Saturday, May 2, 2026

Take a peek behind the curtain and test drive the NEW StateNews.com today!

News

MSU

Students picked for residential college program committee

Three seniors have been selected as voting members of the curriculum team for the new residential college program. Andrew McCoy, Paige Harley and Kyle Martin were among the students recommended for the positions by the Lyman Briggs School, James Madison College, the Residential Option in Arts & Letters program and the College of Arts & Letters.

MSU

Marksmen shoot for club status

The MSU Marksmanship Club is taking aim at a new goal - becoming an official club sport. The club, which was started about four years ago, has grown to 45 due-paying members.

MSU

Med school plans to be announced today

People involved in the move of MSU's College of Human Medicine to Grand Rapids met Tuesday to discuss a set of commitments for the project. The commitments indicate what the group members intend to do on the project and were formally decided upon at the meeting, said Steven Heacock, chief administrative and legal officer of IdeaSphere Inc., a David Van Andel-run private company that manufactures and supplies dietary supplements. Heacock also serves as a discussion facilitator of the group of leaders in the expansion.

MICHIGAN

Catholic season of Lent begins

The sanctuary of St. John Student Parish was filled on Ash Wednesday as students and residents lined up to have their foreheads symbolically marked with ashes by a priest. The Catholic tradition, known formally as the Day of Ashes, is a solemn beginning to the season of Lent, said Father Mark Inglot of the parish, which is located at 327 M.A.C.

MICHIGAN

State campaign for health now online

In an effort to fight obesity in Michigan, state Surgeon General Kimberlydawn Wisdom launched a free interactive Web site last week to help residents create personal health plans. Targeted at communities, businesses and individuals, the site opened Feb.

MSU

Students, ASMSU weigh proposed tax hike

Some undergraduates support a new ASMSU tax that will create a scholarship fund, while several student government members oppose the idea. In a meeting last week, Academic and Student assemblies for MSU's undergraduate student government voted to increase student taxes by $3 to fund a scholarship account.

MSU

Expert offers information on preserving collections

An expert in preservation taught about 10 people how to protect their personal collections over lunch on Tuesday. Jeanne Drewes, the assistant director for access and preservation at the MSU library, gave the presentation in the Ohio State room of the Union.

MSU

Trustees' meeting to focus on traffic

Two projects that would change the way motorists drive and park on campus are among the issues to be discussed at Thursday's MSU Board of Trustees meeting. A redesign of the intersection near Sparty and the construction of a parking ramp near Morrill Hall with access from Grand River Avenue are both part of the university's 2020 Vision plan. The plan is a way for university officials to outline and expand the growth of MSU by the year 2020. The parking structure near Morrill Hall was identified as needed to reduce a deficit of parking on north campus, said Jeff Kacos, director of Campus Planning and Administration. The ramp is expected to add about 525 parking spaces and will be designed to look similar to the existing buildings in the area, Kacos said. Because this is the first time Trustee Melanie Foster has seen the plan, she said she has some questions and concerns about the ramp. "I have fresh eyes," Foster said.

MSU

Simon adjusts to new role as president

After her first week as MSU's 20th president, Lou Anna Simon said a good assessment of her administration would come after her first month in office. Now that the time has come, Simon says her presidency has gone relatively smoothly in the first month. "I've been working hard to look at Michigan State through fresh eyes, and to see Michigan State through a fresh perspective," she said. Something Simon didn't anticipate when taking over MSU's top role was the struggle between her personal and professional lives among those who have known her for years, she said. Colleagues were used to addressing her as "Lou Anna," and now have a hard time adjusting to her formal title of President Simon. "There's President Simon and then there's Lou Anna with a new job," Simon said.

MICHIGAN

Mich. begins $5 million project

Michigan organizations are working on a $5 million grant project to increase the safety of elderly patients at long-term care facilities by improving background checks for employees. Michigan is one of seven states that received grant money from the U.S.

MSU

Committee discusses liberal arts college

The Executive Committee of Academic Council heard feedback from the standing committees on the final report of the Committee on College Reorganization. Only the University Committee on Faculty Affairs endorsed an option laid out in the final report - the recommendation that MSU improve liberal arts and sciences education, without significant college reorganization now. Investment in liberal arts and sciences must wait for new resources, rather than shifting funds from other programs, said Susan Melnick, co-chairwoman of the University Committee on Faculty Affairs. "We are arguing in favor of strengthening liberal arts, not diminishing it," Melnick said. The other option mentioned would establish a Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences institution that would include the Colleges of Arts & Letters and Social Science. Vinayak Prasad, chairman of the University Committee on Student Affairs, said his committee felt strong reservations about the option because it did not include the College of Natural Science. "We are hesitant to say reorganization is necessary to fix the problems," Prasad said.

MICHIGAN

Word on the street

"Bridge the gap between older residents and students. They need to make it easier for the two to work together and solve issues." Ryan Longoria | history senior "The stop lights get on my nerves - everything has a no turn on red.