Sunday, December 21, 2025

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

MSU should learn from Penn State incident

There shouldn’t have to be press involved for the truth to come out at MSU. At the beginning of the situation at Penn State, local police were not involved at all. In both cases at MSU, law enforcement was involved from the beginning, but the athletics department refrained from taking immediate action until after widespread media attention.

COMMENTARY

Minority groups should take heed

“Do you agree with (the Black Student Alliance)?” This type of statement, which has come of fashion of late and originally was attributed to quarterback Kirk Cousins, can be applied to a lot of recent events that have happened on campus, most noticeably those spearheaded by BSA.

COMMENTARY

Math department overachieves

Math is hard, but we don’t like to admit it. Remember when Mattel got in trouble for programming Barbie to say, “Math class is tough?” Let her dream about size 0 clothes all she wants, but don’t insinuate that the girl can’t solve an equation for “x.” Yet, we shy away from math as soon as it gets over our heads.

COMMENTARY

Commit to stopping sexual assault at MSU

The MSU community’s commitment to stopping sexual assaults should be stronger and even more resolute today because of the recent alleged assault in Armstrong Hall. Both male and female students must know and perceive the difference between a regrettable decision and a sexual assault.

COMMENTARY

Sexual assault prevention lacks

MSU is a rare university that has many resources available to its community on not only sexual assault awareness and prevention but also assistance, not just run by women but men, too, for survivors.

COMMENTARY

Medical amnesty would save lives

I originally planned to write this column as a call to action for students, to unite their voices and get this bill passed. However, upon learning that its implementation is imminent, this article serves to inform students of what is coming: a law that will, perhaps more than any other piece of legislature, make partying safer for students.

COMMENTARY

Start talking about suicide, depression

Talking about suicides and mental disorders is awkward because of the perception of students with mental illnesses. But awkwardness is no excuse for silence, and students don’t have to face suicidal thoughts or depression alone.

COMMENTARY

Votes for E.L. school board matter

Four members of the East Lansing Public Schools Board and the superintendent backed a plan, requiring borrowing millions of dollars, based on credit derived from inflated property values from the past five years.

COMMENTARY

Embrace uncertainty of travel

Before going to South Africa, I would not have had the confidence or determination to handle the challenges I have faced this semester. Studying abroad helped me become better accustomed to handling foreign situations and new obstacles.

COMMENTARY

E.L. council elections affect student life

The city council and school board elections are taking place this Tuesday. Although most students are not affected by the school board election, voting in the city council election is one of the many ways students can participate in the community where they live and study.

COMMENTARY

MSU’s coal use affects well-being

Students and young people have been at the forefront of every major social justice movement in recent history — and now we are leading the fight for clean energy. Thanks to student efforts, 16 universities across the country have committed to move beyond coal — a dangerous, outdated energy source.

COMMENTARY

Academics deserve more attention

For nearly 50 years, I have taught freshman writing in the U. S. and overseas. My model for teaching and academic life came from a small liberal arts college — Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. For 38 years, however, the environment in which I have taught has been MSU — a large university where, too often, research and athletics reign.

COMMENTARY

Take alleged illegal mail search seriously

It’s obviously bad that allegations of city workers going through students’ mail exist at all. What’s worse is that it allegedly has been happening since at least September 2009, according to email obtained by The State News. And the worst part is the East Lansing City Council knew about this alleged misconduct in 2009 and has taken no steps to resolve the issue.

COMMENTARY

Re-elect triplett to E.L. city council

I’m enthusiastic in my support of Nathan Triplett’s re-election to the East Lansing City Council. Triplett is a skilled listener and appreciates our diverse, vibrant and livable university-based East Lansing community.

COMMENTARY

Exercise despite chilly weather

As that perennial chill descends upon the area, the temptation to bundle up, stay inside and become sedentary is reaching its peak. However, I believe no one’s life can be complete without some kind of physical activity. It is this belief that drove me to go out and ask all of the best athletes I know what drives them to stay active despite harsh weather and the rigors of a busy life.

COMMENTARY

MSU ready for gender-neutral housing now

One of the best parts of living in the dorms is getting the college experience — meeting new people who might or might not share the same world view and experiences as you do and learning from them. And there are few better ways to find a different world view to learn from than living with a member of the opposite sex.

COMMENTARY

Religious campaign not effective

This letter is in response to “Agreement not needed; just listen” (SN 11/1). I am an agnostic, which means my life has been spent questioning the nature of God(s), death, justice and morality.

COMMENTARY

Technology’s role in art debatable

Many of today’s artists — whether their passion is painting, photography, music or another medium — utilize cutting-edge technology in their work. But when anyone with minimum skills using a software program such as Adobe Photoshop can make a piece in a few hours that, at least to unschooled eyes, looks as professional and impressive as a gallery piece, is it art or technology?