Merger plans dismissed

MSU and East Lansing police will not become one department, but will continue to look for ways to work closely together, officials said Wednesday.A committee of university and city police officials recommended the departments continue to cooperate in their shared efforts and look to pool their technological resources in the coming years.But the East Lansing and MSU police departments - with 67 and 62 sworn officers, respectively - appear too large and serve too different of communities to merge together now, the departments’ chiefs said Wednesday.“It is clear that we haven’t found significant reasons for joining into one agency at this point,” MSU police Chief Bruce Benson said. The agencies were approached by city and campus officials to discuss possible cost savings and improved services from increased cooperation.

Ballinger ready for tourney despite injury-filled season

The most feared opponent in sports is the injury bug, and no one knows that better than Adam Ballinger.In three years at MSU, the redshirt sophomore has fractured his fibula, played an entire season with back pains and shattered the thumb on his shooting hand.“The years haven’t gotten off to the best start, but hopefully I’ve got it all behind me,” Ballinger said.As MSU heads into the NCAA Tournament, Ballinger is injury-free and hoping to help the Spartans defend their 2000 NCAA Championship.Despite only playing in 19 games and averaging a minuscule two points a game, Ballinger’s teammates are confident he can contribute.“We definitely need him to give solid minutes coming into the tournament,” senior forward Andre Hutson said.

ASMSU considers bill to fund Angelous campus visit

Women’s Council is lobbying the university’s undergraduate student government to bring Maya Angelou to campus.The ASMSU Student Assembly will be considering a bill next week that would allocate $25,000 from the ASMSU investment account to cover speaking fees for the renowned author, poet and actress.

The decision to not merge agencies is commendable

While it is commendable that the MSU and East Lansing police departments work together, it is good that the agencies have decided not to merge. The departments announced Wednesday they will “enhance and expand” several collaborative efforts, but will not merge.

Police briefs 03/15/01

Fans bid Spartans fond farewell

The men’s basketball team did more than just win a championship last year - it ultimately convinced Kevin Bakker that he belonged at MSU.“It was between here and Arizona, and to be honest, I chose MSU because of the basketball team,” said Bakker, a pre-optometry freshman.“I hope my dad doesn’t figure that out.”Bakker was one of more than 150 Spartan fans who waited at Breslin Student Events Center on Wednesday afternoon to attend a pep rally honoring the Spartans before they headed off to Memphis, Tenn., where they’ll compete in a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Alabama State on Friday.The rally was organized earlier this week by Brad Johanson, a finance senior and co-director of the Izzone, the basketball team’s notorious student fan section named after MSU head coach Tom Izzo.“We have very high hopes for them this year,” Johanson said.

Singer comes to Wharton for coffeehouse series, music spans music genres

Dar Williams is confident she knows when to read a crowd and use a broader brush with her performance attributes.“I think probably I have a little more economy and I know when I can let things go a little bit more,” she said.The acclaimed artist will bring her blend of pop-influenced folk to Wharton Center on Friday night as part of the Ten Pound Fiddle Coffeehouse series presented by the MSU/Lansing Area Folksong Society.Williams will be promoting her fourth release, her first since 1997, titled “The Green World.”In explaining the title of the disc, Williams referred to a concept she learned from an undergraduate William Shakespeare class at Wesleyan University, where the playwright often centered his plays on the conflict between the “closed world” and the “green world.”“The green world was the term that a Shakespeare scholar used for the chaotic space that characters would find themselves in, often represented by a forest,” she said.

Contestant hopes to be resource for students

This is the fourth in a five-part series profiling the contestants of the Mr. Black MSU pageant. Diondraie Robertson had a goal when he became a minority aide in Hubbard Hall for the 2000-01 school year. “I wanted to be a resource for African American students because they are at a disadvantage on this campus,” the humanities and pre-law senior said.

Red Cross Club contributes to community through blood drives, food distribution

By DARRIEL TANNERFor The State NewsThe sight of blood may be disgusting to some, but a group of MSU students volunteer to work with it, providing blood for those in need.

