I'm a little confused when I see The State News flooded by the same false information repeated by four different people — many of which a simple Facebook search will show are all white males engaged in some way with the group Young Americans for Freedom, or YAF. It's an organization that is ultra-conservative and has repeatedly expressed racist views.
When people hear about MSU, a few instant characteristics come to mind. Namely sports and agriculture. For that reason, it seems fitting that out of the more than $2 million in grants MSU received due to outstanding research, a large part will go toward the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The agriculture college has expanded to create all different kinds of agriculture including sustainable agriculture, which will receive $384,000 of the granted money.
As I opened up The State News on Jan. 9, I was very disappointed in what I saw on the front page. Hoping to see an article about the women's basketball team's exciting victory over Rutgers on Saturday as the headline, I was frustrated to see the page dominated by an article about the men's disappointing losses to Wisconsin and Illinois.
When Virg Bernero became mayor of Lansing, he took a step up from his prior position in the Senate. He became the mayor of Michigan's capital city. But when he left his seat in the Senate, he left an opening that will be costly to fill. With Bernero moving, his seat is open for another candidate.
Let's be honest — East Lansing and MSU had some ups and downs in 2005. There was the disturbance/riot/student behavior problem/police-using-too-much-force "incident" in April. There was a City Council election and elections for student representatives that no students showed up for. But it's 2006.
Hunting. Sex. Animal. Women. It's a crazy analogy, I know, but stay with me here. Three MSU sociology professors used this ridiculous comparison in regard to a fictionalized video called "Hunting for Bambi" released in 2003.
The battle over affirmative action in Michigan and MSU has been controversial from the very beginning. In the past couple of years, speeches from affirmative action opponents and supporters at MSU have led to arguments, heated discussions and calls to the police. Much of this drama has been centered around the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, a ballot proposal that would "ban public institutions from using affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes." The supporters of the initiative gathered enough signatures and submitted them to the Secretary of State, which is the way ballot proposals make it to the voters. But the proposal has been stymied by accusations that the wording is misleading and causes people to think it would do something other than what it does. The Board of State Canvassers has repeatedly refused to certify the signatures, despite an order from the Michigan Court of Appeals that the initiative get placed on the ballot. The board is composed of two Republicans, who, at their last meeting on the issue, voted to certify the petition, while one Democrat voted against it and the other abstained. The meeting became heated and a table was almost overturned in the debate. Affirmative action debates have become a circus in Michigan — betraying the fact that it is such a serious issue that could have long-lasting implications. Accusations that voters were misled is something people should think about when voting in November.
On Dec. 8, ASMSU, the MSU undergraduate student government, did the most atrocious possible act that Spartans should find repulsive. ASMSU did not have the issue of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, on their agenda; however, it was abruptly put to vote by the council. The MCRI will be on the ballot in the next election and will ban affirmative action if it is passed. Our student council voted on the issue and ended up condemning it.
As a representative of the College of Arts and Letters in ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, I would like to say how dismayed I am at the ridiculous ASMSU and RHA meeting on Dec.
The November election is still months away, but it is clear that debate over ballot initiatives already is heating up, most notably the debate surrounding the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI. The MSU student body will soon find out that our student government has recently condemned the MCRI.
I attended the joint ASMSU and Residence Halls Association meeting on Dec. 8 and must say I am appalled by the conduct of some of the student representatives. A covert bill that was not seen by any members of ASMSU and RHA was brought to the floor to be voted on, which called for the organizations to jointly condemn the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. Not only were efforts to have an open and civil debate quashed, but students from the gallery, myself included, were not permitted to speak.
I was a little disappointed to see that The State News did not do any coverage on the Jack Abramoff story.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the issue of violating civil liberties for national security has been widely discussed and argued about. There was the issue of the no-fly list which banned certain people from being able to board airplanes. Then there was the debate about the government looking at what library books people were checking out. Now comes the news that in 2002 President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to use wiretaps on residents to monitor phone calls and e-mails without a court order.
Jack Abramoff, a former political lobbyist, was at the root of a scandal that involved lying, cheating and stealing. On Jan.
I enjoy Christmas. For me, it always elicits thoughts about the true "reason for the season," not just the corporate-sponsored shopping orgy it has become. Christmas also reminds me of the value we place on teaching our children critical thinking. The Santa Claus story offers a cute example.
A good response to those who rush to defend President Bush's secret spying on American citizens is the president's own words. In April 2004, at an event promoting the USA Patriot Act, Bush said, "a wiretap requires a court order.
This is a column. I thought I'd clear that up, in case there was any confusion. When I introduce myself as the State News opinion editor, I get a few generic responses: "I like your articles." "Your political cartoon was completely uncalled for." "I can't believe your letter." Occasionally, I will find a disgruntled reader who informs me the Opinion Page's content is too biased. Duh. It's obvious there is confusion on how the Opinion Page works.
In both of Bob Darrow's articles, "Detroit officials embrace expansion" (SN 12/07) and "Osteopathic school looks to expand" (SN 12/06), some major issues concerning the expansion of the College of Osteopathic Medicine weren't addressed. First off, Darrow quotes the college's Dean William Strampel, who said the reason for such an expansion is to satisfy the future shortage of physicians.
I was disappointed to learn that ASMSU, the campus student government, voted to oppose the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. It is beyond question that affirmative action is in serious need of repair.
When I made the decision last April to attend MSU College of Law, I was immediately bombarded with flyers, brochures and pamphlets advertising both on- and off-campus living arrangements. The official MSU brochures mainly featured Owen Graduate Hall, and highlighted the fact that Owen Graduate Hall is catered to the needs of law students and other graduate students.