COMMENTARY
Safe ride program novel idea for MSU
It’s hard to imagine spending a weekend in East Lansing without finding yourself in a situation in which you need to use a taxi.
COMMENTARY
Role of colleges to recruit talented poor
Widening economic inequality has been a growing problem that has plagued the lives of many in this country.
COMMENTARY
Online programs offer lifelong education options
Wikipedia, YouTube and a host of how-to sites have long provided free, accessible information on nearly every topic imaginable. For independent learners of a more academic bent, services such as Coursera, Udacity and iTunes U, provide high-caliber courses from distinguished instructors. Now, another niche in the world of online education is being filled.
COMMENTARY
Timing poor for Mich. 2020 education plan
Paying for college is one of the most significant financial burdens many people take on in their lives.
COMMENTARY
Interest of kids key factor in joint adoption
What makes a person a suitable parent? Is it exclusive to someone who shares the same genetic framework as his or her offspring? Can it also be someone without any common ancestors but who has been a part of a child’s life since birth?
COMMENTARY
Protection of Great Lakes public’s duty
Advocates for protecting Michigan’s Great Lakes are taking their concerns about across-the-board budget cuts they fear might contaminate their state to Washington, D.C.
COMMENTARY
Shouldn’t mess with Voting Rights Act
A U.S. Supreme Court decision has yet to be made concerning the constitutional validity of a key section of the Voting Rights Act, potentially altering the voting process in some states in future elections.
COMMENTARY
Looming budget cuts severe, unnecessary
With only a few days remaining until drastic federal spending cuts take effect, colleges and students are bracing themselves for the challenge of managing programs on a tighter budget.
COMMENTARY
Blame students for low online course grades
Earning a degree by taking low-cost online courses has been a theme that steadily has become more popular with college students. But some experts now question whether this new-age method of learning actually is as beneficial as institutions might hope.
COMMENTARY
Active support needed for same-sex rights
A major victory for proponents in support of ending a federal ban on gay marriage soon could be on the horizon.
COMMENTARY
Better oversight for government grants
Universities across the country owe millions of dollars to the federal government because of thousands of fraudulent Pell Grants collected during the past year.
COMMENTARY
Practicality prime facet of city proposals
As the first official day of spring draws near, the city of East Lansing is looking ahead to construction season. The city is in the process of reviewing seven proposals for the 2.82-acre segment of downtown that would be renovated. Multiple proposals would feature a farmers market or grocery store, with parking, residential space and hotels as other points of commonality.
COMMENTARY
Keystone Pipeline logical undertaking
As thousands of Americans, including MSU students, gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline on Feb. 17, the debate really boiled down to one question: Environment or economy?
COMMENTARY
Schools should consider covering sex-change surgery
Many of the U.S.’s top universities are taking radical new steps to accommodate transgender students and offering coverage for gender reassignment surgery as part of their student health insurance plans.
COMMENTARY
Chance to have say in downtown promising
MSU students might have a say in what becomes of many of the vacant properties littering the city of East Lansing’s downtown district.
COMMENTARY
Eliminating language won’t fix dropout rate
Representatives across the state are debating the pros and cons of passing a bill to drop the foreign language requirement in Michigan high schools.
COMMENTARY
Inclusion essential for unified campus
If MSU wants to establish a reputation for having an internationally-friendly environment, its students must be willing to broaden their cultural horizons and reach out to students of all backgrounds.
COMMENTARY
Education, wages key for Obama’s new term
If there were any question marks surrounding the plans President Barack Obama has for the next four years, they likely have been laid to rest.
COMMENTARY
Funding boost encouraging for education
Critics are up in arms about a proposed 2 percent increase in state higher education funding — arguing the amount doesn’t do enough to restore past cuts.
COMMENTARY
Film incentive cuts curb budding industry
Advocates for Michigan’s budding film industry worry their state’s silver screen soon could be in danger — at least if proposed funding cuts are as impactful as they fear.