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NEWS

ASMSU cuts Great Issues program

Joey Nowak
February 12, 2007

Following heated discussion Thursday that lasted about six hours, ASMSU — MSU's undergraduate student government — passed a bill removing Great Issues from its programming board. Members of the group said it worked toward promoting progressive voices on campus. The Jewish Student Union and Arab Cultural Society introduced the bill to remove the 17-member group for hosting "events which actually promote mistrust, hatred and even violence toward minorities on campus" — specifically speaker and activist Joe Carr. "Trust can be earned in 20 years, but it can be lost in one action," said Communication Arts and Sciences representative Juan Carlos Elizalde.

COMMENTARY

Group's removal was not warranted

ASMSU passed a bill Friday removing Great Issues, a group from its programming board, after an argument about a speaker the group paid to visit MSU. The speaker, Joe Carr, reportedly made anti-Semitic and other hate speech comments last year, spurring the Jewish Students Union and the Arab Cultural Society to introduce a bill calling for the removal of Great Issues from the undergraduate student government. After a meeting that wore on until after 2 a.m., ASMSU's Student Assembly removed the group for bringing "events which actually promote mistrust, hatred and even violence toward minorities on campus," the bill stated. Great Issues was a 17-member facet of the programing board.

NEWS

WEB UPDATE: ASMSU passes bill removing speaker's visit following 6-hour meeting

Joey Nowak
February 9, 2007

After six hours of discussion, debate, numerous calls to order and talks of anti-Semitism, lawsuits and its budget, ASMSU passed a bill removing Great Issues from its programming board. In a meeting that lasted until after 2 a.m., MSU's undergraduate student government removed the 17-member facet of its programming board for bringing "events which actually promote mistrust, hatred, and even violence toward minorities on campus" — specifically speaker Joe Carr.

COMMENTARY

Candidate will be great leader for Republicans

Thank you for your coverage of Steve Japinga's campaign for chairman of the Michigan Federation of College Republicans, or MFCR, in "Preparing to run for political office" (SN 2/5). Japinga is going to be a fantastic chairman of this important group. Japinga represents a remarkable MSU story.

COMMENTARY

Column is speculation on what happened in Boston

I am writing in response to Pete Nichols' opinion piece, "Bomb scare points out country's susceptibility for overreaction" (SN 2/5), about the city of Boston's reaction to the ill-planned marketing efforts of Turner Broadcasting System Inc. I am an MSU alumnus now living in Boston.

NEWS

Fuel duel

America's petroleum addiction has worsened in the last decade and motorists are paying top dollar for a fix.

NEWS

Simon addresses plan to globalize university

Kristi Jourdan
February 9, 2007

In her State of the University address Thursday, MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon briefly discussed the state's affirmative action ban and domestic partner health care benefits, among other issues. The speech was given during the Awards Convocation at Wharton Center's Pasant Theatre, where about 250 people attended. Instead of an hour-long "politically oriented" speech, Simon laid out plans in an about 15-minute speech for her Boldness by Design initiative, a plan to globalize the university and increase its efficiency. Making sure students know MSU is an inclusive university was one of her top priorities. "Harsh winds are blowing on us, and it's not just the Michigan weather," Simon said.

NEWS

Word on the street

Do you think the MSU men's basketball team will make the NCAA Tournament? "I have faith in the team, but I kind of doubt it this year.

NEWS

Johnson finds home at MSU

Matt Bishop
February 9, 2007

Mia Johnson's hard work is finally paying off. Johnson, who transferred to MSU from Saint Louis after the 2004-05 season, had to sit out last season due to NCAA regulations.

NEWS

Spartans look to avenge January loss to Purdue

WHAT: MSU vs. Purdue WHEN: 3:10 p.m. Sunday RADIO/TV: WVFN (730-AM)/ESPN2 WHERE: Mackey Arena (capacity: 14,123) THE SERIES: Purdue leads 32-18; 20-3 in West Lafayette, Ind. Last season, Purdue took the only meeting, 73-53 in West Lafayette on Jan.

NEWS

Overcoming their mistakes

Matt Bishop
February 9, 2007

Evanston, Ill. — Despite being on a 17-game losing streak, the Northwestern women's basketball team gave MSU fits Thursday night. While MSU is clearly the better team, and the score, a 55-48 win, showed that, it was not the kind of result the Spartans wanted heading into a Sunday showdown with No.

MICHIGAN

Quenching the economy

Thea Neal
February 9, 2007

While Michigan's $800 million deficit is thirsty for dollars, one nonprofit corporation is looking to dry the public's palette by raising a tax on beer. The Center for Michigan, a nonpartisan think-tank, has created "Eight Ideas to Structurally Change How Michigan Does the Public's Business in These Difficult Economic Times." The plan, which has been developed for months, gives ideas to alter both spending and taxation. Aside from an increase on the beer tax, the plan also calls for the creation of a soft drink tax. Executive director John Bebow said the current beer tax is "reaching irrelevance." The $6.30 tax per barrel of beer hasn't changed since 1966.

FEATURES

Professionals discuss lost art of communication in technology age

Elizabeth Swanson
February 9, 2007

Whether chatting on AIM, text messaging with cell phones, sending e-mails over the Web or wall-writing on Facebook.com, all of these futuristic methods of communication share one similar phenomenon: Screens are replacing human faces. "We (communicate) in so many different channels, we don't concentrate on a verbal channel anymore," said William Donohue, professor of communication.