NEWS
Grad student named MSU Employee of the Year
Many of his supervisors at the MSU Physical Plant call him an asset to the university. A great person to work with.
MSU
Mich. colleges cover blogging
The process of using Web logs, or blogs, started out as a way for people to express themselves to as wide an audience as would read them. Now it's hard to go to a major news or sports Web site without being able to easily access one of the writer's personal blogs. They're everywhere. A few colleges across Michigan incorporated blogging into their journalism programs, but professors at these schools realize the potential exists for a number of flaws to creep into any blogger's post. "Blogging offers an immediacy that print newspapers can't keep up with," MSU Editor in Residence Garry Gilbert said.
MSU
Free film series addresses rape culture
The Rape Culture Film Series will continue at 8 p.m. tonight at Wells Hall with "Rape Is …" The 30-minute movie discusses the consequences of rape and its status as the most underreported crime in the U.S. A second feature will be shown at 9 p.m.
NEWS
Happy homecoming
Just before the hockey national championship parade started, Phil Collins' hit song "In the Air Tonight" blared from a radio station van near Spartan statue. Collins couldn't have been more right. With thousands of fans lining East Grand River Avenue, Abbott Road and East and West Circle drives, and hundreds more congregated around Spartan statue, the MSU hockey team received boisterous support from fans covered in green and white. These fans ranged in age — they could tell you about the 1966 national championship, the 1986 national championship and some were barely old enough to remember the start of the 2006-07 season. And when senior captain Chris Lawrence, holding the national championship trophy above his head, bolted down the green carpet laid down on the ice in Munn Ice Arena and placed it on a white-clothed table, an estimated 4,500 fans awaiting the team's arrival erupted in cheers. "I don't have to question it, but if it's that loud every game (next season), I don't think any team in the nation would want to play here," junior defenseman Daniel Vukovic said. When Lawrence was introduced to the fans, he skated around the rink at full speed with a white MSU flag, stopping at the center ice line to wave it with joy, pride and an uncontrollable smile. "I just completely blacked out in the moment," Lawrence said.
MICHIGAN
Residents comb E.L. for bottles
East Lansing residents have a chance to give back to their community while getting to know their neighbors during a can-and-bottle drive scheduled for April 21. The drive will benefit the Bailey Community Association, which lies in the region bounded by Saginaw Street, East Grand River Avenue, and Hagadorn and Abbott roads. From 2-4 p.m.
COMMENTARY
Hate slurs are not part of 'playground politics'
After reading the column "Getting thick skin" (SN 4/10), I would suggest Jessica Byrom take a leaf out of her own book.
NEWS
A test of endurance
An all-you-can-eat pasta buffet was where Lindsey Polinko realized her hidden talent. Her high school cross country coach — a man who outweighed her by nearly 160 pounds — challenged her to a one-on-one eating contest. Soon, the empty bowls covered the table. "The chefs couldn't keep up with us," Polinko said. A competitive eater was born. The next day — after she had successfully out-eaten her coach — Polinko stepped on the scale and saw she was nine pounds heavier. But toss aside the pasta, the hot dog-eating contest at a local fair and dessert with every meal — the kinesiology freshman has another intense hobby: training for a triathlon. She's a member of the MSU Triathlon Club, a team that has no coach or mandatory practices.
COMMENTARY
Terms used in column not equally comparable
After reading Jessica Byrom's column, "Getting thick skin" (SN 4/10), one particular comparison stood out to me with stomach-wrenching clarity: The better-forgotten incident of Ann Coulter calling John Edwards a "faggot" and Ms. Byrom's following introduction of the term "fundamentalist." The difference between these examples are as vivid as night and day. Ann Coulter, having laughed at her comment immediately afterward, had written that very comment as a deliberate, vicious personal attack on John Edwards.
COMMENTARY
A living-giving gift
How very lucky we are to live in an era of advanced medicine and longer lives. It is incredible to think of how many people are alive today because of the advances in medical technology and treatments that have been made in the past 50 years. In one such example, a friend of my family found out nine years ago she had chronic emphysema, which rapidly depleted her already thin lung tissue.
