For the first time, I am ashamed to be an MSU student. Why is it that we are in college? Last time I checked, it had a lot to do with getting a diploma and eventually getting a job in our field of choice. Why throw away four years of hard work and diligence for a night of partying?
We’ve all done it. There’s no shame in admitting to it. Students sometimes need that stimulating distraction during labs and lectures to keep from going insane. Most commonly, people choose to read a newspaper (or, more commonly, play the sudoku or crossword puzzles), text message or use laptops for something other than taking notes.
From the beginning of the night, you could feel the energy — everyone was talking about Cedar Fest. When Cedar Village was packed around midnight, the energy was at a peak. It was like a sporting event or a concert, except there was no focus.
I got back to my apartment around 11 p.m. Saturday night, only to find about 4,000 of my closest friends partying in the streets surrounding my home: Cedar Village.
You have shamed me, MSU. I have always bled a bold green, but for once in my life, it flows a shade of embarrassment. Don’t get me wrong, I know and have experienced the debauchery and suppressed inhibitions that are incorporated in a college lifestyle.
As thousands of people gathered at Cedar Fest on Saturday night through Sunday morning, the mood was distinct. People were waiting for something to happen. Glass bottles, rocks and anything else were thrown into the crowd and at helmet-clad police officers, who stood vigilant nearby. About four fires were reportedly started in the area. Some officers used intimidation and threats of arrest in order to control participants.
Telecommunications giant Comcast Corp. got itself into trouble at a Feb. 25 Federal Communications Commission hearing. It became apparent the corporation had hired people off of the street to fill seats in the hearing, ostensibly to “hold places in line” for its employees.
I would like to commend the East Lansing and MSU police (and other local police agencies) for their reaction Saturday night at Cedar Fest. Just from observing this disturbance compared to the one in 2005, I could see the police used commendable restraint until they were attacked by partygoers.
OK, I know the women were not in the NCAA finals, but they were still playing in the WNIT. On Saturday, they played at home for the championship. So why are we getting 11 1/2 inches at the top of the first page of the sports section rehashing a men’s basketball season that is over, while the team that still is playing gets relegated to 4 inches below the fold?
Dr. Kenneth Miller is a biologist I admire for his work promoting evolution and debunking creationism. However, he also encourages public acceptance of evolution by arguing, unconvincingly, that it’s compatible with religious belief.
MSU administrators are discussing a proposal that would cut Welcome Week by changing the move-in dates for incoming freshmen and transfer students. The proposed plan would bring new students into the dorms starting Sunday with the first day of class on the following Wednesday.
Tonight America mourns — or should mourn. Tonight and tomorrow and the tomorrow of tomorrow and the rest of her history. For she has lost one of her authentic heroes, one of genuinely human men in the world, a real brother to all mankind. At six o’clock in Memphis, Tenn., some sick person killed Martin Luther King Jr. He shot Dr. King while the latter stood on a balcony talking to his aides below, and King never regained consciousness.
Existing is starting to get a little too expensive. Not only are people having to limit their driving, but they also need to watch the cost of what they eat.
It’s becoming easier to live your life through the Internet each day as new Web sites emerge that allow us to connect to each other and see things in ways we never have before.
I would like to express my extreme disappointment in the journalism of The State News. The entertainment article Center stage (SN 3/27) by Matt Flint, James Harrison and Ashley Luster blatantly omitted the MSU Department of Theatre as a producing organization.
Langhua Hu’s letter, Understand Chinese issues, culture before judging it (SN 3/31) made me think a little bit.
Americans know going to court isn’t always about the pursuit of justice. It’s more like hitting the jackpot. Cynical but true. Outrageous multimillion-dollar settlements or damage amounts awarded in lawsuits are normal in the U.S. judicial system. That’s because in civil lawsuits, there are compensatory rewards — to pay for medical bills or attorney fees — and then there are punitive damages, which are monetary punishments inflicted on litigants.
Lately, I’ve come to embrace my inner slacker. When it comes to all things academic — tests and papers, chapter readings and group projects — I’ve pretty much thrown in the towel.
The university’s Anti-Discrimination Policy needs to be changed, and we propose doing so. You see, the ADP is used to punish anyone who discriminates against or harasses others, including both violators of actual law and violators of “university community … standards of conduct more stringent than those mandated by law.”
Kudos to the student interns of the Community Relations Coalition, or CRC, and the officers and staff of the East Lansing Police Department for putting together a superb community-building event at Zap Zone in Lansing.