MICHIGAN
Local stores increase security in preparation for holidays
Cheery music with sleigh bells and synthesized orchestras is jangling through store and parking lot speakers.
NEWS
Methods of Board search debatable, officials say
On Nov. 2, more than 8 million votes were cast as citizens from across the state weighed in on who would be elected to the two open seats on the MSU Board of Trustees. Although the board enacts policies and ordinances that directly effect the more than 40,000 students on campus, trustees on the eight-member board are put there by voters who might have never set foot on MSU's campus. On Election Day, Michiganians selected two board members to each of the state's three major research universities - MSU, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. The difference between elected and appointed boards is an aged question, said Tom Ingram, president of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. "This is a very old issue for many people," Ingram said.
NEWS
Organizations focus on making city aware of homeless problem
Each morning, hundreds of Lansing-area homeless people wake up preparing to face another day of searching for a way out of their situation. As they leave their temporary shelters, they face social stereotypes and other factors that make it difficult to improve themselves. And 28-year-old Ezra Nelson has had to do just that. Nelson came from California to Michigan in 2001 after meeting a woman on the Internet.
COMMENTARY
Spartan fans gave poor 'U' portrayal
The treatment that I received this past weekend was beyond unacceptable. I was appalled by the fans' hostility and ridicule.
NEWS
On the ball
As its lights flashed and siren blared, an East Lansing Fire Department's ambulance sliced through the crowd of football fans on their way to Spartan Stadium on Saturday. After reaching a popular campus party spot, East Lansing firefighters and paramedics Alan VanStempvoort and Dan Renner hopped out of the ambulance to tend to a tailgater.
COMMENTARY
As nation's top cop, Gonzales will fail
President Bush's appointment of Alberto Gonzales as our next attorney general shows that his call for unity and bi-partisanship early last week was a sham.
MSU
Poetry kicks off heritage celebration
A poetry collective called Batey Urbano excitedly warmed up in a back room of the Erickson Kiva before several Latino and Chicano urban poets hit the stage to perform poetry with a purpose. "Is-La Mind," or "Ease The Mind," showcased the Batey Urbano poets as part of Puerto Rican Culture Week, put on by the Puerto Rican Student Alliance this week. "Our performances are a collaboration of our culture and hip-hop," Chicagoan group member Jiovani Vargas said. Batey Urbano is an outlet for people to express themselves, Vargas said.
NEWS
4 more Bush cabinet members resign
U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham's resignation on Monday won't affect progress to bring the $900 million Rare Isotope Accelerator project to the university, MSU officials said. Abraham, a 1974 MSU graduate, was formerly one of Michigan's two U.S.
MSU
Bioethics discussion to focus on social, medical intersex issues
The issue of medical and social treatment of intersex individuals will be addressed today during a discussion hosted by the Undergraduate Bioethics Society. Intersex individuals are people with a wide variety of physical abnormalities that cause the genitals to differ from the "normal" conception of male or female anatomy, said Alice Dreger, a Lyman Briggs associate professor. "We like to increase awareness about some of the ethical issues concerned with reproductive health in this society," said Annika Storey, chairwoman of the society and a physiology senior. Dreger will lead the discussion, "Gender, Sex and Ethics," at 7:30 p.m.
NEWS
Culture & clash
It has been dubbed part of the axis of evil by President Bush, and now, with the help of the Asian Studies Center, a broader understanding of North Korea will be brought to MSU.
MSU
ASMSU addresses fair labor practices
ASMSU joined part of an ongoing battle between students and administration officials Thursday when it passed a bill calling for MSU to join the Worker Rights Consortium, a nonprofit international group that monitors labor practices. MSU's undergraduate student government requested the MSU Board of Trustees to allocate one percent of its profit from licensed apparel, up to $50,000, which is required to join the consortium. The WRC would report on factory conditions overseas where some MSU apparel is manufactured to ensure fair labor practices. Nine of the 11 Big Ten universities belong to the WRC, including 120 other colleges and universities across the country. Lauren Olson, a representative for the College of Natural Science, introduced the bill to Student Assembly and said petitioning ASMSU to join the WRC was one of the major reasons she became a representative. "We should be perpetuating the idea of fair labor as we go into the real world," she said.
COMMENTARY
Bice is right: Bush voters misinformed
In response to John Bice's column "Bush supporters share common thread with fundamentalists" (SN 11/10), thank you, thank you, thank you to The State News and Bice for printing such an intelligent and informed column. I appreciate the insight to answering the exact same question I have asked myself every day since Nov.
COMMENTARY
Thank you, supporters of President Bush, for four years of tyranny
I would like to thank the 51 percent of American voters who re-elected President Bush. Thank you for putting a man back in office who favors rich, white men.
COMMENTARY
Taking 'U' on
By deciding to spend nearly $7,000 to gauge student opinion of its representative government, ASMSU has made a smart move. To get the student feedback they need, the group will survey undergraduate students on how ASMSU could do a better job representing student interests.
COMMENTARY
SN needs columns not afraid to offend
I was actually just thinking about writing in a few days ago in support of publishing John Bice's opinion columns, but I guess someone beat me to the punch. I don't think that The State News calls upon Bice often enough.
MSU
Trustees OK vet center, stadium work
In addition to approving contracts for MSU President M. Peter McPherson and President-designate Lou Anna Simon on Friday, the MSU Board of Trustees also approved a $3.6 million agreement to construct a new veterinary medicine center. The board took a contract with Fryling Construction Company to begin work on the $3.6 million Matilda R.
COMMENTARY
There's reason to 'detest' new Izzone
I attended the men's basketball team's first game on Wednesday night against Grand Valley State University.
MICHIGAN
False fire alarms on the rise
Burnt popcorn and pranksters are not the only factors to blame for a jump in false fire alarms in East Lansing and on MSU's campus, city officials said. The installation of more alarm systems during the past four years boosted the chance for malfunctions, East Lansing Fire Marshall Bob Pratt said. The city's fire department recently responded to 15 false alarms in one week, from Oct.
MICHIGAN
Festival displays women's art
By Mara S. Deutch Special to The State News As festival-goers perused through rows of handmade crafts, the muffled sound of a folk song filled the hallway of a festival that has progressed into almost two decades of female appreciation. The 19th annual Women in the Arts Festival was held Friday and Saturday at Edgewood United Church, 469 N.
MSU
ASMSU uses extra funds to study student opinion
To determine changes in how student taxpayer money is used and the effectiveness of its internal structure, ASMSU allocated almost $7,000 on Thursday to gather student opinion. Student reactions will be gathered through a survey of undergraduates for its Constitutional Convention Committee, which will review ASMSU's constitution and might propose changes such as combining the two assemblies into a unicameral body.