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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

Surveys ask U about off-campus living

Shaun Byron
March 14, 2002

Jonathan Rosenthal knows students have housing concerns.Rosenthal, the director for community affairs for ASMSU, is using his time to pass out surveys he hopes will open up communication between residents and the city of East Lansing.The program is designed to define the top three issues students face living off campus.“The new breed of student at MSU we are seeing wants to get involved,” the business administration junior said.Rosenthal distributed the surveys in two lecture classes Monday, totaling more than 450 students.The target number of students to be reached is 2,000.The survey comes as a portion of Rosenthal’s attempt, with the cooperation of the city, to open up communication with students.Earlier this month an e-mail address was introduced, but a lack of response has compelled Rosenthal to use another method.The survey is also asking for students to list their address in the city.Each student given the survey is asked to describe the quality of life issues, they would like to see the city improve.Some of the top responses on the survey have been city ordinances, the quality of housing available to students and the cost of rent, Rosenthal said.On Monday, Rosenthal will distribute the survey to another lecture class of 230 students.“The end result is going to be to have an elite university and an elite community,” he said.Deputy City Manager Jean Golden said this is an excellent way to recognize it is up to both students and landlords to solve the problems together, she said.“The landlords were very clear they see students as customers,” she said.

MICHIGAN

Test scores fuel charter school debate

Kendra Snyder
March 13, 2002

State education officials disagree about the significance of Michigan Educational Assessment Program scores released from a group of charter schools. National Heritage Academies released an analysis of MEAPscores by the Hillsdale Policy Group showing students who attend an academy school for two or more years score higher than students entering an Academy school for the first year.The report said charter school students improved more than their public school counterparts in six of eight test categories and performed better than the state average for fifth and eighth grade writing and eighth grade science.“You’re seeing the evidence that charter schools, being a new public school, are getting dramatic results in education,” said Dan Quisenberry, president of Michigan Association of Public School Academies.But Margaret Trimer-Hartley, director of communications of the Michigan Education Association, disagrees.“There are many other indicators besides the MEAP,” she said.

MICHIGAN

Community security depends on relations

Chad Previch
March 13, 2002

Lansing - Jay Leno’s jokes were falling on silent ears the days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “If you don’t laugh, the terrorists have won,” Leno jokingly said to the silent audience. This story was told by David Carter, professor of criminal justice and director of the National Center for Community Policing at MSU, on Tuesday during the Homeland Security Seminar. Carter, who put the seminar together, discussed the future of community policing and the importance of maintaining a working relationship with private individuals to fight crime and terrorism. “It’s important to get this message across to the community,” he said.

MICHIGAN

E.L. police use sports to build youth relations

Shannon Murphy
March 13, 2002

East Lansing police officers are taking youths to court - where the biggest offense is a double dribble.Basketball season began last week for the Police Athletic League, a program designed to help relations between youths and the East Lansing Police Department.The league was started in 1998 when Officer James Campbell grew tired of watching East Lansing children getting into trouble.“There were kids in the community that didn’t have anything constructive to do,” he said.

MICHIGAN

U-M association leads walkout

Chad Previch
March 12, 2002

Ann Arbor - Members of the University of Michigan’s Graduate Employees Organization led a one-day walkout on Monday that left some classes empty. About 500 graduate student instructors at the Ann Arbor campus picketed several locations to show the organization is working without a contract. U-M spokeswoman Julie Peterson said some classes had low turnout but weren’t canceled. “My suspicion is that some classes did not meet,” she said. Peterson said further negotiations were booked for today, but a tough budget year is limiting the school’s financial abilities. The graduate students have been negotiating with U-M administration since October.

MICHIGAN

Shamrocks fill establishments, help cause

Kendra Snyder
March 12, 2002

Green and gold shamrocks are covering the walls of local businesses, schools and restaurants for the 19th annual Shamrocks Against Dystrophy program. For a $1 donation, students and customers can sign green paper shamrocks, and for a donation of $5 or more they sign gold shamrocks.

MICHIGAN

Natural Resources Commission establishes goals

Aaron Johnson
March 12, 2002

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources could receive a few changes this year. The Natural Resources Commission, which establishes general policies for the department, met last week to discuss its goals for the year. The commission agreed on five goals to update the department’s policies but DNR spokesman Brad Wurfel said the biggest change in the commission’s outlook is its involvement in the department’s operations. “Clearly they’re making a move to become more involved in the agency and in the legislature,” he said. Wurfel said while a strong relationship is the highlight of the commission’s goals, the group has progressed in that respect over the past five years. Director K.L.

MICHIGAN

Officials assess tests effectiveness

Kendra Snyder
March 11, 2002

A month into the state-run assessment program for special education students, called MI-Access, program officials and Lansing area teachers are divided about its effectiveness.The Lansing and East Lansing school districts began testing special education students last month as Michigan became the first state to meet federal requirements for the assessment of students with disabilities.

MICHIGAN

Coffee mania hits E.L.

Aaron Johnson
March 11, 2002

A pedestrian walking around downtown East Lansing could count almost as many coffee shops and cafes as traffic lights. And with Espresso Royale Caffe moving five doors down to 527 E.

MICHIGAN

Wal-Mart given OK to build new store

Shaun Byron
March 11, 2002

Harlene Matilda is looking forward shopping at a new Meridian Township Wal-Mart. “The new Wal-Mart will save me time from having to drive to the Wal-Mart at (Interstate) 96 and Saginaw, so it would be more convenient for me,” the East Lansing resident said. But the groundbreaking for the store on a site on Marsh Road north of Central Park Drive, has been held up for more than a year. Since November 2000, Meridian Township had been in a legal battle with developer Eyde Co. and Wal-Mart.

MICHIGAN

Windstorms cause residents to lose power

Aaron Johnson
March 11, 2002

Wintery weather during spring break brought power outages and a half-inch of snow to the Lansing area, after a mostly warm and pleasant week. The area saw only a half-inch of snow but an average wind speed of 24 mph with gusts up to 54 mph.

MICHIGAN

Court: Canadian trips dont call for MIPs

Kendra Snyder
March 1, 2002

Minors who legally drink in Canada can’t be charged as minors in possession of alcohol upon their return to the state, according to the Michigan Court of Appeals.The decision stems from a July 30, 2000, incident when a 19-year-old man was coming back from Canada as a passenger.