Friday, July 3, 2026

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Right deal

The settlement between Deb Shops Inc. and 10 black MSU students who said they were discriminated against should send a message about the dangers of racial profiling. The students, who were shopping in the store Oct.

COMMENTARY

Math department bad in past, too

The math department was a disgrace when I was there, and from what I have heard and read it still is (“Math problems left unsolved,” SN 11/16). The professors are not qualified teachers and while this problem happens at any university, it’s especially apparent at MSU. If you want to solve the problem, quit relying on the teaching assistants and put more emphasis on smaller classes with teachers who happen to be professors, also. Richard Shetler Jr. 1993 MSU graduate

COMMENTARY

Teach math classes with same material

The problem with the math department is not just the lack of students attempting to seek help from their instructors or the lack of decent professors (“Math problems left unsolved,” SN 11/16). In fact, there is a lack of an equal curriculum between courses. In the math department, two students may take the same course, learn the same material, but have professors who organize their classes differently.

COMMENTARY

Heads up

The passion and motivation of the MSU men’s soccer team was rightly rewarded Monday with a berth in its first NCAA Tournament since 1969.Unfortunately, the team has achieved this historic season with little attention - further exemplifying team members’ fire for the sport.

COMMENTARY

Izzo salary not OK, look at big picture

In response to Peter Antoncic’s letter “Izzo earns salary through attention” (SN 11/15), I would like to say that you do have some good points, but you are gravely mistaken about the overall picture. Yes, having a good basketball team that wins championships does promote growth for the university.

COMMENTARY

Not discrimination in Deb Shop case

While I tend to err on the side of the politically correct and am likely described as a liberal, I have a view on the Deb Shop case (“Companies apologize, give money to students,” 11/20) that runs contrary to those ideals. Let me understand this: I can get together nine of my friends, hang out in a Deb store being obnoxious (mind you Deb has a small store), loiter all I want and I won’t get thrown out because I am not a minority? I was not at the incident in question, but frankly this seems over the top.

COMMENTARY

Financial aid woes

Students nationwide are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to financial aid. Recipients of the Pell Grant, including more than 6,000 MSU students, are facing the possibility of an oversight that would provide no increase in next year’s aid package.There were bills passed by the U.S.

COMMENTARY

Bloody Afghan war just the beginning

“We injured them. So we pulled them out of the trenches and lined them up on the ground, and we drove the tank over them,” Farid, a northern alliance tank commander, told a CBS camera crew about killing 27 Taliban soldiers. Very effective, Farid.

COMMENTARY

Izzo deserves pay more than others

Tom Izzo is very deserving of his recent pay raise. Izzo’s salary is more than offset by the money that is brought in by the basketball program, from ticket sales, merchandise and TV revenue.

COMMENTARY

Columnist wrong on impact of obesity

I am usually a great fan of Rishi Kundi’s columns, so I was a bit dismayed to see him citing incorrect information in his recent opinion piece (“24 lessons in 24 years, Rishi looks back,” SN11/15). About 300,000 people a year do not die of obesity-related conditions, as The New England Journal of Medicine stated in a 1998 report. This number was evidently created based on a study that tracked fewer than 200 actual deaths out of the 115,000 women it surveyed.

COMMENTARY

Silly to think raise not due to coach

To whoever believes that Izzo does not deserve his salary increase, you’re silly. Not only does he deserve it, but he’s honestly earned it. Obviously it’s not about the money to him, because if it were he would have left coaching at the collegiate level when he was offered a job in the NBA.

COMMENTARY

Problem sets

MSU students in mathematics classes have a tradition of having a harder time with their courses than they should.

COMMENTARY

Comic not funny, just bashes race

In Nov. 8’s paper there was a “comic” strip that I and many others found very offensive. The strip, “The Boondocks” by Aaron McGruder, referred to African Americans no longer being the most hated ethnic group in America.

COMMENTARY

Save money by turning down heat

One night I was talking to someone and they mentioned the university could save more than $1 million if dorm residents would just shut off their lights when they weren’t needed. Well I have a grand idea of how the university can save money. How about turning down the heat in some of the campus buildings?