COMMENTARY

Out of time

The East Lansing City Council has already rained on the parade of party-loving students and ASMSU's umbrella is too small to stop the flood. Under the city's revised party-noise ordinance, offenders face a minimum of three days in jail and a $500 fine for a misdemeanor offense and a $1,000 fine for a civil infraction. Four party hosts drowned in the city council's storm last weekend as they were cited with misdemeanor offenses. As the puddles get deeper, MSU's undergraduate student government has finally stepped up to try to calm the storm.

COMMENTARY

Stabilizing service

It is the responsibility of the Residence Halls Association to keep close tabs on how student tax money is being used. After five years of having a contract with Waste Management for the campus recycling program, RHA is doubting whether the collected materials were recycled last year.

COMMENTARY

Stop and go

MSU's campus was built at a time when officials did not anticipate thousands of cars on its roads daily.

COMMENTARY

Weapon wisdom

It doesn't make sense that someone should need a gun while they are swimming. But an East Lansing gun ordinance, forbidding the possession of concealed weapons in such areas as the Hannah and Bailey community centers, the East Lansing Public Library and the Family Aquatic Center, is being repealed after similar local bans in Ferndale were challenged and defeated by the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners. Last November, the local ordinance was approved in East Lansing by a 4-1 vote.

COMMENTARY

Patriotism now

Too many have dyed the American soil red for us to wash away all of the sacrifices and principles that bare the liberties and freedoms enjoyed since our independence. Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Sept.

COMMENTARY

Combined center

The variety of shops, restaurants and bars which have sprung up in downtown East Lansing brings pride to all community residents - but the city landscape could always use some more diversity.

COMMENTARY

Power priority

Something is wrong when tuition goes up but the power goes down. Students don't expect all the comforts of home when they move into a residence hall, but with tuition rates as high as they are now, they should expect the basic necessities. The August blackout caused widespread problems across the northeastern United States, but it was déjá vu for many students living in Case and Yakeley halls.

COMMENTARY

Troubled testing

It's been said a million times: One test cannot accurately determine a person's true ability to succeed at the collegiate level.

COMMENTARY

Common sense

Those green and white stickers in the dorm room which read "lock your doors" are there for a reason, but it looks like some people are not heeding the advice. MSU police reported 220 thefts during the first eight months of the year, a jump from 170 during the same time in 2002.

COMMENTARY

Hazardous hazing

The recent women's soccer player hazing incident is just another example of a pointless tradition that needs to be stopped.

COMMENTARY

Stop sharing

Your e-mail is down. You can't check your test score on ANGEL. There's a constant threat of a new virus infecting your hard drive.

COMMENTARY

Summit solutions

MSU sending university leaders and student representatives to the "Student Summit" is a step in the right direction for curbing riotous behavior. MSU is not the only university in the nation that struggles with postgame rioting.

COMMENTARY

Teaching 'U'

Sometimes you don't get what you pay for. Undergraduate teaching assistants are helping in the instruction of courses for other undergraduate students, which is like the blind leading the blind.

COMMENTARY

Far From Heaven

While the university's heart was in the right place, it was trying to do too much, too fast when it implemented ANGEL. ANGEL, also known as A New Global Environment for Learning, and MSU's new course management system, has been less than heavenly for off-campus students who have experienced nothing but trouble since the system was implemented in August.

COMMENTARY

Target spotted

Shh! This is a library. No, wait, it's the city of East Lansing. City officials just can't seem to realize that East Lansing is a college town and that a good number of the population is fun-loving students.

COMMENTARY

Grievance heard

Getting proper pay is important to many teaching assistants who might be paying their way through college and supporting families.

COMMENTARY

Meter madness

MSU parking officials are making sure your pockets jingle a bit louder this semester. About 40 percent of the university's 1,100 metered spaces increased hourly rates from $1.25 to $1.50 on July 1. In the middle of a budget crunch, every nickel and dime can help, but the wrong drivers are being penalized in this price hike.

COMMENTARY

Too much trash

Importing of trash from Canada into Michigan needs to stop. While legislators have become creative as to where they get their funding, especially when the state is facing difficult budget constraints, the people of Michigan need to tell them they have gone too far. The statewide campaign to stop the importation of Canada's trash into Michigan gained support last week as legislators in Lansing discussed the trash treaty and encouraged residents to sign petitions against foreign trash imports.

COMMENTARY

Right guideline

Hail, hail to the University of Michigan for continuing to maintain diversity on its campus. On Thursday, U-M announced its new undergraduate admissions policy, which eliminates the controversial point system and emphasizes essay writing.

COMMENTARY

Funding for fire

Many take peace of mind for granted because there are always people around to protect us. We have police officers guarding our streets, doctors to make us well and firefighters to prevent destruction.