A group of students gathered in front of Student Services building Thursday to sing the praises of Maya Angelou.The students were advocating the approval of ASMSU funds, which would help bring the renowned author and poet to campus.“She is such a wonderful person and artist,” said Jen Taylor, a theater graduate student who was among the students participating in the rally.
In an election next week, the Council Of Graduate Students is asking its constituents to support an increase in taxes for the 2001-02 academic year. If passed, the tax would increase to $7.25 for the fall and spring semesters, up 50 cents from its current rate.
Former foster care children may find a foothold for their future through a new scholarship program at MSU. The Foster Care Youth Endowed Scholarship Program will provide assistance to a limited number of incoming freshmen who spent some part of their childhood in Michigan court-ordered foster care placement. Less than 10 percent of young people who leave foster care at age 18 attend college, said Gary Anderson, director of the School of Social Work, which is directing the program. “Increasingly the states are realizing that this is a population that we need to pay attention to because education is so crucial for their success,” he said.
If a tree falls in the woods, would a monkey be able to hear it?Michael Harrison, a professor of physics and astronomy, presented a paper to the American Physical Society last week during its five-day meeting in Seattle that could help explain why monkeys don’t hear as well as humans.“I began to get interested in these problems when I realized the subject I was working on, the mechanics of vibration, had a good deal to do with the way hearing takes place in mammals,” Harrison said.
The State NewsStudents, faculty and staff at MSU who want to learn more about computers can clear up their confusion with access to more than 700 free online courses.MSU is just one of Michigan’s educational institutions that can utilize the Information Technology Training Initiative - a state-funded program intended to make computer training more widely available.Gov.
Sometimes the old saying is true - good things come in small packages.Robert Maleczka, an MSU professor of chemistry, has spent five years working on a project that could have a large impact for the future of cancer treatment and research.An all-natural compound was discovered by Jun’ichi Kobayashi, a professor at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan, which could have far-reaching medicinal effects.
Small children will be visiting MSU’s small animals on April 28. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Student Senate is hosting its annual Small Animals Day on MSU farms. “It’s a day where the university farms open to the public to allow people to come in and see the animals,” animal science sophomore Lynn Voglsaid.
Cheryl Chase, executive director of the Intersex Society of North America, will speak in the Minnesota Room of the MSU Union Thursday. The event, an effort to raise funds and awareness for the society, begins at 7:30 p.m. “The main issue of concern is trying to get past the point where intersex is treated as a shameful issue,” said a Lyman Briggs professor Alice Dreger.
Although ASMSU’s election ends today, the undergraduate student government is working to remain involved in ensuring students vote.The ASMSU Student Assembly is considering a measure tonight which would give its support behind a proposed state House Bill to remove the law requiring voters to register 30 days before State of Michigan elections.
Lyman Briggs freshman Becky McNabbhas added some green to her 1994 white Mazda.McNabb is one of 7,873 people to purchase an MSU license plate since their inception in October.
To MSU Professor James Trosko, cancer research isn’t about winning awards, it’s about helping people.Troskoa professor of pediatrics and human development, will be receiving the 2001 Scientific Achievement Award for his lifetime contributions to the field of science from the Society of Toxicology on Sunday, in San Francisco.“It’s a great feeling knowing that you’ve done something that’s moved the whole field of science,” Trosko said.
The Army’s nearly 3,000 active-duty Rangers are about to get a tan - beret, that is. Army Chief of Staff Gen.
The ASMSU Student Assembly will be considering a measure Thursday calling on the Capital Area Transportation Authority to not raise the cost of bus rides for MSU students.
MSU students looking to see fellow classmates have a fair court case could find their place with Judicial Affairs. Judicial Affairs, a division of Student Life, is searching for students to fill various positions for the 2001-02 school year. Positions are open to both undergraduate and graduate students of all majors. Duties include judging cases of MSU students and deciding when to put students on probation, change their living arrangements, or suspend them.
Four teams of minority aides will travel throughout South Complex dorms Wednesday to help provide relief to earthquake victims in India. “We’ll be going through all of the dorms, collecting clothing items and pop cans,” said Michael Oden, the complex coordinator for minority aides in South Complex dorms. The students will gather items from 7 p.m.
While ASMSU officials said they are confident the undergraduate student government’s election - which begins today and ends Thursday - will run without a hitch, one concern still remains. “Elections should run smoothly, but voter turnout is the bigger question,” said Nimri Niemchak, ASMSU chief of staff. Students must be undergraduates who have not received a refund on the $13 ASMSU tax to vote in the student government election.
Despite early morning temperatures of less than 30 degrees Saturday, more than 200 people gathered at Beaumont Tower to participate in the Shamrock 5K.The run, sponsored by the MSU Tower Guard, Powerhouse Gym, Student Book Store and the Pita Pit, was to benefit the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.Tower Guard social chairwoman Kristi Thomassaid because of the large turnout, Tower Guard ran out of numbers and T-shirts toward the end of registration.“We’re so excited, this was such a success,” said Thomas, a zoology sophomore.Amidst the chiming of the carillon and Sparty dancing to motivate the crowd, participants jumped up and down and ran short laps while trying to keep warm before the race began.
More than 100 participants celebrated Women’s History Month at “Globalizing Women’s Studies: Feminist Perspectives” on Friday and Saturday at MSU.The conference, sponsored by the Women’s Studies and The Women and International Development programs, served as a kickoff to the new Women and Gender graduate specialization and the graduate specialization in Gender and the Environment.Marjorie Agosin, a professor at Wellesley College, spoke Friday night at the Kellogg Center Auditorium.
MSU graduate student Carolyn Koebel is using drums to study good health for her master’s thesis. Her wellness study, titled “The Effects of Group Drumming on Selected Neuroendocrine Levels and Self-Reported Mood, Stress, Socialization and Journeying Experiences,” kicks off from 7 p.m.
Animals can make a person’s face light up with joy, but they may also have the power to send blood pressure and stress levels down.Some MSU faculty and community members believe there’s more to learn about the human-animal link and they have joined to form the Human Animal Bond Initiative - an effort to uncover the hidden healing powers of animals.“The overall goal is to scientifically validate the importance of animals in the health and well-being of people and families,” said Lana Kaiser, a professor of nursing who is leading the project.