Tuesday, December 24, 2024

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Expensive textbooks should at least be high quality, correct

I purchased “Understanding Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences” by Robert R. Pagano for a psychology statistics class this semester. I was surprised when the price tag read nearly $165 because it was a small book with no interesting pictures and boring black and blue print. When I got the book home and inspected it closer, I noticed a whole chapter near the back of the book was bound upside down!

COMMENTARY

Stereotypes about military do not apply to all members

I’m writing in response to a letter written by Bradley Gershel, Obama must bring real change by ending brutal policies of past (SN 4/29). I have never served in the military but many of my closest friends currently are serving in both the Marine Corps and U.S. Army.

COMMENTARY

Semester was one of memorable reporting

America’s first black president was inaugurated. The university lost five of its students The MSU men’s basketball team vied for the NCAA Championship in Detroit. You don’t need me to tell you it was a memorable semester at MSU. But it was especially memorable for us at The State News.

COMMENTARY

Keep options open when graduating from MSU

The 2008-09 school year is over, but for graduates, now is the time to reflect on what happened and cherish the memories. Most people spend four years in college, and for most people those four years are the best of their lives.

COMMENTARY

Responsible environment key to safely enjoying alcohol

In response to Anupama Sridaran’s letter Students need to understand consequences of drinking (SN 4/23), Anupama is correct in stating there is a large percentage of underage drinking on college campuses throughout the United States. Anupama is also correct in stating that in some cases, the use and abuse of alcohol can be a detriment to the studies and career paths of some students.

COMMENTARY

Students who live off campus can participate in recycling

Students moving out of East Lansing’s neighborhoods for the summer are encouraged to participate in the off-campus expansion of MSU’s Pack Up, Pitch In recycling event. The event will offer off-campus MSU students with an opportunity to be MSU green while keeping the East Lansing community clean during spring move-out.

COMMENTARY

Use summer, rest of college to find self

Walking across the stage at my high school graduation, I thought I knew exactly who I was. I left high school with the notion I was going to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder, enter the hard-hitting world of print journalism and focus on my career. I was dead set on the direction of my future.

COMMENTARY

Remain calm, become educated about swine flu

There is an episode of the TV show “Scrubs” that everybody should watch during this time of swine flu. In the episode, the media report on a pandemic outbreak of a virus that is known to cause vomiting and diarrhea.

COMMENTARY

Obama must bring real change by ending brutal policies of past

It has been argued by leading scholars such as Noam Chomsky that our efforts in the War on Terror have made us less safe. American foreign policy as of late has exempted itself from international law while sanctioning those who are deemed as threats, and it is this kind of behavior that fuels the flame that is extremist anti-American sentiment.

COMMENTARY

Dialogue needed to solve conflicts

I had a million things on my to-do list when I was 10 years old, and I have been able to accomplish hardly any of those goals. Granted, my mind was more imaginative and far less realistic than now. So no, I never became or will become a professional baseball player; I never will have a pet dinosaur; nor will I ever be 7 feet tall (but I only wanted to try that out for a day anyway).

COMMENTARY

Graduates should consider service opportunities

By May 11, MSU graduating seniors will enter the real world. Those with a bachelor’s degree, and maybe even a master’s, might find it difficult to land a job during these unusually tough economic times, no matter how qualified or eager they might be.

COMMENTARY

Situation in Pakistan must be addressed

It is the country where my parents were born. It is a country that shares a rich history of ancient civilizations with its neighbors, including India. But it is one of the most troubled countries in the world.

COMMENTARY

Common arguments against gay marriage need to be dispelled

Since the 2009 Miss USA pageant, there has been a surge of pundits jumping at the chance to subjugate gays. Due to this egregious attempt to bastardize, and subsequently isolate, the gay community, it is incumbent upon gays to address several topics. Homosexuals in America, eager to quell the Christian radicalism masked as conservatism, need first to perform a self-evaluation.

COMMENTARY

Columbine revives questions, lessons

Last week marked the 10-year anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo. People across the country marked the solemn date in different ways and survivors remembered the peers they lost on April 20, 1999.

COMMENTARY

Column about feminism spoke to goals of MSU gender center

We were delighted to read Kate Jacobson’s column Women’s rights a worldwide issue (SN 4/21). It was an insightful and passionate account of the situation for some Afghani women struggling to stay free of violence in their streets and homes. We also appreciated Jacobson’s reflection on the relationship between our rights at home and the rights of women in other countries. Too often citizens in the U.S.

COMMENTARY

Every person can help in recycling effort

“R-E-C-Y-C-L-E, recycle! C-O-N-S-E-R-V-E, conserve! Don’t you P-O-L-L-U-T-E pollute the water, sky or sea, or else we’re gonna get, what we deserve!” Do you remember that song from the Nickelodeon TV show “Rocko’s Modern Life?”