COMMENTARY
Do not renew No Child Left Behind
Like some kind of ill-conceived, legislative zombie, No Child Left Behind is back on the plate, and it refuses to die. Pressed by both the president and the legislators who supported it the first time around (oh, Teddy Kennedy — what were you thinking?), No Child Left Behind is now being considered for renewal in Congress. It's time to break out the shotguns (to stick with the zombie analogy) and destroy this thing before it can do any more damage. When it was initially conceived in 2001, it seemed like a good idea: Pass a law that requires schools to be held accountable for educating their students.
NEWS
ASMSU pushes holiday policy revision
Last week, Eric Dropkin was forced to make a decision — spend Passover with his family or lose 10 points in his class. And for the social relations and policy sophomore, his grade was riding on those points, so he chose the latter.
MICHIGAN
Road delays expected
Drivers should anticipate delays today and Thursday when traveling along Harrison Avenue between East Grand River and Michigan avenues.
BASEBALL
MSU tops Broncos in matinee
Lansing — Some people have to wait years to get redemption for their mistakes. Brandon Doherty only needed a few pitches. Moments after making a throwing error in the ninth inning that brought the go-ahead run to the plate, Doherty made a lunging grab on a line drive to preserve the MSU baseball team's 6-5 win against Western Michigan on Tuesday at Oldsmobile Park. "If that error cost us the game," a smiling Doherty said afterward, "I'm not going to be happy the rest of the night, that's for sure." The Broncos (8-16), who entered their final at-bat down two, had a runner on second with two outs when Chris Lewis grounded weakly to Doherty, a junior shortstop. "I kind of looked away right there because I thought it was an automatic," MSU head coach David Grewe said. But Doherty's throw was wild, allowing the runner from second to score and Lewis, the tying run, to move into scoring position. The next hitter roped one to Doherty's right, and for a moment, it appeared his error on the previous play would prove extremely costly.
MICHIGAN
State could give iPods to K-12 students
Michigan's Speaker of the House wants to see every K-12 student with an iPod, not just so they can listen to music, but so they can learn in new ways. Rep.
FEATURES
Ballpark food a staple during spring
Hungry or not, Kyle Marshall will eat a hot dog at a baseball game. After all, he said, hot dogs are part of the ballpark experience. "Getting a hot dog is what you do," the agribusiness management junior said.
NEWS
MSU trustees to mull housing hikes Friday
The MSU Board of Trustees will consider a proposal Friday to raise university apartment rates by 5 percent, or an extra $30 a month. The proposal also includes an increase of more than 5 percent in dorm rates. The rental increases would go into effect as early as Aug.
NEWS
Student takes flight in Grand Ledge
Even after flying for two years, Cristy Devos still feels excited as she takes off at Grand Air Aviation in Grand Ledge. Now, with the airport less than 30 minutes away, the criminal justice junior often rents an airplane and cruises at 7,000 feet. "You can see everything — cars from the highway, houses," Devos said.
COMMENTARY
Problems can be solved by consuming less meat
I love meat. But I don't eat meat every day. Drew Winter's column "Meatless alternative" (SN 4/4), is right; it can be quite bad for the body for many reasons, as with many food items eaten in extreme amounts.
FOOTBALL
Adams, defense adapt to scheme
For most players on the MSU football team, a new coaching regime brought new schemes and faces to learn.
NEWS
E.L. budget balanced, but short $2.8M from '07
Although city staff presented a balanced budget for 2008, East Lansing still might have more than $2.8 million less to work with, which means fewer dollars for the city's development projects. The city's budget proposal calls for a $65.2 million operating budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The 2007 fiscal year budget amounted to $68 million, marking a more than 4 percent decrease in the city's overall funds for 2008. The lack of funding will reduce allocations for capital improvements and programs that use East Lansing taxes to pay for redevelopment projects, Finance Director Mary Haskell said at an East Lansing City Council work session Tuesday. Specific projects that might be affected by the cuts are the Stonehouse Village and West Village developments.