Clothing store opens in E.L.

It's finally here. After months of waiting, the Los Angeles-based American Apparel clothing store opened its doors Tuesday to East Lansing.

American Apparel's grand opening today

American Apparel's U.S.-made, solid-colored clothes will be available to East Lansing shoppers beginning at 10 a.m.

Sparty's to help finance Katrina relief

Sparty's Convenience Stores will begin selling donation cards on Monday to raise funds for an MSU volunteer program in New Orleans. The program, called the MSU New Orleans Summer Project, will send about 30 MSU students, faculty and volunteers to four New Orleans-area school districts this summer, where they will tutor K-12 students and help rebuild the teachers' homes affected by Hurricane Katrina last August. "It's a new effort, and it really appears to be an effort that pulls together a number of issues that are important to the university and Sparty's," said Ken Deneau, Sparty's general manager. The projected cost of the project is about $800 per person, said Joyce Grant, an associate professor of teacher education who is coordinating the trip. Volunteers will drive down in rented vans on May 29 and return to Michigan on June 25, she said. "There are a lot of things that are going on to raise money," Grant said, including efforts to earn support grants.

ASMSU orients new members

Student government officials are working this week to transition ASMSU's organization into its next term, which begins today. ASMSU is MSU's undergraduate student government. The group is introducing new assembly members to the organization and preparing old members for their new positions, among other things, as this week is labeled "Orientation Week" by ASMSU officials. "We're going to have to get the organization functioning with the new positions that have opened as a result of the tax increase, integrate them and do that as quickly as possible," said Roger Ludy, vice chairperson for internal affairs for ASMSU's Student Assembly.

9 in 10 cell phone users find other callers annoying

Kanani Daka was playing basketball when another player's cell phone rang. The player stopped the game, only to yell at his girlfriend and make a scene, Daka said.

Taking on the world

The MSU Vis Arbitral Moot team will participate in an international law competition beginning on Saturday. The 13th annual Willem C.

Group aims to define personhood

A Michigan pro-life organization hopes to collect enough signatures by the November election to define a person as created from the moment of conception.

Gas prices up from last year

The average price of gas in Michigan is 41 cents higher than it was at this time last year — and the prices could reach as high as $3 at their peak this summer, according to AAA of Michigan. The average price of gas in Michigan is $2.645 per gallon according to an April 3 survey conducted by AAA. Gas in the Lansing area is about 5 cents higher than average for the rest of the state, at about $2.696, according to the automobile association report.

Police briefs 04/04/06

Police briefs 04/03/06

Games used to liven up classrooms

By Trey Scroggin For The State News Some professors say they have found the key to making traditional lectures more interesting — by turning them into games. At the Reacting to the Past conference for faculty held over the weekend at the Kellogg Center, professors learning about France in the 1790s took on the roles of figures of the era while gaining insight to a new teaching method. The Reacting to the Past program is a way of allowing students to take control of their education by participating in a role-playing game in which they assume the roles of people throughout history and argue about different issues from their characters' perspectives. All the professors involved with the game, called "Rousseau, Burke and Revolution in France, 1791," were eager to speak for their characters' opinions and dig into the material. The purpose of the conference was to familiarize MSU faculty with the program and the structure of the games, as well as to put it in contact with professors who have previously taught the program. More than a dozen games have been developed for classroom use.

Rally remembers Chavez

Lansing — Mayor Virg Bernero proclaimed March 31 Cesar Chavez Day as more than 150 people attended a rally Friday at the Capitol.

Law inequalities focus of forum

Issues such as how much negotiating power a person has when getting a warranty for a television and in contracts with insurance companies were addressed at a conference Friday at the MSU College of Law. Law students and professors listened to speakers at the conference, which was organized by the Michigan State Law Review and law Associate Professor Daniel Barnhizer.

Medical school exam to get face-lift

In three weeks, students will have their last opportunity to take the paper version of the Medical College Admission Test. Upcoming changes to the exam, commonly known as the MCAT, will transform it from a paper format into an electronic format — allowing more opportunities for students to take the exam each year, and faster turn-around time for students and universities to receive scores. But the transition won't have a large impact on MSU's medical schools, which use the exam during the admissions process, university officials said. The colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine require the MCAT for admission, and the College of Veterinary Medicine accepts both the MCAT and the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE. The College of Veterinary Medicine would be the least affected of the three colleges, because most of their applicants take the GRE, said Hilda Mejia Abreu, director of admissions for the college. "It doesn't impact us as much as it would the other medical schools," Abreu said. But Kathie Schafer, director of admissions for the College of Osteopathic Medicine, said the change in format would help in processing applications. "It'll be more efficient for us if the applicants get their results quickly, too," Schafer said.

Ballot initiative protested

Lansing — Beginning in front of the Central United Methodist Church, hundreds of students marched around the state Capitol building and past the Michigan Hall of Justice before returning to the steps of the Capitol. The demonstration was held to call attention to the group's claim that Michigan voters were deceived into signing the petition that will put the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, on the ballot in the November election. The rally was organized by the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights And Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN. Jonvonte Porter, a junior at Holt High School, attended the rally and said most Michigan citizens are unaware of the issues surrounding the MCRI. Porter said he came to the rally because he was upset at the attack on affirmative action, and the state's refusal to address the alleged voter fraud in the petition process. "People don't understand the depths of this proposal," Porter said.

Recent break-ins prompt warnings

Residents in DTN Management Co.-owned apartments are being cautioned to lock their doors and windows because of numerous cases of intruders checking for unlocked doors and, in some cases, entering apartments. DTN has sent out a letter warning residents to be on the lookout and report any suspicious activity to the police. The suspect has generally been described as a male in his mid-20s, with a medium build, ranging in height from 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall, with brown hair and very intense blue eyes. Authorities say that the Cedar Village apartments and East Village area is a common thread in all of the cases, but incidents have been reported as far north as the Burcham and Abbott roads properties. "It usually occurs in the early morning hours, but we don't have a specific pattern as far as the days are concerned," East Lansing police Detective Steve Gonzalez said. East Lansing authorities have already made one arrest. Gonzalez said that although the arrest may have pertained to the case, there are still other suspects that haven't been caught. "A couple weekends ago, on Saturday morning, a suspect was identified and we're in the process of pressing charges against him," Gonzalez said.

MSU student to vie for prize

When Timothy Vitollo found out he won a drawing that would send him to a national rock, paper, scissors tournament, he first thought it was a scam. But Vitollo, a second-year law student, soon learned it was legitimate — complete with a trip to New York. "I didn't even remember entering my name in the drawing," Vitollo said.

Safeguarding seniors

Christy Curtis' voice tensed as she talked about her late mother and the care she received in her last years. Curtis' family decided to hire a home health care worker to take care of her mother after the family had difficulty providing the care themselves.

Big Ten Conference takes on local eatery

Everybody loves Big Ten Burrito, except for the Big Ten Conference. Or at least that's what the owners said.

Police briefs 03/31/06