Weather, as a topic of conversation, is like a childhood blanket — comforting and dependable. Just when you fear you might not have anything to say, good ol' weather is right there to catch you before you fall. Some superfluous comment about the weather is bound to pop out of your mouth if you accidentally make eye contact with a stranger in an elevator.
Related to the purchase of new parking enforcement vehicles, "6 new trucks purchased for parking enforcement" (SN 3/24): I admit, it is pretty silly for MSU to buy vehicles after five years — trucks nonetheless.
The MSU baseball team turned Kobs Field into a manufacturing plant Wednesday afternoon. Only six of MSU's 17 hits went for extra bases, but the Spartans efficiently moved runners around the basepaths all afternoon, pounding Grand Valley State, 14-5. "That's just my coaching style," head coach David Grewe said.
About 80 protesters marched in front of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday afternoon, calling it the chamber of corruption and demanding prescription drug reform. AFL-CIO members from around the state marched from the Michigan AFL-CIO office, 419 S.
More than a month after three men were charged for assaulting three other men on campus, MSU still hasn't released the official incident report. The university denied a request by The State News for a copy of the police report, stating that Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, allows withholding information if it's an unwarranted invasion of privacy, interferes with law-enforcement proceedings or deprives a person of a fair trial.
About 150 MSU students traveled to the state Capitol last week to discuss higher education funding with nearly 70 legislators as part of ASMSU's push to help lower tuition costs for students. Officials from ASMSU — MSU's undergraduate student government — organized the event, known as ASMSU Advocacy Week, to educate MSU students about how their tuition dollars are used. "We wanted to put a face on the issue of higher education particularly to Michigan State," said Julielyn Gibbons, director of legislative affairs for ASMSU's Student Assembly.
Sounds of Blackness is exactly what the name implies. The group incorporates and embraces musical styles with African-American roots including jazz, blues, rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, gospel, reggae, ragtime, spirituals, work songs and field hollers. On three different occasions, the band has performed for more than a billion people — the opening ceremonies of the 1994 World Cup, the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1998 World Figure Skating Championship.
A steady stream of MSU students passed by the open doors of McDonel Kiva on campus Wednesday night. Only a handful bothered to walk in for an informal chat with the mayor and local police officers. Wednesday evening's conversation was planned as an opportunity for students to pose questions about living in East Lansing — and those who attended had the chance to voice whatever was on their minds. McDonel Hall mentor Nick Malavolti, a criminal justice senior, organized the event after East Lansing Mayor Sam Singh spoke to his criminal justice honors society earlier this year. A table was set up for the panel of officials at the front of the kiva, but when only a few students had appeared by the time the talk was scheduled to start, Singh improvised and drew several chairs into a small circle in the center of the room. "We don't see a lot of what I would call 'regular' students," he told those present to begin the conversation. For the next hour, Singh and members of the MSU and East Lansing police departments fielded questions that ranged from the absurd — such as the legality of keeping chickens in an East Lansing rental or forming a human chain around the Wells Hall preachers — to serious issues like racial profiling by police, the city's plans for development in the Cedar Village area and parking concerns. The panel attempted to respond to each question, saying it is indeed illegal to keep farm animals in houses, and they don't believe local police officers consider race when making arrests. "I would have liked for more students to come, but you get what you get sometimes," Malavolti said afterward.
In an attempt to disclose business conducted at private MSU Board of Trustees meetings, The State News filed a request for documents distributed at a closed work session.
Instead of lusting after the gorgeous designer clothes you can't afford in Vogue magazine, go to Target.
Hockey reporter Eric Fish shares his experiences from Albany, N.Y., the site of the NCAA East Regionals. It was nice walking around a city and hearing nothing but hockey talk.
Johnny, Merle, Waylon, Hank … they're names people drink to over and over again, names that will always draw a heartfelt raise of 24 oz.
As I read the front page article on "Violent crimes down in E.L." (SN 3/28), I found myself annoyed by what I consider police propaganda.
FILM Thursday - Sunday: "Brokeback Mountain," "The Producers" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" will be shown at Wells Hall and Conrad Auditorium at various times Friday through Sunday.
Guard Lindsay Bowen and forward Liz Shimek will participate in the WBCA All-Star Challenge on Saturday in Boston, which will host the women's Final Four.
In response to Beth Swanson's column, "Big culture gap exists between France, U.S." (SN 3/28), I must say I'm disappointed in yet another column full of anecdotes meant to reinforce stereotypes. A single week in tourist-packed Paris, presently in a state of unrest due to youth labor laws, is hardly a means to make a fair judgment between France and the United States. First of all, there is a huge difference between a college town and an international city — has anyone had random people (who are not a little scary) say "hi" to them in New York or Los Angeles? Secondly, after spending two months in France, I found the French far more warm and willing to talk than people in the United States.
It has been almost a year since I was subpoenaed for illegally downloading music at MSU. I have been doing research for a paper and was using The State News as a source and reading past articles.
Protests around the country at the funerals of American soldiers have prompted a strong reaction from legislators at both the state and national level. A bill introduced Wednesday by U.S.
When Anja Puumala graduates in May, she will switch area codes and move to Ohio, but she fears she could get stuck paying her lease for a house in East Lansing. The audiology and speech sciences senior decided to look for a subleaser for her house on M.A.C.