Friday, June 21, 2024

Editorials

COMMENTARY

MSU should continue work toward no coal

MSU is a research university whose administrators talk about going green, so it would make sense for the administration to embrace the goals of MSU Beyond Coal and lead the charge toward clean energy. Unfortunately, the administration is dragging its feet with regards to clean energy.

COMMENTARY

Governance requires student leader input

ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government and MSU administrators are questioning the effectiveness of student representation in the Academic Governance system. The administration deserves criticism for its inability to make students feel heard, but students also should be criticized for not contributing much to the conversation.

COMMENTARY

MSU should learn from Penn State incident

There shouldn’t have to be press involved for the truth to come out at MSU. At the beginning of the situation at Penn State, local police were not involved at all. In both cases at MSU, law enforcement was involved from the beginning, but the athletics department refrained from taking immediate action until after widespread media attention.

COMMENTARY

Commit to stopping sexual assault at MSU

The MSU community’s commitment to stopping sexual assaults should be stronger and even more resolute today because of the recent alleged assault in Armstrong Hall. Both male and female students must know and perceive the difference between a regrettable decision and a sexual assault.

COMMENTARY

Start talking about suicide, depression

Talking about suicides and mental disorders is awkward because of the perception of students with mental illnesses. But awkwardness is no excuse for silence, and students don’t have to face suicidal thoughts or depression alone.

COMMENTARY

E.L. council elections affect student life

The city council and school board elections are taking place this Tuesday. Although most students are not affected by the school board election, voting in the city council election is one of the many ways students can participate in the community where they live and study.

COMMENTARY

Take alleged illegal mail search seriously

It’s obviously bad that allegations of city workers going through students’ mail exist at all. What’s worse is that it allegedly has been happening since at least September 2009, according to email obtained by The State News. And the worst part is the East Lansing City Council knew about this alleged misconduct in 2009 and has taken no steps to resolve the issue.

COMMENTARY

MSU ready for gender-neutral housing now

One of the best parts of living in the dorms is getting the college experience — meeting new people who might or might not share the same world view and experiences as you do and learning from them. And there are few better ways to find a different world view to learn from than living with a member of the opposite sex.

COMMENTARY

Demand passionately, not without respect

There was a time and a place for the Black Student Alliance, or BSA, to be indignant; that time was in the days immediately following the writing of racial slurs on students’ doors. The organization should have stifled that demeanor when speaking to MSU’s administration.

COMMENTARY

Iraq troop drawdown not end of problems

Every generation has a war that defines them; our generation has the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, just like our parents had the Vietnam War, just like their parents had WWII. Today, our generation can share in the relief that our fathers and grandfathers felt because our war is over.

COMMENTARY

Project’s impact needs further evaluation

When doing a project, you want it done correctly rather than quickly. The East Lansing City Council, though, appears to be in a rush to grab some federal funding for development on East Grand River Avenue. Last week, the East Lansing City Council voted 4-1 to apply for a federal matching grant to assist in the revamping of the section of Grand River Avenue between Collingwood Drive and Hagadorn Road.

COMMENTARY

Enjoy homecoming with respect, pride

Yes, Homecoming is a time for students to be entertained. Homecoming weekend, though, is more than simply a massive amount of parties, college football and a parade down Grand River Avenue. For a weekend, Spartans young and old embrace the Spartan spirit.

COMMENTARY

Students unfairly rushed to sign leases

No student can predict the future. However, by pressuring them to sign leases as early as a year in advance, property management companies are asking students to do just that. Being pressured to sign a lease to live off-campus in October for the following fall is too early for students’ ever-changing plans.

COMMENTARY

Discriminatory bills need to be stopped

When confronted recently with issues of racial discrimination, MSU students and officials agreed to work together to make campus a comfortable environment for all. State Representatives must have missed that lesson because a series of bills that appear to encourage discrimination now are making their way through the legislative process.

COMMENTARY

Ethics, value of note-sharing questionable

Students recently have discovered a new way to skip out on classes while still obtaining notes. But this method comes with a price. Notehall and GradeGuru, websites used for sharing study guides and notes by students for students, are negatively impacting the way some students learn.