Employees of the Capital Area District Library will celebrate National Library Week by dressing up as characters from popular literature for the "Characters Come Alive" day.
In a final push to get MSU to finalize a student-drafted code of conduct for joining the Worker Rights Consortium, members of Students for Economic Justice, or SEJ, and Movimiento Estudiantil Xicano de Aztlan, or MEXA, staged a "die-in" protest Thursday afternoon in front of the Administration Building. Last week, the student groups were informed that MSU President Lou Anna K.
Changes made to parking in the Cedar Village area left some students without a place to park following Saturday's disturbances. Students have been allowed to park from 6 a.m.
Right after his mother had been diagnosed with cancer, social science senior Steve Wolbert accidentally walked into a Relay for Life event. Five years later, he is helping prepare MSU's fifth Relay for Life event for the American Cancer Society, which will be held at Munn Ice Arena on Saturday and Sunday. For Wolbert, finding out about his mother was a huge blow, particularly because his uncle had recently died from cancer. "It was like, 'Wow, we have to go through this again,'" Wolbert said.
With reports of property damage from Saturday's disturbance still filing into East Lansing City Hall, a complete estimate of the weekend's events still is not available. Local business owners and landlords still are assessing damage that might have been inflicted on their properties, Mayor Mark Meadows said. "Oftentimes, reports come in a couple of weeks after something happened, like when a business owner notices a crack in a front window," Meadows said.
MSU students joined others across the country Thursday to raise awareness of reported genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. The newly formed "Spartans Taking Action Now: Darfur," or STAND, played Twister and board games outside the Administration Building to attract attention to their cause. More than 160 college campuses across the nation also held events Thursday as part of mtvU's "STANDFast" campaign. The group sold green "Not On My Watch" wristbands and CDs to raise money for Darfur charities. Many students don't realize how powerful their voices can be, Josh Feinberg, international relations senior said. "There is strength in numbers," he said.
For the last 13 weeks, Juan Lopez has been studying for a test that could change his life. The 26-year-old, originally from Mexico, is nearing the final days of MSU's High School Equivalency Program, or HEP, to earn a Graduate Education Degree, or GED.
John Gray, a former volunteer firefighter for the Onondaga Fire Department from 1990 to 1999 was taken into custody Tuesday after detectives from the Ingham County Sheriff's Office witnessed him starting a fire on Walker Road, south of Bellevue Road. While Gray was working at the Onondaga Fire Department, the department responded to more than 90 grass fires that they categorized as suspicious, said Chief Gene Tidd.
The online MSU People Directory has a different look, but university officials are working to correct minor glitches that are affecting the new system. Most students are being displayed as one grade level higher than they actually are. Rich Wiggins, senior information technologist for Academic Computing & Network Services, said the problem should be sorted out shortly, and students shouldn't be confused that they somehow received bonus credit. "If I were a junior, I would not suddenly assume that I had been awarded senior status," he said. The changes, which were implemented late last month, were designed to boost the system's speed and performance, Wiggins said. Previously, when a person was searched by name, the directory would immediately scan the server to see if that person had a personal Web page. Wiggins said this process was time-consuming and largely unnecessary because few people use the directory primarily to find these sites. "Most people, when doing a search, are looking to see if you have an e-mail address or what your phone number is," he said. The new directory lists only a person's name, e-mail address, local phone number and college after an initial search.
East Lansing police Chief Lou Muhn said Thursday he supports the formation of an independent commission to review a report of the police actions taken during Saturday's disturbances.
MSU Students for Palestinian Human Rights will bring writer and Professor Ali Abunimah to campus to speak about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at 7:45 p.m.
When academic adviser Nancy Ehret goes into her office every morning and boots up her computer, the first thing that comes on the screen is AOL Instant Messenger. But she's not slacking off or chatting with old friends from high school - she's one of many MSU advisers who are turning to instant messenger programs as a way to keep in touch with students. Ehret, who has about 60 journalism students that she talks to on her buddy list, said six of the seven advisers in the College of Communication Arts & Sciences have started using instant messenger this semester to answer questions ranging from internship application deadlines to transfer credits. One of those six is Scott Maas, an adviser for advertising and journalism students, who said he started using instant messenger because it aligns with students' daily routines. "Right now, that's the big thing we're using because so many students are tech-savvy as they come in here, and that's the way they're communicating," Maas said. Maas said the program helps him give students another opportunity to access him and get their questions answered. "If you think about it, I'm only 25, and I have my own list of friends I talk to all across the country," Maas said.
Construction projects in Spartan Village and lots 82 and 83, commonly known as F Lot, could begin this summer if approved by the MSU Board of Trustees on Friday. In Spartan Village, repaving the road would come after tearing up and replacing the existing soils underneath it, which are settling and becoming soft.
Former MSU President M. Peter McPherson received a national award earlier this week for his years of public service. The award, a National Public Service Award, honors McPherson for work throughout his career dealing with international humanitarian issues in places such as Peru, Iraq and Africa. "I've been involved in public administration (and) public service a good share of my career," said McPherson, MSU's 19th president who left the university in January.
Political science junior Sara Casetta, president of the MSU chapter of Habitat for Humanity, said this is the fourth year group members have left their homes for a night to help increase awareness of poverty conditions in Lansing.
As East Lansing enters another fiscal year and presents another budget, it has also received less help from the state. Cities, villages and townships like East Lansing and Meridian Township, have seen decreases in sales-tax revenue from the state, which is called revenue sharing. "We have less money to provide the same services," said Gary Murphy, director of finance for East Lansing.
The MSU Office of Affirmative Action Compliance and Monitoring will present its annual "Excellence in Diversity" awards at 4 p.m.
When it comes to keeping lights on and water hot, the state of Michigan is looking for ways to promote the use of cleaner energy. The state's Energy Office and Public Service Commission recently started two programs to financially compensate residents and small businesses that use renewable energy.