COMMENTARY
Disabled shouldn’t feel cuts hardest
Providing everyone with equal opportunities to excel is a fundamental principle presumed to exist in this country.
COMMENTARY
Helmet safety law should be common sense
Laws shouldn’t have to be created to enforce common sense. But they also shouldn’t encourage reckless behavior. On April 10, members of Michigan’s insurance and medical industries met at the Capitol, urging lawmakers and Gov. Rick Snyder to reinstate the state’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law.
COMMENTARY
Spirit trumps tragedy
Coping with the aftermath of a national tragedy is a process that has no deadline. In the days that follow, questions pertaining to motive and intent move to the forefront of our minds. Regardless of where the disaster takes place, for a brief period of time, every person seems to belong to the area of the country that’s been affected.
COMMENTARY
2014 budget proposal helpful, insubstantial
The president’s attention to college students is an encouraging sign, no doubt, but this news is not something to rejoice about just yet.
COMMENTARY
Availability of Plan B shouldn’t be restricted
Just like the decision to have an abortion should be entirely in the hands of the woman, the decision to take the morning-after pill is a choice only one person should be expected to make.
COMMENTARY
Loan profits should return to education
Let’s give another slow clap for Congress. Starting July 1, student loan interest rates are set to double, impacting the many college students struggling to pay for an education.
COMMENTARY
Divesting in oil will create new troubles
If you invest in a company that profits from activities harming the environment, does that mean you support the adverse effects they create?
COMMENTARY
Animal abuse legislation needs continued support
These measures, along with larger-scale resident support, have helped limit cruelty incidents and have made Michigan the fourth-best state for animal protection, according to a 2012 Animal Legal Defense Fund report.
COMMENTARY
Abuse of power too common in athletics
A school set to join the Big Ten next year has been in the national spotlight the past weeks, but for reasons its affiliates would like to forget.
COMMENTARY
We’re not all Wolverines
All respect aside, at the end of the day, one thing remains true: U-M is, and always has been, our rival.
COMMENTARY
ASMSU must connect to student body
If someone was to ask you to name the candidates running in the ASMSU elections next week, could you do it?
COMMENTARY
Shoplifters should face harsher sentence
Beginning last week, stiffer penalties — sometimes up to a five-year felony sentence — now can be levied against those convicted of shoplifting in Michigan. A dozen circumstances now are evaluated to determine whether an individual’s acts could be categorized as “organized retail crime,” which could range from deactivating store security devices to conspiring with accomplices and receiving store goods.
COMMENTARY
Medical amnesty vital part of college campus
There never should be a consequence for doing the right thing, and if there is one state that has made that clear, it’s Michigan.
COMMENTARY
Hateful comments hurt GOP reputation
If ignorance was a crime, Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema would be found guilty on all charges.
COMMENTARY
Progressive Pope will help Catholic Church
In his first weeks as pontiff, Pope Francis has made it perfectly clear he isn’t afraid to break from routine.
COMMENTARY
Save madness for basketball court
Many of us know exactly where we’ll be tonight at 9:45. For the 11th time in Tom Izzo’s tenure, MSU will battle in the Sweet 16 — taking on Duke in a matchup that is as much anticipated nationally as it is locally
COMMENTARY
Colleges must be pioneers of human rights
What characteristics do you need to be recognized as the gender you identify with? Is it strictly an issue of biology or something that depends more on what gender the individual considers himself or herself to be?
COMMENTARY
Rising tuition could be fault of tenured staff
According to a report released last week by Education Sector and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a decline in the teaching loads of tenured faculty members could play a role in driving up tuition costs.
COMMENTARY
Retaining graduates key priority for state
According to a 2010 poll, Michigan ranked fifth in the nation for the total number of degrees and certificates awarded, and fourth for the total number of degrees and certificates in critical skill areas such as medicine, engineering and math.
COMMENTARY
‘Competency’ student aid not without flaws
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to colleges across the country permitting federal aid to be provided to students enrolled in “competency-based” programs. These programs include tests, portfolios, clinical observations and other assessments of current and prior knowledge.