By DAN KITTLEFor The State NewsIt’s an unusually bright Tuesday afternoon in East Lansing, and the MSU campus is alive with the hustle and bustle of daily student life.
MSU’s top basketball recruit just added to his credentials.Kelvin Torbert has been named to the 2001 McDonald’s All-American High School team, which has MSU head coach Tom Izzo elated.“It’s a great honor for him,” Izzo said of his recruit, who signed with MSU last October.
Carolyn White has absorbed the mystery of the Irish coast, bog and fields for nearly 30 years, spending every other summer there in a tiny coastal village. Combining her passion for travel with a fervor for writing, the East Lansing author has revamped an old Irish legend of Saint Brendan and his monks’ travel on the back of a whale into a children’s story, “The Adventure of Louey and Frank.” “I’m obsessed with writing, and people tease me in Espresso Royale because I’m always writing there,” said White, who prefers her coffee with a bit of milk.
ASMSU is looking to change its environment - indoors and outdoors.The undergraduate student government plans to support ECO, an MSU student environmental group, in efforts to convince the university to use 100 percent recycled paper.ASMSU’s Academic Assembly recently passed a bill, composed by ECO, stating the undergraduate student government will purchase only chlorine-free, 100 percent recycled paper for official usage.And ASMSU representatives hope MSU will do the same.“We want to be as conservative as possible, that’s the message we want to send out,” said Marcia Short, ASMSU Academic Assembly vice chairperson for internal affairs.
The South is not mistakenly called “America’s Bible Belt.” There are always those who are prepared to share their religious doctrines, even in my chosen spring break destination of Panama City, Fla. Normally, one would not think of being bombarded by questions that will be eternally grappled in such a presumably hedonistic atmosphere. “Do you believe in God?” and “What happens to your soul after your body dies?” are profound questions too random to ask anyone, let alone college students who are currently more concerned with perfecting a tan than scrutinizing theology.
For the first time in his brief career at MSU, Bob Malek sees the Spartan baseball team above the .500 mark.
“Sylvia,” a play that explores the bizarre love interest between a middle-aged married man and his newly found dog and best pal, opens this weekend at the Arena Theatre in the Auditorium basement. The play by A.R.
Law professors from the United States, Canada, and Mexico gathered at MSU-Detroit College of Law on Monday to compare electoral systems between the three countries.Gregory Tardi, professor of law at McGill University in Montreal, said the event offered insight not found anywhere else.“As a Canadian, I want to know why things happen in the U.S.,” he said.
MSU, who’s a 28.5 point favorite over its Friday first-round opponent Alabama State, will most likely cruise to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.But don’t tell senior forward Andre Hutson that the Spartans are just going through the motions in practice and taking the Hornets lightly.
I’m writing this letter in response to the Bilicki cartoon that ran in the March 13 edition of The State News. This cartoon is an example of the ignorance that pervades our society as a whole.
Some of my friends laughed. Some asked me twice.And when I told them I was going to see Vanilla Ice(Rob Van Winkle) over my spring break, they asked me again if I was serious.That’s right, I saw the ice man at the Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown, Mich., but I also had the privilege of checking out Weezer at the State Theater in Detroit the following week.I’m not ashamed to admit I paid $10 to check out the ice man himself with the 200 others in the small venue, because seriously, how many people can say they’ve seen Vanilla Ice?Don’t even try to tell me you never dug the guy for at least a week in elementary school - we all did.I’m sure most of you know by now that his music is not the poppy bubble-gum geek-rap it once was back when we were in grade school.
Now that the University of Michigan has made the resignation of men’s basketball coach Brian Ellerbe official, the maize and blue may turn to a former Spartan to try and rescue their fading program.
The Census Bureau should be commended for expanding racial categories in the 2000 census and should continue to work toward more inclusive categories on future census forms.Americans were allowed to check more than one box in the racial categories section of the 2000 census, making 63 possible categories.
