Sunday, January 4, 2026

Take a peek behind the curtain and test drive the NEW StateNews.com today!

Columns

COMMENTARY

Lawmaker: Keep your hands off my university's curriculum

By now, many students at MSU and throughout Michigan's 15 publicly funded universities have heard or read about your proposed bill to permit the state Legislature to refuse funding for any specific university classes deemed "inappropriate." Among the classes that you cite are nine at this university, including History 420: History of Sexuality since the 18th Century and Psychology 310: Human Sexuality. This May, barring any unforeseen mishaps, I will graduate with a dual degree in chemistry and political science, with a small course-load of economics on the side.

COMMENTARY

Mass destruction deals with people, not high-tech weapons

I saw an interesting cartoon the other day that had a soldier facing a large group of angry Iraqis. Both he and the group were armed, and the soldier was saying to himself, "Well, I've found the weapons of mass destruction!" It really got me thinking about our single-minded focus on large-scale bombs and biological devices.

COMMENTARY

Blackout allowed for self-reflection

Excuse the pun, but being in the dark helped shed light on some very important issues for me. While officials on both sides of the border were scratching their heads over the Great Blackout of 2003 and playing the blame game, my roommates and I were busy playing the find-a-new-house-because-ours-burned-down game.

COMMENTARY

Court cameras spark controversy

Growing up in a single-parent household, I spent a lot of time with my late grandmother. When she baby-sat me, she always made sure that she tuned in to her "stories," which the rest of us know as soap operas.

FEATURES

Freshmen adapt to first day at 'U'

Natosha Diggs
August 26, 2003

Ah, the first day of classes.Day one means meeting your professors for the first time and becoming quickly acquainted with the swapping-and-dropping-classes system.Day one means laughing at the inexperienced in-line skaters who have yet to discover how to use their brakes yet refuse to wear pads.The first day at MSU causes fear for your life as sidewalk-demanding bicyclists peddle through the campus or rapidly accelerating drivers rip around corners with no regard.

COMMENTARY

Affirmative action initiative poses problems for politicians

In response to the Supreme Court's opinion that upheld affirmative action but not the University of Michigan's point system - preferring instead a wink and a nod that pretends we live in a color-blind society rather than making admissions race free - civil rights activist Ward Connerly has started a ballot initiative to end racial preference in college admissions in Michigan.

COMMENTARY

What if God told 1 of us what to do?

For months, I have been wondering about the hidden motivations for the preemptive attack on Iraq. Our addiction to Saudi oil and the opportunity to pull our troops from the "holy land" played a large and unspoken role.

COMMENTARY

Avoiding laziness key to 'U' success

College.Truly an unforgettable, and if you learn how to limit what can turn into many drunken evenings, an unregrettable four, five or six years of your life.People often arrive at college thinking they can party when they want to and go to classes when they want to - that is, if they want to.

COMMENTARY

Teachers carrying guns only creates dangerous atmosphere

When two closely matched nations compete militarily against each other, often one will develop a new, powerful weapon, subsequently prompting the other to develop an even newer, more powerful weapon.During the Cold War, this precarious situation was commonplace, a competition which thankfully ended without a direct shot fired.Now, almost 15 years removed from the implosion of the Soviet Union, some members of the Conservative Right would like to bring the same stable serenity of an arms race to the high school classroom.