Friday, April 10, 2026

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Voters don't know complex MCRI details

Much of the recent discussion about affirmative action leads me to believe that a number of people who will be voting on the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, don't fully understand the situation. Supporters of the MCRI start with the claim that preferential treatment based on color is racist. Opponents respond by pointing out that the beneficiaries of affirmative action are at an economic disadvantage, and that affirmative action helps to make up for that. Supporters then claim that poverty is colorblind and that schools should use geography rather than race to address this problem. This is where I think that supporters of the MCRI don't fully understand the situation.

COMMENTARY

Planning ahead

When Gov. Jennifer Granholm gave her State of the State address in January, she emphasized the role of research universities in improving Michigan's economy.

COMMENTARY

Attention needed to fight hateful rhetoric

After reading Jim Schwartz's letter "Don't draw attention to offensive language" (SN 4/17), I couldn't help but feel that he is a very misguided individual. Not only does he miss the point that a word does matter when it is part of your identity that is under attack, but also he fails to recognize that ignoring a problem rarely makes it go away. Individuals will not change their behavior unless given a reason to.

COMMENTARY

Citizens, students have right to know what governing officials do

I shouldn't be shocked by anything the United States government does anymore. Or the things it does, but doesn't tell me about. After all, I attend a university where the Board of Trustees routinely holds business dinners, and then tries to pass them off as social gatherings. A board that holds private committee meetings a day before the public meeting, and doesn't see anything wrong with keeping the public out. So why should I be surprised when my government starts removing public records from the U.S.

COMMENTARY

Don't be afraid of God

College students are usually more closely associated with binge drinking and cramming for exams than religion and spirituality. But a recent Harvard University Institute of Politics poll released last week, shows a majority of U.S.

COMMENTARY

Avoid violence; go to diversity celebration

Many MSU students are planning to go to the Capitol and protest the Nazi rally on April 22. This is the obvious thing to do, to show the Nazis their hate speech is not welcome here. The problem with this is, all too often, the protesters become violent and the police must step in to help the Nazis defend themselves.

COMMENTARY

MSU community must step up against hate

With many recent articles about the upcoming April 22 Nazi rally on the steps of the Capitol Building, I feel it is important that the MSU community speak out against the group's twisted views and hate speech.

COMMENTARY

Writer protects right to be discriminated

Hey, Etienne Fields, writer of "Affirmative action ban seeks to defend Americans' right to be racist" (SN 4/11), you have in your own words shown "time and time again" what promoters of affirmative action have done, by claiming that anyone opposed to your view is a racist. You claim that there has never been a ballot proposal that would prohibit affirmative action for women.

COMMENTARY

Speak your mind

East Lansing's City Council is looking for student input on some unlikely topics. It wants to know what you think about parties, noise and drinking. A public hearing will be held today at 7:30 p.m.

COMMENTARY

Current stalemate

Something fishy is going on around MSU lately, and it's not just the salmon the MSU Board of Trustees enjoyed Wednesday night. Last week the board shut out the public from its dinner inside Cowles House — again. This is happening despite the fact that some First Amendment lawyers have questioned the board's reasoning for closing its meetings. And the official incident report of a February assault in Hubbard Hall is apparently not a matter for the public either.

COMMENTARY

Don't draw attention to offensive language

I'd like to offer a fresh perspective on all of the recent happenings and concerns about ethnic and sexual hate. It is so often claimed that we, as a tolerant society, should learn to accept people of all walks of life, all colors, all persuasions, etc.

COMMENTARY

Criticism warranted when any group forces its beliefs on others

Writing opinion columns from a godless perspective in a country brimming with religious beliefs predictably results in misunderstandings. Since this is my last semester writing a regular column for The State News (I can almost hear the collective sighs of relief), I'll address the most common misconception.

COMMENTARY

Apathy appalling; stand for something

I would like to expand on what J.C. Kibbey started to address in his editorial about students acting and not just complaining, "Students should act, not just complain" (SN 4/6). The fact is that no one cares about what is happening to this country, and no one is taking the time to educate others about it.