Saturday, January 31, 2026

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Celebration for good, not negative

For weeks, there was a media frenzy surrounding the first Black Celebratory to be held for the black graduates of MSU. Though a noteworthy event, unfortunately the focus was not on the historical significance of the celebratory or to bring recognition to the efforts of the students and staff to acknowledge such a milestone accomplishment as successful matriculation at a predominately white institution of higher learning.

COMMENTARY

Nix the annex

Annexation is a problem many townships face as cities grow, creeping over their boundaries and absorbing the revenue that bordering land can provide - and it’s not about to end soon. East Lansing could soon annex 1,056 acres of land along Chandler Road in Bath Township after two students filed petitions in Clinton County for the annexation. The students are residents of Melrose Communities, 16789 Chandler Road, and say they worry the township’s emergency personnel can’t support their complex. So they want East Lansing to take over the land, further expanding the city’s north border. The students have some legitimate concerns regarding safety - it is possible that Bath Township fire and police officials might not be able to reach the area as quickly as East Lansing providers, or that they simply might not have the resources to cover the very edge of the township.

COMMENTARY

Affordable school necessary for all

The “five-year degree,” as your editorial staff so eloquently stated in the Opinion Page (“Tuition trouble,” SN 5/13), has to be an acceptable option for anyone who has to work multiple jobs to afford to live at and attend MSU or help support his or her families. It‘s never ceased to amaze me how, after cleaning up the apartments around here until homecoming, the university goes to great lengths to make those of us with families invisible.

COMMENTARY

Readers opinions make page exciting

For me, like a lot of people I know, the opinion section of a newspaper is always a highlight. It’s where, ideally, everyone has a chance to speak their minds as a part of that wonderful First Amendment we all hold so dear. It also allows the newspaper to take a stand on issues, a real treat since we journalists spend most of our time attempting to report the news in an unbiased manner. But for this particular section to work, there needs to be more than just one guy ranting.

COMMENTARY

Tuition Trouble

The MSU Board of Trustees’ 8.5 percent tuition hike for the 2002-03 school year is a regrettable measure to have to take.

COMMENTARY

Clubs, balls, carts and a little bit of sportsmanship

This is a column about golf. I’ll do my best to avoid the obligatory ball jokes that most trained humor professionals might make when writing a golf column, but I can’t guarantee anything. As the days (supposedly) get warmer, hundreds of citizens head out to the links to take part in the exclusive “gentleman’s game” known as golf. Recently, I joined some of my co-workers in a rousing round of the sport as part of an outing sponsored by the Michigan Press Association.

COMMENTARY

Union Conclusion

After a year of negotiations, Graduate Employees Union and university officials reached agreement on a three-year contract with increased health care and wage benefits for MSU’s graduate employees. We hope this deal provides needed relief to MSU’s teaching assistants, and also helps make this university more competitive in the hunt for the best graduate students. Under terms of the contract, graduate employees will receive a 3.5 percent wage increase retroactive to the beginning of the year, in addition to a 2 percent increase for 2002-03 and 2003-04 academic years, and a 3 percent increase in 2004-05. Like the thousands of undergraduate students at MSU, graduate employees rely on these wages and benefits to help them pay for their educations and support their families.

COMMENTARY

Unanswered

The passing of a new policy bill within the Residence Halls Association allowing the removal of executive board members in cases of gross negligence will not prove effective in dealing with the shortcomings of the organization.RHA has already had a history of irresponsibility, and although attempting to fix those problems is commendable, more effort is needed.

COMMENTARY

Please support union in fight for benefits

I hope students will not be mislead by Provost Lou Anna Simon’s e-mail regarding the Graduate Employees Union walkout and possible strike (“U braces for GEU strike,” SN 4/25). We are concerned about the effect a strike during finals will have on undergraduates, but we have been forced into this position by the delaying tactics of the administration.

COMMENTARY

Cartoon didnt make political statement

I found Matt Treadwell’s justification of Nate Allen’s cartoon (“SN need not apologize for unfunny, controversial illustration; cartoon fit to print,” SN 4/24) amazingly more amusing than the cartoon itself.

COMMENTARY

Unprofessional

After a postponement last week, the internal vice chairperson position on ASMSU’s Academic Assembly was filled Tuesday.

COMMENTARY

All subject to scrutiny on SN Opinion page

This is in response to Suzi DiBiasio’s letter “Political cartoon was distasteful, offensive” ( SN 4/23). She said it was totally out of line and offensive to pick on leaders of the Catholic Church and Allen needs a reminder about what is and is not funny.

COMMENTARY

Column promotes immorality, denial

Reading Josh Siegel’s column “Despite health risks, abstinence not an option; sex too good to miss” (SN 4/22) confirms my belief that The State News is clinging to the bottom rung of society’s moral ladder - and slipping at that.

COMMENTARY

Watching death gives no perspective on life

Everyone knows “Code Blue,” which makes it worthless as a code, so what comes overhead is “Code 333, MICU, Code 333.” A code is simply a call for help with the resuscitation of a patient who is close to death.