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COMMENTARY

ASMSU not worth it, should be disbanded

Let's stop kidding ourselves and disband ASMSU. Our "student government" is defunct practically if not legally. Can anyone support the legitimacy of ASMSU with a straight face when a mere 8 percent (which translates to about 2,500 out of more than 31,500 undergraduates) of the student body find it worthwhile to undertake the approximately 10 mouse clicks necessary to vote in its "elections," while many colleges cannot even find candidates for the ballot? Despite what ASMSU's leaders assert, abysmal participation is not a reflection of the student body's apathy but of the simple fact it is not worth our time to participate.

BASEBALL

Walking off with a win

Tom Keller
April 3, 2006

Lansing — Oliver Wolcott pumped his fist, then disappeared into a mob of his teammates. The senior third baseman's 10th-inning walk-off double had just scored junior catcher Sean Walker to give MSU a 9-8 win against Indiana on Sunday afternoon at Oldsmobile Park. "It's been a couple years," Wolcott said of his last walk-off hit.

SPORTS

Monday musings

Tom Keller
April 3, 2006

Detroit Pistons general manager Joe Dumars has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, The Associated Press reports. Meanwhile, Dumars' former teammate, current Knicks' GM Isiah Thomas, has reportedly traded his Hall of Fame membership for a Kroger Plus Card and a two-week trial with the Hair Club For Men. The Ted Williams Museum, which commemorated the life of the late Red Sox slugger, is closing because of a lack of attendance. The museum's memorabilia will be cryogenically frozen. Of the more than 3 million brackets submitted to ESPN.com, only four correctly predicted the men's Final Four. Interestingly, that's the same number that correctly predicted the proper spelling of UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's name. The Charlotte Bobcats cut guard Kareem Rush last week, citing a lack of effort in practice. We haven't seen this much caution to avoid a Rush since last year's freshmen found out about the greek initiation rituals.

NEWS

Grad programs rank high

Kristen Daum
April 3, 2006

Two MSU graduate schools and 15 graduate programs in education, medicine, business, law and science are considered among the best in the nation, according to an annual survey from U.S.

SOFTBALL

Coach reaches milestone

Steve Highfield
April 3, 2006

The MSU softball team's series sweep gave head coach Jacquie Joseph 400 career wins at MSU. The Flint native and Central Michigan graduate is in her 13th season as MSU head coach. "I am very proud to be the head softball coach at Michigan State, and I look forward to 400 more," she said. The Spartans showed they can win games in a variety of ways by opening Big Ten play this weekend with victories against Minnesota. In the first game, which was postponed Friday and finished Saturday because of weather, the Spartans used a complete game two-hitter from sophomore Lesley Noel to record a 3-1 victory. But in game two, MSU's pitching and defense put the team in an early 5-2 hole. Junior pitcher Rachel Turney gave up six hits and five runs in less than three innings of work.

NEWS

Shake, battle & roll

Elizabeth Swanson
April 3, 2006

When local eclectic band Bad Mamma Jamma opened the fourth annual Battle of the Bands competition at the International Center on Friday night, the night was young and the crowd was small.

NEWS

College increases in size, revenue

Josh Jarman
April 3, 2006

After the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine expanded its incoming class of first-year students last year, some students wondered if the university would utilize the new revenue from increased class sizes to repair aging facilities and hire more faculty. But college officials don't want to reveal where the money is going. "I can't give you specifics," said Gail Riegle, associate dean of academic programs and acting senior associate dean of the college, about a plan the college developed to address the new influx of students.

MSU

MSU student to vie for prize

Lindsay Machak
April 3, 2006

When Timothy Vitollo found out he won a drawing that would send him to a national rock, paper, scissors tournament, he first thought it was a scam. But Vitollo, a second-year law student, soon learned it was legitimate — complete with a trip to New York. "I didn't even remember entering my name in the drawing," Vitollo said.

FOOTBALL

Sophomore sensation gives football fans hope

The spring sun is shining over East Lansing, a damp scent is in the air and the vacancy of the MSU football training facilities has been replaced once again by the sound of pads colliding with pads. The cut-and-dry personalities of MSU's winter sports coaches Tom Izzo and Rick Comley have been replaced by the entertaining, wacky psyche of John L.

COMMENTARY

Women's athletics needs more respect

For the past couple of years, I have watched the women's basketball team grow. It has done better than the men, but still gets no love. I understand this is a male-dominated world, but come on.

MICHIGAN

Recent break-ins prompt warnings

Residents in DTN Management Co.-owned apartments are being cautioned to lock their doors and windows because of numerous cases of intruders checking for unlocked doors and, in some cases, entering apartments. DTN has sent out a letter warning residents to be on the lookout and report any suspicious activity to the police. The suspect has generally been described as a male in his mid-20s, with a medium build, ranging in height from 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall, with brown hair and very intense blue eyes. Authorities say that the Cedar Village apartments and East Village area is a common thread in all of the cases, but incidents have been reported as far north as the Burcham and Abbott roads properties. "It usually occurs in the early morning hours, but we don't have a specific pattern as far as the days are concerned," East Lansing police Detective Steve Gonzalez said. East Lansing authorities have already made one arrest. Gonzalez said that although the arrest may have pertained to the case, there are still other suspects that haven't been caught. "A couple weekends ago, on Saturday morning, a suspect was identified and we're in the process of pressing charges against him," Gonzalez said.

MICHIGAN

Ballot initiative protested

Ken Osborne
April 3, 2006

Lansing — Beginning in front of the Central United Methodist Church, hundreds of students marched around the state Capitol building and past the Michigan Hall of Justice before returning to the steps of the Capitol. The demonstration was held to call attention to the group's claim that Michigan voters were deceived into signing the petition that will put the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, on the ballot in the November election. The rally was organized by the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights And Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN. Jonvonte Porter, a junior at Holt High School, attended the rally and said most Michigan citizens are unaware of the issues surrounding the MCRI. Porter said he came to the rally because he was upset at the attack on affirmative action, and the state's refusal to address the alleged voter fraud in the petition process. "People don't understand the depths of this proposal," Porter said.

COMMENTARY

Recognizing problem is not enough; act

In response to yesterday's letter, "Campus taking action against intolerance" (SN 3/29), I am disheartened. It's hard for a lot of us to understand why college-educated young people still don't understand the implications of racism in this country, but it's even harder for me to understand how someone can agree that it's a horrible thing and then go on to nearly defend it's presence on our campus.

ICE HOCKEY

Miller's future remains in limbo

Eric Fish
April 3, 2006

MSU head coach Rick Comley knows that it's always a possibility to lose players early. This offseason, the question marks surround junior captain Drew Miller. Miller was drafted by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the sixth round (186th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

MSU

Medical school exam to get face-lift

Kristen Daum
April 3, 2006

In three weeks, students will have their last opportunity to take the paper version of the Medical College Admission Test. Upcoming changes to the exam, commonly known as the MCAT, will transform it from a paper format into an electronic format — allowing more opportunities for students to take the exam each year, and faster turn-around time for students and universities to receive scores. But the transition won't have a large impact on MSU's medical schools, which use the exam during the admissions process, university officials said. The colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine require the MCAT for admission, and the College of Veterinary Medicine accepts both the MCAT and the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE. The College of Veterinary Medicine would be the least affected of the three colleges, because most of their applicants take the GRE, said Hilda Mejia Abreu, director of admissions for the college. "It doesn't impact us as much as it would the other medical schools," Abreu said. But Kathie Schafer, director of admissions for the College of Osteopathic Medicine, said the change in format would help in processing applications. "It'll be more efficient for us if the applicants get their results quickly, too," Schafer said.