The winner of Tuesday night’s play-in game between No. 9-seed Bowling Green and No. 5-seed Northern Michigan will be top-ranked MSU’s next opponent in the CCHA playoffs. No.
Element 101 Stereo Girl (Tooth & Nail Records) Vocalist Crissie Verhagen could have done anything with her sweet and hypnotizing voice, but music lovers are thankful she decided to contribute it to rock. On Element 101’s latest album, they focus more on the songwriting aspect of their music rather than the loud and obnoxious punk of their debut - a step many bands have delved into recently. Their sophomore release, “Stereo Girl,” gleams of solid rock and roll with a touch of poppy goodness and some clever hooks and catchy choruses to boot. Those expecting tunes more like their debut are in for a surprise as the collection is a more genuinely creative and mature plethora of punchy and jump-up-and-down rock. Verhagen uses some nice harmonization on “Today and Always” while “Standing On The Edge Of Night” has some influence by The Get Up Kids, with drum work similar to MxPx. The guitar work throughout most of the record, though not poignantly original, works convincingly by fusing with the creative bass work of Sal Ciaravino. All in all, Element 101 has proven itself as a staying power in the pop-rock airwaves with their latest. To check out more Grooves, visit us online at www.statenews.com/msandu.
University and city officials plan to release a report today detailing the future of their police departments. The plan is expected to further cooperation efforts between the two agencies and could lead to a future merger of the two full-service police departments, although officials aren’t releasing details. The two departments already share a jail, 911 dispatch center and shooting range, and combine forces for several special police units.
I am writing in response to an column I read in The State News titled “Pop culture trivializes dangers of eating disorder” (SN 3/12). In her article, Kathryn Garvale attempts to critique society’s use of the word anorexia as an adjective to describe one’s appearance or behavior. Her data, as well as the information provided by the Web site www.anorexia-sufferers.com, attempts to exemplify this and then compare anorexia with other diseases.
MSU insect specialists are taking to the fields to research the effects of a new plant predator - the soybean aphid.“The aphid migrated here from Asia and was first detected in Wisconsin last July,” said Christina DiFonzo, an assistant professor of entomology.
Toadies Hell Below/Stars Above (Interscope Records) After an excruciating and painful seven year absence of The Toadies, fans can breathe a sign of relief as their new record “Hell Below/Stars Above” is finally here. The Fort Worth foursome has sharpened its already fierce instrumental attack while revealing new layers of intimacy and insight into vocalist/guitarist Todd Lewis’ personally charged lyrics. Each song resonates with the same energy and complex artistry that their platinum-selling major label debut, “Rubberneck,” did in 1994. “You’ll Come Down” flows along the same mood as the haunting rock anthem “Possum Kingdom” from “Rubberneck,” while “Push the Hand” condones the same innocent, yet hip, swinging mood as “Backslider,” also from “Rubberneck.” Mark Reznicek’s drumming has improved slightly, seemingly adding more fills and a smoother, more concise backbone to the band, while the simple, yet defining strums of Clark Vogeler’s guitar remains perfectly signature of the band’s sound. “Pressed Against the Sky” and the dreary and long-winded “Doll Skin” expose a surprisingly subtle melodic sensibility side of the band, while unfortunately, the guitar riff of “What We Have We Steal” sounds like something from rock has-beens Collective Soul. Bleeding with the same unexpected stops, totally screwed-up time signatures and guitar advances that seem too simple, The Toadies prove they haven’t grown up just yet, while at the same time indicating they’ve simply gotten better at what they do. A listening party for this album will be held at 11 p.m.
LANSING - Lansing-area high school students voiced concerns about school safety to a panel of state House Democrats on Tuesday at Everett High School, the site of a 1978 school shooting.Vince Villegas, an Eastern High School senior, 220 Pennsylvania Ave., in Lansing, said the first step to preventing school violence is making counselors available.“The average student would have to put in a request to see their counselors and wait about a week,” Villegas said.