COMMENTARY

Audible silence

In the political arena, a protest sometimes is regarded as the most potent civic expression citizens are capable of creating. The word protest draws in the familiar images of placard waving and chant shouting which, in and of itself, is powerful but isn't the most enduring method of changing minds. What the members of the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community did on Wednesday - crossing their mouths out with tape and quietly making their presence known on campus - wasn't a protest.

COMMENTARY

Sharers beware

Students beware, your file sharing days might be limited. The Recording Industry Association of America planned to sue 20 people from MSU on Tuesday for illegal file sharing.

COMMENTARY

Delayed answer

Are you getting sick of The State News' coverage of the April 2-3 disturbances? Does the issue feel burnt out and tired?

COMMENTARY

Grad assistance

What would life at this university be like without the services of graduate teaching assistants? It seems likely that faculty members would have a much harder time adequately handling large classes without assistants to aid students, administer tests and assist in grading.

COMMENTARY

Don't bar bars

Boo! Those pesky kids and their going to the bar all the time! Why, I ought to do something about it.

COMMENTARY

A strong voice

This year's undergraduate commencement speaker promises to be a lot more inspirational and less political. At the request of MSU President Lou Anna K.

COMMENTARY

Safe sanctions

It is impossible to make a case for driving drunk. Being inebriated and operating a motor vehicle are two rights you have that are mutually exclusive. You've probably heard all of the valid reasons not to drink and drive before: Alcohol impairs coordination, information processing ability, eye movement and steering ability, among other things. At the risk of sounding like an overbearing and graphic "Blood on the Highway"-esque driver's education film here, any decision to drive drunk is a bad one.

COMMENTARY

Rising rates

On-campus residents can expect to part with even more money on top of their rising tuition bill next year. On Friday, the MSU Board of Trustees approved a 5.25 percent increase to residence hall room and board rates and University Apartments rates.

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Lesson learned

For journalists, integrity is essential. In a field where the sole interest is reporting the truth, one must have the public's trust that what is being written is what really happened.

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Self insured

For all of our youth and vibrancy, we are not invincible. By college, our immune systems have become fairly resistant and our bodies are able to bounce back from almost anything.

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Take notes

East Lansing wasn't the only university town with a "riot" on its hands this past week. Chapel Hill, N.C., home to the University of North Carolina, had its own fair share of civil disturbances.

COMMENTARY

Still winners

Although the fire of winning a National Championship was blown out Tuesday night when the MSU women's basketball team lost to Baylor in Indianapolis, the embers of a momentous season are still burning brightly. The Lady Bears outplayed the Spartans the whole 40 minutes of the contest, beating them by more than 20 points (84-62), but they didn't steal their class.

COMMENTARY

Speak out

Students have been up in arms about the excessive police force that followed Saturday's basketball game, and rightfully so.

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Right move

Congratulations are in order for the student groups that have campaigned diligently for almost five years in an attempt to get MSU to join the Worker Rights Consortium.

COMMENTARY

Wrong move

It's apparent no East Lansing City Council members were around to personally witness the tear gas attacks police officers launched against peacefully celebrating students following the MSU men's basketball team's loss to the University of North Carolina on Saturday.

COMMENTARY

A great run

The Tar Heels out-gunned and out-finessed the MSU men's basketball team in the second half on Saturday, but they never broke the team's spirit.

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MSU brew

Coffee is the simple, everyday beverage that provides that much-needed boost of caffeine for getting through morning classes or late-night study sessions.

COMMENTARY

Excessive force

In the wake of multiple institutional e-mails cautioning against it, after weeks of speculation on whether or not it would occur, and in light of spoken warnings from professors, a riot did not take place in East Lansing this weekend.

COMMENTARY

ASMSU apathy

Despite efforts to increase student interest, voter turnout for this year's ASMSU election was once again disappointing.

COMMENTARY

April fools

Last April, for the first time in eight years, the Academic Senate convened so hundreds of faculty members could express concern about wide-sweeping changes administrators were planning without their input. At that point, the faculty stood up and voiced their opinions in a process that would, among other things, reorganize the College of Arts & Letters and the College of Communication Arts & Sciences into one large body devoted to the study of the liberal arts and sciences.