COMMENTARY

Provisions don’t belong in budget bill

What do stem cells, domestic partnerships and the state budget all have in common? Nothing, according to Gov. Rick Snyder’s legal team. Two provisions in the state budget, one that would create additional state-level oversight for stem cell research conducted by universities and another that would ask universities to eliminate health care coverage for domestic partnerships were deemed unconstitutional by the governor’s legal counsel.

COMMENTARY

Lounge outdated, still worth keeping

The Women’s Lounge inside the Union is an outdated ideal that (kind of) divides men and women. That’s no reason for it to go anywhere. The Women’s Lounge shouldn’t be eliminated because it is a piece of MSU tradition that still is in use — although those uses have evolved as times change. In addition, the options for replacing it don’t service students effectively.

COMMENTARY

Legislators misstep with health care bill

Public employees should start stocking up on aspirin, vitamin C and antibacterial soap because in all probability they won’t be able to afford getting sick in the future. The Michigan Senate passed a bill last week that forces public employees and teachers to pay at least 20 percent of their health care premiums, starting January of next year.

COMMENTARY

Sparrow’s nicotine policy hazy, invasive

Smoking is widely acknowledged as being bad for your health. But is it also bad for your wealth? If you want to work in medicine, it might be. A new policy at Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital requires that prospective employees have to be nicotine-free. At first glance, it’s an example of a hospital practicing what it preaches: health.

COMMENTARY

Business tax breaks are shortsighted answer

The Michigan Senate recently passed legislation that eliminated the Michigan Business Tax, replacing it with a 6 percent corporate income tax on businesses in Michigan.

COMMENTARY

Improving guidelines protects MSU students

Nothing happens in a vacuum. If an MSU student sexually assaults or harasses another student in an off-campus venue, that action should be taken into account if the behavior continues on-campus.

COMMENTARY

Michigan film industry requires time to grow

When voters chose to make Gov. Rick Snyder “CEO” of Michigan, they also signaled support of Snyder’s philosophy toward jobs and government investment. At the moment, it is one particular concept — return on investment, or ROI — that unfortunately threatens to leave film tax credits on the cutting room floor.

COMMENTARY

Spartans must keep writing new chapters in history

Well, this is it. Just another semester for some, the culmination of a college career for others and an ending (of sorts) for all. When something ends, people choose to look in two directions: backward to the progress that’s been made and forward to prepare for the unknown and what lies ahead.

COMMENTARY

ASMSU must raise profile on campus next year

ASMSU will find itself with a little extra money for next school year after a program for tailgate clean-up turned a profit. That’s good to hear, but having money isn’t the same thing as using it wisely.

COMMENTARY

New ratings website should benefit student renters

As the year winds down, students have to begin thinking of housing for the fall. Choosing where to live is a huge decision students have to make, and they need all the help they can get to make the decision that suits them best.

COMMENTARY

Volunteering for city program helps community

With Earth Day come and gone, some still might be in the mood to help the Earth and their community (or assuage their guilt over contributing to the current state of the environment as a whole).

COMMENTARY

Broad Museum spray painting simply vandalism

Panels of the skeleton of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum were vandalized by red spray paint on April 15. The irony is palpable. An unfinished art museum — what some might consider a work of art in and of itself — has a few panels redecorated by artwork of the street variety.

COMMENTARY

On Earth Day and beyond, take time to care for planet

Earth Day is one of those faux holidays that either make people feel guilty for not celebrating or overly proud for doing their part. Earth Day, like many other semi-holidays, has potential, but most people don’t take advantage.

COMMENTARY

With compensation, MSU must separate from pack

Although you might be striving for the top, MSU seems to be striving for the middle of the pack when it comes to graduate student compensation.

COMMENTARY

Stem cell provision only adds bureaucracy

Stem cell research could become increasingly difficult for universities such as MSU thanks to a provision attached to a bill passed by the state House higher education appropriations subcommittee.

COMMENTARY

Recent actions add to MSU’s pattern of overreaching

Now that ASMSU essentially has been forced to move its money to on-campus accounts, it’s clear MSU officials are using their power to impact MSU’s student government negatively.

COMMENTARY

Cutting foreign studies programs isolates US

Higher education international programs should be just about the last sector to suffer federal funding cuts. In an increasingly globalized world, foreign relations absolutely are vital to successful American economic growth. College students, businesses and even government officials need to be trained in international language and culture.

COMMENTARY

When it comes to cuts, education’s value off-limits

When deciding how to allocate state funding to Michigan universities, legislators must take time to find factors that distibute appropriations in a fair way.

COMMENTARY

Lapses in judgement lead to moratorium extension

It would make sense that, when a city council passes an ordinance, it would take effect relatively soon afterward. Oddly enough, that is not the case with East Lansing’s recently passed medical marijuana ordinance.

COMMENTARY

Dialog key to enforcement, stronger community

Students under the age of 21 sneaking, tricking and haggling their ways into bars should be no surprise in a college town. And last year’s 10 reported violations of bars serving underage and inebriated individuals seems low, if anything