Saturday, July 4, 2026

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

DeWeese blew it with missed vote

Gretchen Whitmer is one of the hardest working legislators in the House of Representatives. While she and I do not agree on everything, in the Legislature or on the football field, we were a part of a concerted effort by university administrators, student advocacy groups and legislators throughout the state to repeal the tuition tax credit. Contrary to allegations of partisanship on Whitmer’s part, this was a bipartisan effort to do away with an underutilized program and put dollars back in the pockets of students - a bipartisan effort that failed by one vote. Not only is it not partisanship to point out the measure failed by one vote - it is important for the community to know it failed by the vote of a tardy local representative, Paul DeWeese, who is now running to represent much of the impacted constituency in the state Senate. Rep.

COMMENTARY

How can SN support affirmative action?

I found the editorial “Colorless” (SN 11/27) very ironic, bringing light to the fact that the ethnicity of the Council of Racial Ethnic Students and the Council of Progressive Students liaison is irrelevant.

COMMENTARY

Safe border, eh

Kudos to MSU President M. Peter McPherson for his involvement in the call for border security talks between the United States and Canada. A letter signed by 21 U.S.

COMMENTARY

MIP or RIP

The fear of getting in trouble for a minor in possession of alcohol infraction is outweighing too many students’ concern for their safety - a dangerous trend that current enforcement policies encourage. Cracking down on underage drinking does not teach responsibility, it only causes students to fear for their legal well-being.

COMMENTARY

Sept. 11 discussions leave out black voices

Within a couple of days following the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, I brought a copy of John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” to my class on African American political thought, a class with a good mix of white and black students.

COMMENTARY

Colorless

ASMSU’s director of racial, ethnic and progressive student affairs is not a minority - but that shouldn’t be a hindrance to the job. Melanie Olmsted, who is white, was approved by both assemblies of ASMSU to be the official liaison between the undergraduate student government and the Council of Racial Ethnic Students and the Council of Progressive Students. But even though Olmsted is only affiliated with Women’s Council - she’s the group’s former leader - she can be an effective communicator with other groups.

COMMENTARY

Show character, turn down money

It seems as though the Meridian Mall-American Civil Liberties Union debate has come to a close, and a disappointing one at that. Although the truth will be known only to Deb employees and its 10 offended shoppers, the case was an interesting one because both sides refused to accept responsibility and firmly defended themselves. Clearly, Deb and Meridian Mall security did not want a court case, so they agreed to do what was necessary to end the whole affair: Apologize, encourage a diverse workforce and most shockingly, pay the students $1,000 each. I do not view this as a victory for the 10 shoppers claiming discrimination.

COMMENTARY

Charity thanks U for efforts success

On behalf of the American Cancer Society and breast cancer patients and their families throughout mid-Michigan, I would like to thank the students and faculty of MSU for their incredible support of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

COMMENTARY

Cloned

The debate over stem cell research and human cloning has left many camps divided, but new developments threaten to force lawmakers’ hands to a potentially foolish and careless decision. On Sunday, Advanced Cell Technology Inc. of Worchester, Mass., announced that its scientists have created the first cloned human embryo.

COMMENTARY

Language is barrier to learning math

I am writing this letter in response to the article “Math problems left unsolved,” (SN, 11/16). I agree with the Department of Mathematics Chairperson Peter Lappan that foreign teaching assistants’ accents are not the real problem.

COMMENTARY

No excuse

It’s an incident that should upset everyone on a university campus, a place reserved for open-minded study of the world. A black MSU student opened her Case Hall door recently to find a threatening racial slur written across a Case Hall Back Caucus poster.

COMMENTARY

Wrong message sent in settlement

The Meridian Mall and Deb Shops, Inc., are settling to pay 10 opportunists $1,000. Does anyone see what caving to this sort of saber rattling and grandstanding does? I work in another retail store in the Meridian Mall and have worked in other malls.

COMMENTARY

Fad of patriotism bad as Friends

I agree with the letter concerning patriotism as a marketing tool (“‘Sick of hearing’ about recent news,” SN 11/16) and would like to elaborate. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, did wristbands get sold with names of victims on them with the explanation that they were for a scholarship fund?

COMMENTARY

Boondocks satire of race needed

This letter is in defense of “The Boondocks,” a nationally syndicated comic by Aaron McGruder (“Comic not funny, just bashes race,” SN 11/19). McGruder is an African American comic artist who created “The Boondocks” to be both a racial and political satire.

COMMENTARY

Learning resources dont solve issues

While I am sure there are those who don’t study or utilize the resources offered by the math department, this should not be used as an excuse by those in that department to justify why so many students aren’t doing well. In every department there are going to be those who don’t see how a particular subject is going to be relevant to the rest of their lives, especially when it comes to university requirements.