The Michigan Legislature has had a busy few months between right-to-work legislation and gun bills, but few students might know dozens of other bills are introduced everyday. Here are a few of many bills the Michigan legislators are working on at the moment.
A 25-year-old Lansing resident’s Sunday death from a fall off a downtown parking ramp has been ruled a suicide, East Lansing police Capt.
The image of an average college apartment usually consists of a broken sink, holes in the wall and loud, partying neighbors. But for students past the party scene who are looking for a quiet environment, a new duplex-style apartment slated to be finished this June might appeal.
The latest results from a nationwide student debt survey show MSU students are graduating with less debt and college graduate unemployment rates are dropping. MSU students who graduated in 2011 had about $2,000 less in debt than those who graduated in 2010, according to Project on Student Debt.
About 64 crimes causing bodily harm take place in 2011 in East Lansing and at MSU, but many students might not know methods to defend themselves in case of an attack, experts say. Hospitality business junior Gavin Hoppe, who leads MSU’s “Self-Defense for Women” program, said everyone can benefit from learning self-defense.
Alleged I-96 shooter Raulie Casteel, an MSU alumnus, has been deemed competent to stand trial, said Joy Yearout, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office.
State Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, told supporters today she will not be running for governor in 2014.
After opponents of right-to-work legislation threatened to file lawsuits against the new law, Gov. Rick Snyder enlisted the help of the Michigan Supreme Court to determine if certain parts of the bill are unconstitutional. The governor asked the state’s highest court to issue an opinion on sections of the law that protesters could challenge before the law takes effect March 27, according to Snyder’s official letter to Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Young Jr. Many state workers are upset the Michigan Legislature quickly pushed a controversial right-to-work bill through Congress on Dec.
MSU landed near the top of the list for “A schools for B Students,” in a recent ranking by U.S.
Landlords might have to provide tenants with voter registration forms if a new ordinance meant to increase off-campus student registration is passed by the East Lansing City Council. The ordinance would amend the current tenant-landlord lease agreement and require landlords provide tenants with voter-registration information upon moving in, a policy some landlords criticized. Mayor Pro Tem Nathan Triplett, who proposed the ordinance during City Council’s Jan.
As more students turn to online sites for a cheaper way to watch movies, local theaters and movie rental stores might be hit by the shift. More than 27 million U.S. customers are subscribed to Netflix, according to Netflix’s 2012 financial statement released last week. The number of customers increased by more than 2 million between its third and fourth quarters in 2012, and rose by 5.48 million since the fourth quarter in 2011. Brian Ballast, district manager for the Lansing-area Family Video, said many of the customers of the Family Video locations in Lansing are MSU or Lansing Community College students. But the number of young movie renters might dwindle as Netflix rises in popularity.
Plans to merge MSU Federal Credit Union, or MSUFCU, and Eaton County Educational Credit Union, or ECECU, are almost finalized. Mergers from both credit unions received approval from regulatory agencies Monday.
After years of cuts, state funding to Michigan universities could be on the rise. A recent study shows Michigan universities received more state appropriations in the past year, but university officials doubt this trend will continue. This fiscal year, Michigan colleges and universities received a 3.1 percent increase in state funding compared to massive cuts in recent years, according to the Grapevine survey featuring research collected by Illinois State University. MSU College of Education Dean Donald Heller said state appropriations to higher education likely are increasing in correlation with Michigan’s increasing revenue. “When state budgets contract, higher education is generally one of the first parts of the budget to get cut,” he said.
Sinking into a yoga pose on a colorful crocheted rug next to 20 other people, looking up into the high ceilings and listening to indie music brought a new feeling into the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum for Sarah Tomlinson. While other museum visitors walked by admiring paintings on the walls, Tomlinson, a music education senior, relaxed and admired the museum’s atmosphere by participating in a community yoga class at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the education wing.
After Charlie Nguyen lost his job at General Motors Corp., or GM, he found the cure for his unemployment — manicures and pedicures. Nguyen, who worked for GM for 30 years, was asked to take an early retirement. Work was hard to come by in the passing months and his children’s college funds were dwindling, so Nguyen began nail technician classes with his wife.
Iranian native Iman Barjasteh said if he wanted to make it big in electrical and computer engineering, he had to come to the U.S. “Usually in these countries like America, you can find good opportunities to stay there and get a job,” he said. Barjasteh, a graduate student, said he plans to use his student visa to stay in the U.S.
A public hearing was held to discuss changes to an ordinance that could pave a way for the development on the property formerly planned for City Center II. The planning commission decided to defer the ordinance to the Feb. 27 meeting in order to discuss the issue more.
Driving over potholes and broken concrete on the way to class could become a thing of the past, but it might mean increasing fuel taxes or raising the state sales tax to 8 percent. During his State of the State address last week, Gov. Rick Snyder announced his goal for 2013: reconstructing Michigan’s roads. But Snyder admitted fixing roads, as well as bridges and harbors, will come at a cost.
Although new legislation protects students from nosy employers demanding passwords to their social media and email accounts, students’ MSU email passwords still can be accessed by university officials.
After a handful of Michigan cities successfully decriminalized marijuana and some Michigan activists are pushing statewide decriminalization, local officials and students still aren’t sure whether East Lansing will follow suit. At least four Michigan cities already have adopted decriminalization ordinances for recreational marijuana.