Jones Soda labels showcase Sparty

After being named last year's number one mascot, Sparty has something else to cheer about - his picture on thousands of bottles of soda. MSU and Jones Soda Co., a Seattle-based beverage maker, came to an agreement in December to feature pictures of Sparty, the Universal Cheer Association's 2004 Mascot of the Year, on a series of bottles. About 60,000 bottles of the soda, in green apple and cream soda flavors, will feature six different labels with pictures of Sparty around campus.

Students, faculty feel force of South Asian catastrophe

Jeff Hock remembers standing on the demolished beaches near his home in Thailand in an overwhelming silence.

7th Heaven

Riding on a six-game winning streak, the No. 20 MSU men's basketball team made very few mistakes, committing a season-low of eight turnovers while forcing 19 in a 87-58 win over Northwestern on Saturday at Breslin Center. MSU (10-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) snapped the Wildcats' four-game winning streak while extending its own to seven games for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when MSU opened the season with 12 straight wins.

Frosh soccer player gets national honor

Soccer Buzz Magazine chose MSU freshman defender Erin Doan as one of 15 players to name to their All-Great Lakes Region Freshman Team.

Spartans on a roll since break

Before the fall semester ended, the MSU men's basketball team was figuring out how to recover from two disappointing nonconference losses. But the Spartans turned the tables in the month of December, as the No.

Student groups to aid in relief effort

A day after the Dec. 26 tsunami ravaged the coasts of Southeast Asia, Indonesian officials called upon David Skole, director of MSU's Center for Global Change & Earth Observation, for help. "We work with people in Indonesia on research projects, and we have many colleagues in the government," Skole said of his group of scientists.

East Village 'blighted'

During break, the East Lansing City Council officially designated the East Village blighted. The council approved a motion to deem the properties, which include Cedar Village, an area of community rehabilitation, revitalization and renewal, with a vote of 4-1. Comprised of 35 acres, the blighted area is bounded at the north and south by Grand River Avenue and the Red Cedar River, and on the east and west by Bogue Street and Hagadorn Road. "We are trying to provide many tools to redevelop the area," said Tim Dempsey, the city's community and economic development administrator. The designation makes the city more attractive for state incentives, like financial help, Dempsey said. While the city plans to use the title as a tool, some students feel it might have a negative impact. "We aren't in support of being included in that area," said Cody Dawson, vice president of external relations for the Interfraternity Council.

Icers unable to complete sweep with 4-1 defeat

Oxford, Ohio - The MSU hockey team hoped to turn its season around and establish consistency after winning the Great Lakes Invitational to close out 2004, but the Spartans only were able to manage a weekend split in their return to CCHA play. After a 4-0 drubbing over Miami (Ohio) on Friday, MSU (11-10-1 overall, 6-8-0 CCHA) was unable to sweep the RedHawks as the Spartans suffered a 4-1 loss Saturday night at Goggin Ice Arena. "When you get the first (win), you want the second," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.

Med school committee appoints project liaison

Another step in the effort to move MSU's College of Human Medicine to Grand Rapids was taken last week, with the appointment of a new discussion facilitator. Steven Heacock, a former Kent County Commission chairman, was asked to join a group of stakeholders in the transition, which includes leaders from MSU, Spectrum Health, Saint Mary's Health Care and Grand Valley State University. The group is led by David Van Andel, the chairman and chief executive officer of the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids. Heacock will work with the team of leaders to gather perspectives so each member of the group will have the same background information.

Retro posters make Creole Gallery premier

In a blast from the past, more than 30 concert posters from the late 1960s and '70s hang in colorful combinations on the cold, neutral walls of Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St., in Lansing.

Students swap dorms for new semester

With students returning to the banks of snow outside their residence halls, overcrowded dorms now could be the least of their campus worries. Last semester, 744 rooms were overcrowded, but housing issues have been resolved and three students to a room is nonexistent this spring.

'Sea Inside' traces death

Director Alejandro Amenábar must have a thing for death. He is well-versed in the thriller genre, having written and directed such films as "Tesis," about a young student's research on the human obsession with death and violence; "Abre los ojos," loosely based on Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" (later remade by Cameron Crowe as "Vanilla Sky"); and "The Others," a psychological ghost story and his first English-language film. It might seem as no surprise, then, that Amenábar's latest film, "The Sea Inside," follows a man's lifelong quest for death.

MSU communication programs rank first

Three doctoral programs in MSU's College of Communication Arts and Sciences were ranked first by the National Communication Association (NCA). The association surveys doctoral programs in the area of communication every 10 years and ranked MSU first in the fields of health communication, communication and technology and mass communication.

Competition closes E.L. Gap

With three other stores in the Lansing area, the East Lansing Gap permanently closed in December. East Lansing city officials said its downtown establishment, 435 E.

Year should fare well for MSU sports come spring

Let old acquaintance be forgot - isn't that how the saying goes? So let's forget about the men's basketball team's loss at Duke and against then-unranked George Washington.

Simon takes charge as new leader

Last Tuesday, Lou Anna Simon turned 58. She received a hefty gift. She took the university's reins, becoming the first woman to hold the school's top job.

WEB ONLY: Weather creates few problems as students travel back to campus

After a three-week break, MSU students and faculty traveled back to East Lansing on Sunday with few problems from the weekend's snowstorm.

2 football players to appear in E.L. court

Two MSU football players will appear in court this week on felony charges after attempting to rob fellow students in November. Freshman wide receiver Miles Williams, 18, and freshman linebacker Hugh D'Imperio, 19, are each charged with unarmed robbery and assault with intent to rob while unarmed.

Spartans rewrite record books

The MSU gymnastics team made history Friday night, earning the highest season-opening score in school history.

Police briefs 01/10/05