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MSU

Transgender MSU student talks on "Larry King Live"

T.J. Jourian, known on campus as an advocate for transgender issues, appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Wednesday evening. Jourian, a third-year graduate student, spoke via satellite with King, along with race car driver Terri O'Connell, country singer Dolly Parton and actress Felicity Huffman — who was nominated for an Oscar for the movie "Transamerica" — to discuss transgender individuals. Three other transgender individuals and a doctor were also on the program. "(The interview) was more about unknown personal experiences, surgery and understanding who transgender individuals are," Jourian said. Mara Keisling, executive director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, based in Washington, said transgender awareness is growing, but misunderstandings about transgender individuals remain an issue. "It's growing tremendously," Keisling said.

NEWS

Proposed $3 tax increase will appear on ASMSU ballot

Kristi Jourdan
February 17, 2006

Following a short debate among student government officials Thursday, a $3 tax increase proposed by ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, will appear on the ballot during the group's elections in March. Students will get the opportunity to vote online for or against ASMSU's proposed tax increase, which officials say will "strengthen" the services the organization provides. If the student body approves the increase, ASMSU projects to see about $237,000 in additional funding. Roger Ludy, vice chairperson for internal affairs for ASMSU's Student Assembly, said the $3 figure wasn't randomly picked. With the $3 increase, "we could make a budget that included everything," Ludy said.

MICHIGAN

Bank to open in Northern Tier

Corinne Devries
February 17, 2006

Michigan State University Federal Credit Union plans to build a new office park to relocate their headquarters to, on 140 acres of undeveloped land in the Northern Tier. Groundbreaking will take place in late 2007. The institution, known as MSUFCU, needs the space since doubling in size in the last five years, the local credit union's spokeswoman, Joyce Banish, said. Most people choose a financial institution near to where they live, Banish said. "Hopefully, we'll get more members because the North end is growing fast," she said. MSUFCU was started in 1937 by "a handful of professors" and was run out of a single desk, Banish said. "The whole idea of the credit union wanted to make sure young professors had access to get loans," Banish said.

COMMENTARY

Significant budget typo

Maybe some college students don't understand all the particulars of balancing a checkbook or keeping track of money. But you'd think that members of ASMSU — with a budget of about $850,000 — would be a little more knowledgeable when it comes to financial matters. Unfortunately, however, ASMSU's Academic Assembly found errors before the undergraduate student government's budget was proposed at its meeting Tuesday. The "typo" was an addition error that failed to account for $5,000 on promotional spending and changed the total amount presented on the budget. That's quite a typo. Sure, everyone makes mistakes.

NEWS

Police seize bars' financial records

Bob Darrow
February 17, 2006

State police are investigating the owner of two local student bars for failure to pay more than $100,000 in state taxes. Maggy's Sports Grill, 16800 Chandler Road, and The Dollar Nightclub, 3411 E.

NEWS

Rollercoaster season making Ager sick; is there a cure?

Tom Keller
February 17, 2006

Iowa City, Iowa — Maurice Ager would love to tell you why he's been struggling lately, why he's scored just 15 points in the last two games, why his performances this season have been so up and down that they'd be better suited to Cedar Point than Breslin Center. Yep, he'd love to tell you — if he knew why. "It's been streaky," Ager said.

NEWS

Day after, officials say apology was in the works

Kristi Jourdan  and  Fredricka Paul
February 17, 2006

An apology from university officials about their actions during the April 2-3 disturbances, nearly 10 months after they occurred, was met with mixed emotions from the MSU community and support from university officials. At a joint meeting Wednesday between ASMSU and the Residence Halls Association, Fred Poston, MSU's vice president for finance and operations, interrupted MSU police Chief Jim Dunlap's response to a student's question to announce he was "very sorry" that students were "inappropriately teargassed." A day after the meeting, several MSU officials said they had planned to apologize all along. But MSU spokesman Terry Denbow called The State News soon after the meeting to ask what Poston had said. And Poston called The State News on Thursday to reaffirm his position — that the apology given Wednesday was planned. "It wasn't spontaneous," Poston said, adding that officials wanted the apology to be issued in a student-centered forum.

NEWS

Grand River bank robbed

Melissa Domsic
February 17, 2006

An unknown man robbed the Fifth Third Bank on Grand River Avenue Thursday afternoon. Wearing a black full-length parka with a fur hood and face mask, the man placed a large-caliber silver handgun on the teller counter and demanded money, East Lansing police Lt.

COMMENTARY

Primary concern

On Tuesday, you'll get the chance to decide who should run for the Michigan Senate. A special election on March 14 was announced by Gov.

COMMENTARY

DPPS inconsistent with ticketing power

The parking division of the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety serves as a prime example of enforcer-student problems at MSU. Academics at the university are exceptional, the sports are invigorating and the campus is one of the most beautiful in the nation.

COMMENTARY

Writer skews facts, doesn't know Europe

As a student from the Netherlands visiting MSU for a couple of weeks, my attention was drawn to Mike Ramsey's "People skirting issue, merely comment on 'tastelessness' of images" (SN 2/14). His description of a bigoted, anti-Muslim Europe clearly demonstrates his ignorance of Europe. It leads me to question whether he has ever visited Europe and, if so, I am sure he has not ventured far outside the tourist areas where he might have encountered the truth about the problems he so hastily attributes to European racism. I don't know how much time Ramsey spent researching his story, but he has obviously missed that Europe has provided non-Western immigrants with resources like housing, welfare and health care for more than 30 years without demanding anything in return. Many immigrant communities — first and foremost the Islamic — are now turning on their hosts.

NEWS

Candidates weigh in on issues at forum

Ken Osborne
February 17, 2006

Candidates for the special Senate primary gathered before a few dozen constituents on Lansing Community College's West Campus on Thursday to weigh in on a variety of issues including health care, child protection and education before Tuesday's primary. Each candidate had an opportunity to make a two-minute opening statement.

COMMENTARY

Learn political beliefs from Libertarian, not Bice's one-sided views

In John Bice's columns, "Lazy analysis of scandal, government spending gives narrow view" (SN 1/24) and "There must be balance between government, personal responsibility" (SN 2/06), he explained libertarian ideas and then commented on why they are "the most radical, simplistic and generally unappealing answer of all." I hate it when someone tries to tell you what to think and why you're wrong without consulting you first.

NEWS

The prognosticators

Tomahawk maintains his winning progs record at 17-6, while The Boss is left evaluating his skills with his 11-12 record.