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A Trial by Jury worth a read

Dan Julian
January 16, 2002

Sometimes pressure and indecision can devour the most passive and relaxed individuals.In D. Graham Burnett’s book “A Trial by Jury,” he examines in detail the excruciating process of jury duty in a reputable New York City court.Burnett follows the lives of 12 citizens called in to decide the fate of a man accused of murder.It reads like a memoir as Burnett describes the events that take place in the courtroom and in the jury room, and attempts to understand the thoughts and feelings of his fellow jurors.There isn’t much he holds back, describing in detail how being cooped up and under constant supervision can make even the sanest person break.“We ran the gamut of group dynamics: a clutch of strangers yelled, cursed, rolled on the floor, vomited, whispered, embraced, sobbed and invoked both God and necromancy,” he writes.

MICHIGAN

Jacobson Stores, Inc. files for bankruptcy

Aaron Johnson
January 16, 2002

Jennifer Cousineau, a psychology sophomore, hasn’t lived in East Lansing long but already has established a firm relationship with Jacobson Stores, Inc.“I like it because it has a lot of designer brands that are hard to find,” the California native said.

NEWS

Less squatting has retailers feeling sting

Chris Boyer
January 16, 2002

The Internet is experiencing a failure of e-commerce as one of the oldest business practices in cyberspace goes through its own decline.Cybersquatting, the practice of purchasing a domain name hoping it will be sought after by large corporations to draw profitable purchase offers, dropped in 2001 - and many domain name retailers are feeling the pinch.Cybersquatting brought business to 21 Netstreet, a Web services company owned by telecommunication junior Paul Chambers.

NEWS

U cuts classes, combines sections

Megan Frye
January 16, 2002

When Leslie Richards began the second week of her Italian language course, she was shocked to hear it would be the class’ last day. The no-preference sophomore, her instructor and classmates all learned ITL 102 had been canceled on Monday - in the middle of class. “Somebody came to our class and said, ‘Your class is canceled,’” she said.

MICHIGAN

Reaction to shortened public comment mixed

Lisa Satayut
January 16, 2002

When city council members abandoned a proposal Monday night that would have ended the broadcast of some public comments and voted on a new proposal, some citizens had mixed reactions.The council voted 6-2 to shorten the amount of time the public has to speak, hoping to end what some council members call “theatrics.”Community activist John Pollard said he is not happy the public is losing three minutes.

COMMENTARY

Running away

Perhaps it’s unsettling that a week before we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. a recent Detroit News/WDIV survey indicates 55 percent of whites and 52 percent of blacks in the Detroit area think segregation is sometimes, usually or always a very good idea. The survey results remind us the civil rights leader’s dream has yet to come true.

MSU

ASMSU seeks greater involvement in elections

Alison Barker
January 15, 2002

With ASMSU elections about a month away, members of the elections steering committee are hoping to increase student participation.Steve Lovelace, Academic Assembly internal vice chairperson, said students should get involved with the elections to have an active voice in the undergraduate student government.“Joining ASMSU is a good way to learn outside of the classroom,” Lovelace said.

MSU

Womens center hosts variety of programs

Camille Spencer
January 15, 2002

The Women’s Resource Center is sponsoring various events throughout January on issues ranging from health to finances. Judy McQueen, educational program coordinator for the center, said it tries to provide a variety of topics for the public, including students, faculty and staff.

MICHIGAN

Internships could be scarce

Aaron Johnson
January 15, 2002

After experiencing one internship at Ford Motor Co., a second internship may be far from guaranteed for Bryce Roebke.“It’ll probably be much tougher to get one,” the mechanical engineering freshman said.

NEWS

SPORTS UPDATE: Mens basketball squad calls game against Purdue a must-win

The MSU men’s basketball team has a chance to earn its first Big Ten win of the season Wednesday.Purdue (9-9 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) comes to Breslin Center to face the Spartans (9-7, 0-3) in a battle of conference bottom-dwellers, and MSU head coach Tom Izzo is confident his squad will be able to its winning woes around.MSU is winless in its last four games.After Wisconsin snapped the Spartans’ 53-game home winning streak Saturday, the team has dubbed Wednesday’s game a must-win contest.

NEWS

Turf project underway

Ryan Wallace
January 15, 2002

The cheers and hollers that usually fill Spartan Stadium have been replaced by the sounds of bulldozers digging through asphalt underneath artificial turf. Beginning next fall, the Spartans will play on a softer, more forgiving surface - natural grass grown by MSU’s turf management program. The MSU Board of Trustees hired Haussman Construction Co. of Lansing in October to remove the artificial turf, asphalt and drainage system, replace the irrigation system and lay down new asphalt.