Politician expresses religious right

Last week, Keith Ellison took office as the first Muslim member of Congress. During his private ceremony, Ellison was sworn in with one hand on the Muslim holy book — the Quran. And alas, the country did not crumble and fall into the hands of our opponents when the Minnesota congressman's hand rested on the Quran during the ceremony. Prior to Ellison's private ceremony, he joined his fellow representatives for a public swearing in ceremony, where no holy book was present.

Opposition to Tancredo should be commended

It's telling how most media coverage has left out the more alarming facts in regard to U.S. Rep.

Officials should not fight Proposal 2 enforcement

Your editorial, "University should create Prop.

Police briefs 01/10/07

Web site provides Prop. 2 updates

During finals week, university administrators sent a mass e-mail to students and faculty, with a link to a new Web site that explained how Proposal 2 would affect them. That same link was posted on the university's home page for eight days, until the link was moved to MSU President Lou Anna K.

Book costs continue to affect students

Lia Tennant left the Student Book Store, 421 E. Grand River Ave., Sunday night feeling sore. "I'm pretty upset — I spent $450," the chemical engineering freshman said.

Changing cultures

The view could not be any more different from Azhar Sultanova's bedroom window. Instead of admiring the towering mountain peaks in her homeland of Kazakhstan, Sultanova sees a wet basketball court and a children's playground, abandoned on this cold winter morning in East Lansing. But Sultanova isn't discouraged by the dreary scene. "I've gotten used to it," the psychology sophomore said. She has spent the last four months adjusting to life at MSU, just as 3,526 other undergraduate international students have. These students must deal with a long list of obstacles, ranging from keeping up in their English-spoken classes to finding new friends, said Rosemary Max, assistant director for the Office for International Students and Scholars. "One of the biggest challenges is getting a visa to actually come here," Max said, because of the strict U.S.-imposed requirements on some countries, such as Saudi Arabia.

Vukovic proves to be steady force on Spartans blueline

Judging by the laughter from his teammates in Monday's press conference at Munn Ice Arena, junior defenseman Daniel Vukovic's CCHA Defensive Player of the Week award was somewhat unexpected.

Cases move forward, court dates ahead

The following list updates court proceedings and developments connected to MSU and East Lansing that occurred throughout winter break.

Paving the way

Lyman Briggs sophomore Alyssa Bottone might not have to endure her routine half-hour bus ride into campus from Chandler Crossings much longer. City officials are proposing an expansion to Abbott Road, north of Lake Lansing Road, which is home of Chandler Crossings and other student rental properties. The East Lansing City Council discussed doubling the size of Abbott Road during its Tuesday meeting.

Professionals advise washing hands, eating right to avoid common illnesses

Being sick during the winter is like knocking down a trail of dominoes. All it takes is one classmate to come down with a case of the sniffles, and pretty soon, an entire lecture hall is coughing and sniffling in unison.

Group seeks help through donations

While the traditional 30th anniversary gift might be pearls, End Violent Encounters, Inc., or EVE, will settle for a small donation. The Lansing-based nonprofit domestic violence organization will distribute house-shaped donation boxes to local businesses, marking its 30th anniversary.

SN staffer encounters European life during winter break trip

I find myself standing in a Polish airport, nervously clutching my American passport, afraid to let it go. I can't speak a single word of Polish — all I can do is wait for the familiar face of my friend, Magda, to appear. Magda, an international student at MSU, had planned to meet me at the airport and show off her homeland during winter break. But she's not here. I'm trying not to think about what will happen if she doesn't come to retrieve me. Maybe I'll dramatically march off to the U.S.

MSU professor develops device to detect pathogens

Syed Hashsham was raised in Sidhartha Nagar, a village in India. There, he said, water quality is a huge problem. Now, to "make an impact," he's designing a device that detects waterborne pathogens. "Research costs a lot," the civil and environmental engineering associate professor said.

Izzone members need to be louder for hoops team

Expectations for success are exceptionally high for the MSU basketball program — four Final Fours and a title in eight seasons — a pretty stellar stint for any program in history, really.

Spartans wary of Wildcats

Northwestern's playbook is more complex than a Rubik's cube. Back-door cuts. Screens everywhere. A zone defense that morphs like Alex Mack. The Wildcats usually give up a lot in terms of talent — as evidenced by MSU winning 34 of the last 36 meetings between the two — but their quirky system requires a lot of extra attention in pregame preparations. And for an MSU team that's been robbed of practice time because of injuries in the last month, now is not the ideal time for distractions like that. "I think that's exactly the problem right now with them having such a unique offense and a unique defense," head coach Tom Izzo said.

Abdelkader brings bronze medal back to MSU

Sophomore forward Justin Abdelkader knew he wasn't at home, but he didn't expect every game at the 2007 World Junior Hockey Championships in Leksand, Sweden to feel like an away game.

Expert: Dorms safe from virus

Michigan restaurants have been dishing out more than just hot food and friendly service. A string of Norovirus outbreaks in the area has patrons questioning the integrity of their meals. "Norovirus is in all of us, in our intestines," said Pattie McNiel, an academic specialist for the National Food Safety and Toxicology center at MSU.

Graduate student dies in E.L. apartment

Chris Macey was the type of person who would pay a McDonald's employee $50 to make the french fries his pregnant friend craved at 7 a.m. He's the sort of friend who would clean up an apartment when someone was too sick to do it herself. And he's the kind of person who would mail Christmas cards to everyone, including friends' parents. "If you were one of his friends, he would do anything for you," said Jennifer Jungquist, a close friend of Macey since middle school. Christopher Wayne Macey II, a business graduate student known by everyone as Chris, died Thursday at his 2900 Place Apartment in East Lansing of an unknown medical cause, possibly related to the brain surgery he underwent in April after a serious car accident, said his father, Christopher Macey. Medical examiners are still investigating the exact cause of death. "He just went to bed and never woke up," Jungquist said. Chris Macey, 27, was born in Port Huron, grew up in nearby Avoca and was a 1997 graduate of Yale High School.

Faculty hiring not affected by Prop. 2

MSU faculty who are worried about the implications of Proposal 2 can at least rest easy knowing it will not affect the university's hiring policy. But some are concerned about the status of MSU's inclusive reputation. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity order requires contractors to maintain affirmative action in their hiring process, and MSU is considered a government contractor because it receives federal research money. A provision in Proposal 2 states its implementation cannot interfere with eligibility for federal funds, which protects MSU's hiring process. Paulette Granberry Russell, the director of the Office for Affirmative Action, Compliance and Monitoring, told The State News on Friday that the ban on affirmative action passed by Michigan voters in November will not impact the recruitment of minority professors. "MSU's efforts to recruit for a diverse applicant pool engage in outreach in ways that encourage women and persons of color to consider employment at MSU," Granberry Russell said. "The university has stated its commitment to having a diverse workforce," she said.