Students host Islamic heritage event

The Muslim Students' Association, or MSA, is hosting the second annual Eid party, which celebrates the Eid Al-Adhaa, or when the Prophet Abraham was tested by God. The holiday occurs on the 10th day of the last month of the lunar calendar and is a celebration of the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam and is required of all Muslims able to undertake the 10-day journey through the desert. "A lot of students at MSU were able to go this year because it was during winter break," said Tammam Alwan, president of MSA. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m.

Student competition searches for new heroes

On Monday, the nation honors Martin Luther King Jr., a man who dedicated his life to promoting civil rights. Now, students can help honor other heroes who share some of King's principles or those who furthered his dream. A group of three undergraduate students who can convincingly argue their case for who deserves similar recognition will win $1,500 for their presentation. The sixth annual Multicultural Heroes Hall of Fame Case Competition will take place Feb.

Simon part of Granholm's emergency panel to assess Mich. budget

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon and an MSU faculty member are among a group of state officials rushing to cope with the looming budget crisis. Gov.

Promises must be kept by trustees

On Jan. 19, the MSU Board of Trustees will hold its first meeting of the year. It also will be the first board meeting for new Democratic Trustees Faylene Owen and George Perles, whose eight-year terms began Jan.

Group asks court to reconsider extension

Not much has changed in the legal debate about the state's affirmative action ban. A pro-affirmative action group asked the U.S.

Officials should condemn violent behavior at event

I am writing in regard to the incidents that occurred during U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo's visit to MSU.

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.