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MSU

Jokesters prepare for UAB comedy weekend

Aspiring MSU comedians gathered in the Union's Ohio State Room on Tuesday night, hoping to extract a chorus of belly laughs from a University Activities Board judging panel. The comedians were auditioning for a slot in the upcoming "Last Spartan Standing" competition, the MSU version of the "Last Comic Standing" NBC television series.

MSU

MSU conservatives urged to 'come out' at campus event

On Wednesday, several MSU conservative political groups will have a chance to make an announcement - they are proud of their political affiliation. The opportunity is part of the first-ever National Conservative Coming Out Day, an event aimed at raising awareness about the conservative presence on college campuses. At MSU, informational tables and a mock closet for participants to come out of will be set up at the Brody Complex and Bessey Hall, as well as a possible location on East campus, political science and pre-law senior Luke Pelican said. "The purpose of this day isn't to go after anyone or have an aggressive agenda," Pelican said.

MSU

ASMSU: Sale of alcohol in suites biased

Members of ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, feel that selling alcohol in the suite area of Spartan Stadium is unfair to students and gives more privilege to those who pay extra for season tickets. "It's ridiculous.

MICHIGAN

Traffic system aims to accelerate rescues

With the push of a button, Lansing-area emergency vehicles can clear traffic by switching a stoplight from red to green. The Lansing Regional Emergency Vehicle Pre-emption System Project, which will be finished next year, works by sending a signal from a strobe light mounted on an emergency vehicle to a sensor placed on a traffic light.

MICHIGAN

Local speaks about gender on 'Oprah'

A Lansing woman who has run for several political offices was featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" last week because of her gender experiences. Melissa Sue Robinson, who is transgender and was born male, said she was asked to take part in a special segment on identical twins who have sex changes by a producer of the show. "Somehow they found out about me," she said.

MSU

Club targets women in computer sciences

It is not uncommon for Niharika Joglekar to be the only female in her classes. It's this observation - among others - that has led the computer science and engineering senior to start a new group on campus called MSU Women in Computing. "Women don't feel as comfortable as they should in this male-dominated major," Joglekar said.

MSU

Academy demos sword fighting on campus

By Erica Richards Special to The State News The peaceful lawn of the Administration Building turned into a medieval battlefield Saturday afternoon - but fighters wore T-shirts and used weapons made of wood, leather and duct tape. A small group of students and instructors from the Aegis Sword Academy in Pinckney took turns fighting within a ring of green rope as part of a swordsmanship demonstration.

MICHIGAN

Update: E.L. firefighters help with relief

As East Lansing Fire Marshal Bob Pratt drove on Sunday down a residential street in Bogalusa, La., a city that Hurricane Katrina devastated with high winds, he tallied the damaged houses. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight; eight out of 10 houses on a random block have tarps on roofs," Pratt said on his cell phone, as he sat by his partner, East Lansing Firefighter-Paramedic Dawn Carson.

MSU

Group holds welcome for student parents

Student Parents on a Mission will have a welcome meeting from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the Spartan Child Development Center, located at 1730 Crescent Road. Free dinner and child care will be provided, and a children's craft activity will start at 7 p.m. The organization was founded in 1995 with the Family Resource Center to provide an environment for student parents to come together and learn about resources MSU provides for them, such as assistance in finding employment and financial aid.

MSU

Board OKs sale of horse farm

In a unanimous decision during Friday's MSU Board of Trustees meeting, board members approved the sale of MSU's Merillat Equine Center, an 80-acre farm in Adrian that specializes in breeding. The farm was given as a gift to the university in 1996 by the Merillat family.

MICHIGAN

Motorcycle memorial

Muskegon resident Dave Johnson looks on during a memorial speech for veterans of all wars classified as missing in action or prisoners of war at the seventh annual Michigan Remembers Run on Saturday. Johnson, a veteran of the U.S.

MSU

Trustees discuss Katrina, class issues

As Sayrah Namaste waited at an MSU medical center Wednesday, she overheard two janitorial employees discussing the donation of money to victims of Hurricane Katrina. One employee said he was asked to contribute but declined because he and his wife had already withdrawn everything from their savings to donate one week earlier. "He looked like he was at retirement age," Namaste said.