Latino enrollment declines; officials search for solutions

Freshman and transfer student Hispanic enrollment is down slightly this year, and members of the Chicano and Latino community say factors such as retention and college costs have contributed to the statistics. Enrollment numbers for 2003 show that MSU has 216 entering freshmen and transfer students who are Chicano or Latino, 3.1 percent of the population, down from 3.5 percent last year. In total, there are 1,246 Hispanic students this year, making up 2.8 percent of the total university population. Pamela Horne, assistant to the provost for enrollment management and director of admissions, said the lower numbers are part of the regular changes that occur through a span of years. "It's a natural fluctuation," she said.

Fight about toys leads 8-year-old to stab brother

Child's play turned serious Sunday night when an 8-year-old snuck up behind his 5-year-old brother and drove a steak knife into his back as he watched TV at the family's East Lansing home.The boy rested on Monday at Lansing's Sparrow Hospital after he was stabilized by doctors who removed the knife that was lodged in his back, East Lansing police Lt.

Simple tips spice up dorm rooms

Walking through a noisy residence hall past dozens of open doors, Megan McGee and Erica May can't help but laugh.

MIDDAY UPDATE: 'U' receives grant to rid cherry pests

The MSU Department of Entomology has received a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve pest resistance in tart cherry production.Michigan is one of the largest producers of tart cherries in the world, soaking up 75 percent of the national market.

Roommates require compromise

One. Take out the garbage when nothing more can safely be stacked atop it, or it resembles that talking trash heap from Fraggle Rock.Two.

Christianity has enough of a voice

Eva Bohler recently wrote a letter supporting the monument of the Ten Commandments in Alabama, a letter demonstrating the hysteria and siege mentality characteristic of the Christian right ("Columnist wrong in religious debate" SN 10/6). The removal of the monument was not a restriction on Christians' rights to freedom of speech and religion.

Police offer tips on keeping parties quiet

The East Lansing City Council passed an ordinance on Sept. 2 that created stiffened penalties for party-noise violations.

Coaching wonders

Spartan football head coach John L. Smith and his team are on their way to making comeback history - only the comeback is for much more than a game.

Dortch gets 1st career touchdown

Urbana-Champaign, Ill. - The trip was three-and-a-half years in the making. And when junior running back Tyrell Dortch reached the end zone for his first career touchdown, that wasn't enough.

Smith grabs interception, seals game

Urbana-Champaign, Ill. - Eric Smith might have stepped over the line Saturday, but head coach John L.

Violence, AL has no place in playoff baseball

Please note: This is a work of complete fiction. The scene is two months from now, Atlantic City.

Week raises disabled awareness

Many campus bathrooms aren't large enough for a wheelchair to maneuver, and none of the campus pay phones are equipped with Teletype, according to the The Council of Students with DisabilitiesAnd the council wants MSU students to understand the challenges they face on campus during Accessibility Awareness Week, which runs from today through Friday."It's a good way to get people to draw attention to the inaccessible areas on campus," said Melinda Haus, vice president of the council and organizer of the week.

'Dead' producer, screenwrtier visit NGCG Cinema for night of horror fun

They kept coming back. Not for human flesh but for autographs."Night of the Living Dead" screenwriter John Russo and producer Russell Streiner told stories and gave autographs to horror fans Friday and Saturday night at NCG Cinema-Eastwood, 2500 Showtime Drive in Lansing.The event celebrated the film's 35th anniversary.

The Great Green Hype

Urbana-Champaign, Ill. - On its return from pounding Illinois 49-14 Saturday, MSU left last season's disappointment in Urbana-Champaign, Ill., and leapfrogged Michigan in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. The No.

E.L. residents do support petitions

As a permanent resident of the city of East Lansing, I would like to commend the student leaders who are coordinating a petition campaign to force a citywide referendum on the new party-noise ordinance.

T-shirts show lack of taste, school spirit

I know that we as MSU students, staff and alumni have much pride in our Spartan heritage, and often we like to rival our pride with that of our friendly neighbors in Ann Arbor (even to go so far as to rub it in their faces). However, upon walking to and from my classes Wednesday morning, I was struck with an image that is both offensive and repulsive, and quite frankly made me ashamed of some of my fellow student body: the flier "Wolverines Pack Fudge," apparently advertising a T-shirt to promote school spirit for the MSU/U-M game on Nov.

Enrollment data finalized

MSU's enrollment decreased slightly from the 2002-03 year, despite an almost record level of applicants. The university received about 25,000 first-time undergraduate applicants for fall 2003, but the 44,542 students currently attending MSU are almost 400 students less than last year's total enrollment. Despite the decrease, David Byelich, MSU's director of the Office of Planning and Budgets, said this year's enrollment remains at a level where the university can optimize students' academic performance. "What we tried to do is remain stable at the 44,000 to 43,000 level," he said. MSU's enrollment has fluctuated between 43,000 and 45,000 students for the past five years. The enrollment figures were released to the public late last week. Pamela Horne, assistant to the provost for enrollment management and director of admissions, said university officials had planned on decreasing enrollment to about 44,000, but the state's budgetary problems might affect MSU's long-term enrollment planning. "All of this has to be looked at in terms of the budget and what the balance is going to be between tuition revenue and state revenue," she said.

MIDDAY UPDATE: Old theaters bring charm to Mid-Michigan

Jackson - Its 80-some-year-old facade couldn't stop the sound of "Terminator 2" from roaring through the building. "We got some new subwoofers and they really kick ass," theater operations manager George Davis said. The Michigan Theatre, 124 N.

Police briefs 10/13/03

Students volunteer in 'the streets'

Armed with rakes, cleaning supplies, paint brushes and children's books, nearly 200 students went to the streets of Lansing and East Lansing on Saturday to volunteer.The kickoff of "Into the Streets," an MSU student-run community service organization, helped about 20 different nonprofit organizations.