Earths Lament blends nature, dance

Never underestimate the power of dance.Creativity can address social issues and the environment, as proven by the Greater Lansing Ballet Company’s production of “Earth’s Lament.”Barbara Banasikowski Smith, the ballet’s artistic director and choreographer, said she put the show together to celebrate Earth Day.The premiere consists of original choreography and illustrates how art reflects life and how it and science co-exist.

U debates what to do with elementary building

MSU administration hasn’t made a decision on what will be done with the Spartan Village Elementary School building if it closes next year.The university owns the building and shares in the cost of running the facility with East Lansing.East Lansing announced it may close the building this week.“We have got to cut $3.5 million - without closing the school we have to find $430,000 somewhere else,” Superintendent Tom Giblin said.Chuck Gagliano, vice president of housing and food services said the announcement was a surprise.“This whole thing has come up fairly quickly and I am not really sure what use we would have for it,” he said.

Jolie learns lesson in living in Life or Something Like It

I‘m surprising myself a little bit here, but I‘m going to place my money on “Life or Something Like It” as the best-possible new movie of the week.

U reels from GEU strike

Horns were blowing and voices were cheering by the time the sun came up Thursday, and the wind carried the chants of about 500 graduate students across campus throughout the day. And although Christy Rentmeester spent Thursday moving from building to building to picket for her cause, the philosophy graduate student didn’t look worn-out.

Police briefs 04/26/02

Grand Ledge Opera House hosts unique concert

Audience members that will attend the concert Thursday at the Grand Ledge Opera House should expect healing of mind, body and soul. John Two-Hawks and Manach, both previously solo artists, are healing souls internationally with their debut album “Traditions,” which is an album inspired by Celtic and American Indian music. Two-Hawks, a mid-Michigan native, and Manach, an Ireland resident, finished there album in two months after meeting each other. “We really got down to business,” said Two-Hawks. With 15 years of music experience between them, the two accent each other’s music with a freestyle form.

Professors leave Giltner Hall with memories

Pictures of days gone by hang inside the drafty, dimly-lit passages of Giltner Hall. Metal banisters gracefully coil at their end as rich wood paneling lines the main staircase. And the harvest orange cabinets and dusty shelves of Helmut Bertrand’s massive third-floor lab are nearly empty. The contents, placed into boxes that litter the floor, are almost ready to move to the new Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building. Bertrand isn’t so sure. “Here, I have a window with a tree and all kinds of birds,” the professor of microbiology and molecular genetics said.

Despite Big Ten loss, team has bright future

The MSU women’s tennis team lost 4-1 to Purdue in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday.The match was the fifth-straight loss for the No.

Campus briefs

Work continues during summer for ASMSUASMSU officials will be working on issues such as setting tuition and reviewing campus safety guidelines during the summer.Although the newly elected undergraduate student government’s summer hours are half of what they are during the spring and fall semesters, the organization has a summer agenda to prepare for the upcoming 2002-03 academic year.

Students plead guilty, felony charges dropped

Four female MSU students pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor in connection with the death of an 18-year-old Bay City man.Nicole Bukowski, 21, Cassandra Duggan, 20, Laurel Trezise, 20, and Sara Kaufman, 21, originally faced felony charges for running an unlicensed bar at a party in their East Lansing apartment in October.

Exercise, dog walking, massages may help ease the finals pain - or not

Late hours filled with coffee, cigarettes and other kinds of stress relievers are anything but uncommon during finals week. And it’s tempting to fill those gaps between studying with treks to the bar or the liquor store for a few hours of sweet, bottled escape. But for those who want to make it through finals week sober and in as good as shape as they can be, other forms of stress relief exist. “Stress is additive, meaning if you do things like not eat right, stay up late and drink more than you should, it takes away from your ability to study,” kinesiology Professor James Pivarnik said.“You might think some of these things are relieving stress, but be careful with it.

Coach Crean to sing at Wrigley Field

Ex-MSU assistant and current Marquette men’s basketball coach Tom Crean will now be able to say he has something in common with the late Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Carey, Mike Ditka, Muhammad Ali and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. During the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers game at Wrigley Field this afternoon, Crean will lead the crowd in a rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” during the seventh inning stretch. For the past five years, the Cubs have had celebrities from all walks of life lead the crowd in singing, a task Carey had before his passing.

Happily Ever After leaves U smiling

Riverwalk Theatre’s production of “Happily Ever After & After,” directed by Bob Gras, is a best bet for family fun this weekend. The play is a compilation of several familiar tales such as “The Elves & The Shoemaker”, “The Golden Goose”, “Snow White & Rose-Red” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Gras said this is the third installment of a “Happily Ever After & After,” at Riverwalk Theatre. “Riverwalk has always put together children’s theater,” Gras said.

Spartans in danger of missing Big Ten Tournament

The MSU softball team enters the backstretch of its 12-game road trip fighting for its postseason life, while preparing for finals.“It’s a critical weekend for us in terms of our season,” head coach Jacquie Joseph said.

MIDDAY UPDATE: Grad students strike

Day one of the MSU’s Graduate Employees Union strike went on as scheduled today with canceled classes and teaching assistants picketing.University officials, however, say the strike’s impact has been minimal.“Clearly there are some classes that have not met,” MSU spokesman JT.

Cultural sensitivity not stores strength

It is no surprise that Abercrombie & Fitch is in hot water (“Store removes controversial shirts,” SN 4/23). Apparently, the marketing wizards for this company thought it would be a swell idea to have a new line of T-shirts with stereotypic depictions of Asian cartoon characters. I can’t say that I’m too terribly surprised by this less-than-brilliant move by the aforementioned company.

Attend class

Members of the Graduate Employees Union have every right to speak out and protest in support of better benefits.

Taking charge

One reported incident of child sexual abuse now could mean immediate dismissal for priests in the Catholic Church. On Wednesday, American cardinals met with Pope John Paul II in Vatican City to discuss the creation of a “one-strike-you’re-out” policy for future sex abuse cases.

Police briefs 04/25/02

Students appreciate Johnsons committment to U community

Earvin “Magic” Johnson changed the way professional basketball is played and he is now almost guaranteed a place in basketball’s hallowed walls. Johnson, who played 13 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, was one of 14 players, coaches and teams nominated Wednesday for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. During his two-year career at MSU, Johnson put up record numbers.