Saturday, December 20, 2025

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

'U' should work to understand Muslims

Atheists often make the claim that one cannot prove that God exists. As a Muslim, I can claim that I have no doubt whatsoever that God exists, has always existed and will always exist, and is our Creator.

COMMENTARY

Gender education

In January, Olin Health Center's Community Action Team will add four women's health programs to its repertoire.

COMMENTARY

Classroom color

Diversity might be a theme in the nation's workplaces, governing halls and educational institutions, but it seems the mark is still being missed - at least in the K-12 educational realm. Despite the country's gradual progression toward a more diversified and open-minded world, minority teachers remain an uncommon sight in schools. Nationwide, minority teachers represent 14 percent of the teaching population in America, while minority students comprise 36 percent of classrooms, according to the National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse's Web site, www.recruitingteachers.org. These lopsided conditions are not much different for MSU students preparing to head into the classroom for their careers. According to university officials, only about 9 percent of students enrolled in MSU's College of Education are minorities. That is compared to the 14 percent of students enrolled in The Eli Broad College of Business and the 19 percent in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. These statistics are unsettling. For an educational institution as distinguished and celebrated as MSU's College of Education, the lack of minorities enrolled is unbelievable. Diversity in the classroom as well as the faculty of schools across the nation is imperative to future leaders and the balance of ethics, tolerance and equality. Minority teachers can bring a new perspective to schools and be positive role models for the students.

COMMENTARY

Department should pay for broken deals

Although I agree that MSU should take care in hiring decisions, I disagree with The State News' argument against buyouts for the individuals it mentioned in the editorial "Money talk" (SN 12/02). Most people in this country are employed at will.

COMMENTARY

Williams costumes were not offensive

I would like to agree with John A. Amrhein's letter to the editor "Story about Virginia party left questions" (SN 12/02). I, too, did not understand why this issue was so controversial. Two white men coming to a costume party dressed as the Williams sisters shows no racial injustice up front and since we, as a campus, have no further information, we should be fools to jump to any such conclusions as to what was meant by it. In my opinion, it should be an honor to the Williams sisters that people would want to dress up like them on Halloween. Halloween has become a holiday where you don't have to dress up in scary costumes anymore.

COMMENTARY

Iraq worth debate, but not by council

I believe it is appropriate to comment on the story regarding the action in Academic Council relating to a discussion on a possible war in Iraq ("Academic Council axes talk on warfare," SN 11/27). I would like to point out that I never received an e-mail from Professor Richard Peterson, making me wonder if he truly considers the student representatives on the council real members of the assembly. As for his assertion that "the close of today's meeting of Academic Council was a shameful moment in the history of MSU," I cannot disagree more. The action taken by the council, while being morally repugnant to some people, was in keeping with the two of the greatest gifts that we have as Americans - democracy and free speech. A majority of the council representatives believed that the body should not discuss the matter, therefore we did not.

COMMENTARY

Saddened silence

The student segment of Academic Council was astoundingly united Tuesday in its effort to sway the assembly to not discuss the possibility of warfare in Iraq.

COMMENTARY

Money talk

Employees who perform unsatisfactorily are rarely given a bonus after being booted out the door. But the MSU athletics department is developing a troubling habit of rewarding those it no longer wants to have around. On Wednesday, officials announced MSU will pay former football head coach Bobby Williams $550,000 to end his contract.

COMMENTARY

Columnist's words were hypocritical

I was floored by John Bice's column "Religious majority doesn't understand atheist views" (SN 11/26). I found his arguments to be intolerant and ignorant of opposing views. Bice complained of a "surprising level of hostility toward secularism," but only offers an even more hostile attitude toward theists. He chose to highlight only negative acts committed in the name of religion, leaving the benevolent actions of religious figures like Mother Theresa, Ghandi and organizations, such as the Salvation Army, out of his equation.

COMMENTARY

U.S. foreign policy is an academic topic

I'm writing in response to the article "Academic Council axes talk on warfare" (SN 11/27). My inclination is to be surprised at the apoliticalism and moral complacency of those students who voted against discussing the possibility of war in Iraq.

COMMENTARY

Story about Virginia party left questions

Wednesday's article about the University of Virginia Halloween party incident left me very confused ("'U' reacts to costume party incident involving Virginia fraternities," SN 11/27). The story had half a dozen quotes from MSU leaders that said essentially the same thing - this was a horrible event and these types of things should not be tolerated. What exactly are "these types of things"? Nowhere does anyone explain why they are upset about it, and I think the reporter should have made a point to ask that question. I still don't know why two white guys dressing up as the Williams sisters for a Halloween party offended so many people.

COMMENTARY

Statistics make Detroiter cringe at thought of going back

Have you seen the music video for Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama?" At the end of it, she's standing in front of a bunch of television screens depicting the images of the war on terrorism, and she's just going crazy. That is how I feel right about now. As if war with Iraq wasn't enough to deal with, there's another war going on right here, in Michigan. In Detroit, at least 23 youths aged 16 and younger have been killed this year; most of them by gunfire. A study by the Detroit Free Press showed Detroit surpassed 10 other major U.S.

COMMENTARY

Rogers provided season's highlights

Thank you, Charles Rogers. In an otherwise disappointing football season, you gave Spartan fans a reason to continue watching games. I only wish you would have been able to showcase your skills for a winning team and a New Year's Day bowl game. I think that the catch you made in the back of the end zone against Notre Dame might be the best I've ever seen.

COMMENTARY

Pro bound

It's official. Charles Rogers is taking his leave of Spartan Country, forgoing his senior year to enter the NFL Draft.

COMMENTARY

Peace will come when religion goes

I thought John Bice's column "Religious majority doesn't understand atheist views" (SN 11/26) made an obvious point to the open-minded and objective thinking people of this world. As he stated, depending on where you live, one might be afraid to speak openly why people are "killing" in the name of God. John Lennon was a famous person who wrote a song called "Imagine." He was very brave to suggest that people imagine a world with no religion. Most people live in fear of being ridiculed for not believing, so they lie.