associate professor of epidemiology, found that firstborns have higher levels of cord blood immunoglobulin, a protein determined to be a risk factor for asthma and other allergies, such as hay fever.Karmaus said changes in the mother’s womb after the birth of a first child are reasons for the difference.“The immune system is changed to a different state,” he said.

MSU

Dorm residents include those with four legs

Megan Frye
November 27, 2001

Although many college students love being away from home, there’s often some aspect of it they miss.Sometimes that aspect is four-legged and furry.University policy prohibits any pets, other than fish, to live in the residence halls - but not all students play by the rules.Stephanie, a West Circle Complex resident and studio art junior, has kept her hamster, Peanut, with her in the dorms since her freshman year at MSU.She said she ran into trouble at first, but the supervisor of her hall at the time said they couldn’t make her get rid of her pet.“I’m not sure if the RA this year knows, but if she does, she doesn‘t say anything about it,” she said.

MSU

Language training benefits international TAs

Leslie Escobar
November 27, 2001

Arriving in a new country and learning a new language isn’t easy.And if you are expected to begin teaching a class within days of your arrival, the adjustment could be greater.This scenario is a familiar one to many international teaching assistants who arrive at MSU during the summer before they begin teaching courses.To help with their training process, several programs developed by MSU have been updated to accommodate growing numbers of TAs involved.“TAs have a really important responsibility, and when they get good training and good attention from the faculty, they can do a good job,” said William Rittenberg, coordinator of the International Teaching Assistant Program.All international TAs at MSU are required to attend a university-sponsored training workshop before classes start to learn rules and regulations on campus.While the length of this orientation was extended to three weeks two years ago, the Teaching Assistant Summer English Program was also added for more in-depth language training.

MSU

Peanut Barrel to host fund-raiser

Leslie Escobar
November 26, 2001

The MSU Student Food Bank will hold a fund-raiser at The Peanut Barrel Restaurant, 521 E. Grand River Ave., all day Tuesday. The annual event will raise money toward the purchase of foods for the bank, which gives students without a residence hall meal plan access to free groceries. Fund-raising coordinator Minerva Gebara said she thinks the event will be successful. “All day, whatever they make for the day, they’ll give us a portion of the profits,” the business administration graduate student said.

MSU

Business donation expands Life Sciences Corridor

Eric Morath
November 26, 2001

Born nearly two and a half years ago, after a $1 billion state investment including a $40.4 million initial contribution to MSU, the Life Sciences Corridor is growing up.The corridor stretches from Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, through MSU and the University of Michigan to Detroit’s Wayne State University.