COMMENTARY

Take it to task

Unfortunately, racism is still rearing its ugly head today, as we have seen on campus this past school year. Fortunately, though, a new committee is being created to combat this problem: the All-University Diversity Task Force. The task force will be made up of students, officials and community leaders and will meet four times a year to help bring diverse groups together and create discussion leading toward action that will ease tensions on campus concerning race-related problems. Hopefully, when this committee is put together, it can help heal the wounds left from incidents such as the racist flier in Shaw Hall and the mannequin head debacle.

COMMENTARY

Pricey protection

To remedy the rampant security concerns on MSU's campus, perhaps armored guards should be brought in to man residence halls.

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Psychic speaker

Our most humble apologies to state House Speaker Rick Johnson. It seems that when we scolded the LeRoy Republican for making offhanded comments labeling college students as hoodlums.

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Excessive force

While the actions of Sunday night rioters were malicious and should not go unpunished, those who took to campus and city streets in rage were not the only wrongdoers in the melee.

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Head hunting

Students and residents in East Lansing have little time to cope with the heart-breaking costs of war in Iraq as Sunday's juvenile melee on and near campus has left the community mulling the cost of a worthless riot. Despite budgets burdened by the state's broken economy, MSU and East Lansing officials say they are willing to pay up to $2,500 in rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of participants in Sunday night's riot.

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Unfair fight

The unfortunate reality of war is that citizens not directly involved in conflict sometimes lose their lives.

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Crossed the line

For the more than 2,000 people who took to the streets Sunday to wreak havoc in East Lansing and on campus, feel free to find the nearest exit from the MSU community.

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Elite outlook

Though no championship banners will be raised or titles claimed, the members of the MSU men's basketball team should hold their heads high. The Spartans battled their way through a grueling season, and their suffering paid off in this year's Big Dance. Some might view MSU as just a Cinderella, but Spartan fans everywhere know we weren't wearing glass slippers.

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Let them play

University officials should quickly curb any impulses they might have to punish the 15 MSU students arrested during the celebration festivities that erupted after the Spartans earned their way to the NCAA's Elite Eight on Friday night. Although university spokesman Terry Denbow originally went on record saying he doubted the university would pursue its off-campus code of conduct policy in regard to Friday night's events, he later said that assessment could change after speaking with MSU President M.

COMMENTARY

Battle time

With U.S. troops closing in on Baghdad and the timetable of military leaders growing ever more vague, Americans only can expect the U.S.-led war on Iraq to get bloodier. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Sunday he is unsure about the timetable of this war - especially its ending.

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Disgraceful 'U'

When hearing Professor Fayyaz Hussain describe his experiences of being sneered at to "Go back home," a reasonable person might think he was reminiscing about being teased in elementary school. Sadly, that is not the case.

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Election idiocy

ASMSU has taken themselves too seriously once again with its disqualification of 45 students from its recent election.

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Silent support

Showing silent support for the people affected by war and for the soldiers fighting for the liberation of the Iraqi people, students at MSU can help in a huge way to send aid to those affected by violence with donations of blood.

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Humane help

The United States and its coalition cannot afford to come up short or late when it comes to getting humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people they are claiming to liberate. The first sizable relief convoy rolled into Iraq during Wednesday's sandstorm, three days after President Bush promised "massive amounts" of humanitarian aid would be delivered. Missing such important self-imposed deadlines is unacceptable for the nation that paved its way for war with Iraq.

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Paying the cost

As if the price of American lives wasn't already too much to pay for the Bush administration's war with Iraq, now the president is asking Congress for billions of dollars the country doesn't have to finance the endeavor. President Bush is seeking $74.7 billion as a down payment for the war with Iraq.

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Agri-vating

With many worries of terrorism flooding Americans' minds every day, the people of MSU do not need to dwell on the phenomenon known as agri-terrorism.

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March magic

During the past few years, MSU's March Madness performances have been up and down. And after this weekend's games, the tournament is looking up. On Sunday, the Spartans once again demonstrated they should be more feared than The Crocodile Hunter by downing Florida 68-46 and reminding the Gators why it was MSU who was the NCAA National Champion in 2000. It is indeed sweet to be among the top 16 men's basketball teams in the country, especially when so many had been counting it out. The success of the men's basketball team speaks volumes about the leadership abilities of head coach Tom Izzo, who for the first time in his MSU career began to find himself under serious scrutiny from his fans and supporters. But his team's performance and success in the first two rounds of the NCAA tourney plainly illustrate why he is a head coach and his critics are not. There is a reason that Izzo's name tops the winning-percentage list of active coaches in the 2003 NCAA tourney right above Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The Spartans had their share of ups and downs this season as strong players fell off the radar screen and late-comers began to develop.

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Assumed support

The U.S. troops fighting in Iraq have publicly gained the attention and support of the state Legislature, but Americans should be thinking of the soldiers who are protecting our nation without the push of lawmakers. A senator and representative introduced resolutions in their respective houses which supported Michigan troops in the war and operations in Iraq.

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Class in context

With the events taking place around the world in the wake of war, classes at MSU should integrate discussions of world issues into the regular curricula to increase awareness on the topic.

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Pro-protest

In a country deeply split over whether military action in Iraq is a proper part of the solution to world peace, U.S.