On-campus residents can expect to part with even more money on top of their rising tuition bill next year. On Friday, the MSU Board of Trustees approved a 5.25 percent increase to residence hall room and board rates and University Apartments rates.
I have read many of the opinion letters published over the past several days in The State News that decry the response of the East Lansing Police Department on April 2-3. The simple fact that all of this boils down to is that East Lansing has earned the reputation that the students and citizens will riot after big games.
What is so different from this year's Final Four loss compared to the Final Four loss of 2001? And why isn't that loss covered in any of the statistics concerning damage, amount of people, riot gear, etc.? It is impossible to compare police and student actions of this year's loss to that of the 2000 NCAA Championship.
I was not in East Lansing for the "peaceful gathering" on April 2, but I saw it on the news.
For journalists, integrity is essential. In a field where the sole interest is reporting the truth, one must have the public's trust that what is being written is what really happened.
I believe I have the solution to the issue of "soft" cops that Tom Marshall wrote in about "'Soft' police officers overreacted to crowd" (SN 4/7). If the East Lansing Police Department is itching for some action, then a cop exchange program might help solve the problem.
It seems to me that the police were asking for students to congregate in the streets by erecting barricades throughout East Lansing.
After having read several stories about the actions taken by the East Lansing police, not all of which came from The State News, I have to make a comment.
As I ventured forth onto Grand River Avenue from my home on Stoddard Street following the basketball game on April 2, I knew that something terrible must have been happening.
The events of last Saturday exhibit a deeply disturbing blatant abuse of police power, but perhaps the worst part of the whole thing is the East Lansing City Council's lack of understanding of students' viewpoints.
I wanted to express how unfortunate it was to end a really great day at MSU with tear gas exploding in my face.
I am writing this letter in regard to the so-called "rioting" that occurred in Cedar Village on April 2-3. I was visiting some friends who live in the Waters Edge Apartments, and during the night I attempted to get some food.
I am shocked at how completely ignorant students are here at MSU. Tell me, fellow Spartans, does "celebrating with class" include throwing glass bottles at police, torching couches and tearing down street signs?
Instead of putting down a riot that never happened, the police department incited more fear, violence, and disorder than I have seen in four years at MSU. Apparently, the police are entirely without good ideas for dealing with riots because any tactics they used Saturday night represented utter insanity.
Sexuality is like skin color - it's something you can't change (unless you're Michael Jackson), so accept it.
It is unbelievable how poorly the students in the city of East Lansing are treated. Sure, there have been some mistakes in the past, but the actions taken by police and city officials have gone way too far this time.
To the police of the East Lansing area: Do you remember the spring of 2000? The night when Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson beat Florida and sent thousands of us into the streets to celebrate their achievements and bask in their glory?
The way that I see it, many students and alumni were celebrating what their Spartans had accomplished.
So, East Lansing law says that it is illegal for four or more people to engage in a riot, or assemble for a riot, and so on.
The recent melee between the East Lansing police and MSU students was a disturbing event. The police attempted to justify their actions by saying that they acted pre-emptively in order to put a halt to any potential rioting.