Eating disorders enforced by media

I believe the column by Kathryn Garvale (“Pop culture trivializes dangers of eating disorder,” SN 3/12) touches on an extremely important topic that is relevant to many men and women - especially women. Magazines are addicting, and the messages conveyed within their falsified pages have turned women against themselves.

Kids shouldnt be drugged for acting their age

My name is Dylan, and I’m 8 1/2 years old. I don’t like going to the doctor. But my mommy said I had to go today.

Angelou to speak on campus next month

MSU Women’s Council is working to bring a nationally acclaimed poet to campus to kick off this year’s Take Back the Night events.Maya Angelou, slated to speak April 18, is also an actress and playwright.

City officials go to Washington conference to meet other leaders

Although there wasn’t much time to snap photos or sightsee, East Lansing city officials agree their trip to Washington D.C.

Groups celebrate womens day on campus

Two student groups are working to give International Women’s Day attention on campus.Today, a new student group, Feminists Ending the Misogynist System is holding a teach-in to recognize the day.“It’s important to recognize the struggle of women both nationally and internationally,” group member Sarah McDonald said.

Spring break means friends, role models for children

This is the fourth in a five-part series profiling one of MSU’s Alternative Spring Break trips. MISSION, S.D. - Visitors to the schools on the Rosebud Indian Reservation are rare. But when they come around, it’s a pleasant surprise for area schoolchildren. “Usually we always get in trouble, but when we have company we act our best,” said one 9-year-old girl during recess at North Elementary School. In the last two days of their trip, the group of 24 MSU students on an Alternative Spring Break were allowed into the classrooms of two Rosebud schools in the town of Mission, in southern South Dakota. It was a welcome experience for psychology senior Damon Bryan, who assisted Jenny Krenzke’s third-grade class at North Elementary School. Krenzke said with only two male faculty working at the school, Bryan played a vital part in the short time he worked with her students. “They really like it,” she said, while Bryan played outside with the children.

State closes Good Times for failing to pay taxes

A popular East Lansing pizzeria was shut down Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Treasury, which claims the store’s owner failed to pay taxes.Although the owner of Good Times Pizza, located at 615 E.

Lugnuts to host Midwest All-Star game next summer

Visitors to the 2002 Midwest League All-Star game may be surprised by the crazy antics of Myron the Noodleman, a popular Lansing Lugnuts act.Myron and other acts will add some extra fun to the All-Star game, which will be hosted next summer by the Lansing Lugnuts.Lansing competed with the Kane County Cougars, a suburb of Chicago who hosted the game in 2000.The Lugnuts last hosted the game in 1999, and before that in 1997.“We’ve had great success in the past with All-Star games,” Lugnuts Marketing Manager David Proutsaid.Plans are in the works for attractions to liven up the events and sponsors are soon to be determined.Midwest League President George Spelius said that from past experience, Lansing was an ideal place for the occasion.“It was a top notch situation there, they do everything big-league,” he said, referring to the way the Lugnuts run their games.Fan support makes Lansing an attractive venue for the game, Spelius said.

Air travel reminiscent of college experience

Ah, spring break. No matter where you went it likely included air travel. This is not the most enjoyable experience for anyone, but during peak travel periods, like spring break, it becomes nearly non-negotiable. Though the hustle and bustle of checking luggage, getting a seat, flight delays and cancellations can be irritating, I found there can be a general sense of excitement at an airport.

Bathroom graffiti graces the big screen

Some people get their best ideas while in the bathroom. And Jamie Schenk is one of them. She was sitting in a grimy stall, taking a break from her psychology class at the University of Michigan, when the idea hit her. “There was all this dialogue about ‘What am I doing with my life?’, ‘Where am I going to go?’ It was all this stuff pertaining to life,” Schenk said.

Black Student Alliance sponsors week to promote health awareness in community

Graphic design junior Jason McGhee said he’s a health conscious person who often worries about whether or not he is doing the right things in his life to stay healthy.