Ten years. It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since I first set foot on this glorious campus. I know I never imagined I’d still be here on that day.
As many students lazed away the summer in bikinis and swim trunks, men and women in suits worked around the clock in Washington, D.C., to debate one of the most important issues in our nation’s recent history: health care.
I am a first-year law student at this great institution. About six months ago, I began to do everything that I felt would prepare me for a successful start at the MSU College of Law. I went to an admitted candidates session where I met the new dean of the law school as well as several professors. I asked questions of both the financial aid office and the admissions office. I was even offered a full scholarship to the College of Law as part of the King’s Scholars Program.
Forgive me if I seem a little sweaty writing this week’s column; it’s been a long day. I’ve been up since about 8 a.m. this morning, generally doing more organizing than actual work.
There are a lot of strict ways a government can punish an organization. And to those who don’t know the context, those punishments often can seem unwarranted. But there are times when organizations repeatedly have ignored government wishes, which almost always means penalties will come.
The country’s slow transition to an entirely digital world has made its way into the education system, as more universities begin to offer online courses and digital textbooks for classes. President Barack Obama proposed funding online courses at community colleges as part of an effort to improve higher education, and it appears colleges nationwide soon might no longer need paper books. But that doesn’t mean this new technology won’t have some drawbacks.
I’m writing in response to the editorial “Clunkers program success proves need for extension”:http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2009/08/clunkers_program_success_proves_need_for_extension (SN 8/3). I would like to offer readers another opinion of the program. First, the article explains the program as a success, and hardly expands on what its original goals were.
We have found ourselves debating whether or not the government should take over our health care system and our industries; we should instead look to solutions that actually work and will give us the best chance to retain our world standing.
Despite the success of Michigan’s push to draw filmmakers into the state with incentives like tax credits, some in the state Legislature still aren’t pleased. After only a year with the country’s biggest tax credit to the film industry, there are opponents claiming that the credits cost the state too much and that spending should be capped.
Through my three-plus years on and around MSU’s glorious campus, I’ve had many memorable experiences. From days wasted throwing a Frisbee to hours of studying in buildings all over campus to Durrell Summers’ dunk, every occurrence has been an unofficial proclamation of my pride in this university. To most of my friends outside of MSU, the real attractiveness lies in the stories created late at night.
I’ve had a lot of dogs during my short time on this planet — four to be exact. My family has owned mutts, purebreds, Frisbee dogs, lazy dogs, dogs adopted from kennels and puppies fresh from the litter.
In hard economic times such as these, it becomes more common for citizens to retreat to the comforts of life: popping a cold one after a stressful day at work; a cigarette or two to take the edge off, perhaps. And that’s completely understandable — there’s no sin in that.
A new line has been crossed in the seemingly never-ending controversy surrounding President Barack Obama’s birthplace. For the past few months, “birthers” — those doubting Obama’s citizenship based on his place of birth — have been calling on the president to release his full birth certificate, claiming that he was not a natural born U.S. citizen and thus cannot hold the office of president.
The distance between Detroit and Chicago might seem a little shorter if a plan to bring a high speed rail line to the Midwest comes to fruition. Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana and Minnesota have all united in hopes of securing $8 billion of federal stimulus money to build a 110 mph rail line though the states.
The article Pets featured at E.L. event for children (SN 7/27) romanticizes the exhibition of exotic animals and supports the dubious claims of educational enrichment through animal exploitation.
I thought long and hard about penning these words, but felt after some real heart wrenching soul searching that the time was ripe to offer a comment about a problem that has been festering in our poor country for years and years and years.
In the months since the $787 billion recovery plan has started making its way into local economies, some of the bill’s short-term results are becoming noticeable. But few have seen as much immediate success as the government’s “cash for clunkers” program, which has been so popular among motorists it has already exhausted its voucher money provided by the stimulus package.
The State News editorial regarding City Center II, “E.L. should try to dump City Center II developer”:http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2009/07/el_should_try_to_dump_city_center_ii_developer (SN 7/23), represents a classic case of irresponsible journalism and a complete lack of regard for accuracy in reporting. It calls for a discussion on how responsible media must continuously work toward high journalistic standards if they are to maintain relevance in today’s world.
Mark your calendars. On July 26, the debate about net neutrality left the academic world and became reality. It was the day that AT&T began to block a portion of the Web site 4chan.org from its DSL customers, not for legal reasons, but simply because of its own whims.