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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

Man-made damage to environment plays role in tree disease

Shaun Byron
September 5, 2001

Ash trees in the Midwest and Northeast are in danger of dying from unknown causes.Frank Sapio, forest health program manager of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said a disease affecting the species is widespread throughout southern Michigan.“It is worse in urban environments,” he said.Sapio said a combination of other outside factors has been playing a role in some instances.“That doesn’t explain what is going on in the woods,” he said.The decline of the trees could be attributed to a disease known as ash yellow.“It is a very elusive agent, we don’t know what is exactly going on,” Sapio said.

MICHIGAN

Housing remains stable despite Shaw Hall closing

Shaun Byron
September 5, 2001

Despite the closing of Shaw Hall this year, finding housing has not put anyone out in the cold.The number of students living on campus has not changed, said Angela Brown, director of University Housing.“Our house count has been consistent over the past years,” she said.Brown said the decision to close Shaw Hall was planned ahead of time so as not to leave students uncomfortable or homeless.She said the number of over-assigned halls is less than 20 and there are plans accommodate the students in them as soon as possible.“This is very similar to the work done in (Mason and Abbott halls) when they were closed a few years ago,” she said.But landlord Fred Bauries said he still had trouble finding students to rent to for the fall.“We found we had more difficulty this year than any year I can remember,” he said.Bauries said while he found leasers for all three of his homes, he blames the lack of interest on the recent economic slowdown and the construction of new apartments.“I think the appeal up there is the new construction, and (Capstone Commons) is something I would consider a 21st century dorm,” he said.Bauries said the developers have looked at the current market and have found success in the form of profits.But while more students might be living in apartments, Annette Irwin, operations administrator for the Code Enforcement and Neighborhood Conservation Department of East Lansing, said students are still leasing homes in the city.“That is the question that some of us are wondering, are they willing to give up the proximity to campus for items that are catering right to their needs such as Internet access and the clubhouse environment,” she said.Other types of incentives such as lawn care and parking might also be playing a factor in a student’s decision to live off campus, she said.But Irwin said this is not a problem for renters.“I suspect there will always be a part of the student body that wants to live in a home,” she said.Terri Clifton, vice president of property management for Crossing Place Student Apartments, 3636 E.

MICHIGAN

Pre-Recruitment sessions shed light on greek system

Leslie Escobar
September 4, 2001

Students curious about greek life and its opportunities may want to attend information sessions to be held across campus today and Wednesday.The sessions will be held in various residence halls and at the Union and will focus on the Recruitment process later this month, and any questions students may have about the greek system.“The Interfraternity and Panhellenic Council executive boards will be presenting at these information sessions,” said Interfraternity Council President Josh Tudor.

MICHIGAN

Skate park construction underway

Sara Luneburg
September 4, 2001

Lansing - After enduring a three-year struggle to bring skating to Lansing’s Ranney Park, construction on the city’s 20,382-square foot skate park begins today. But the fight to bring a world class skating facility to the community will continue for at least another three months, said Pete Bosheff, president of the Lansing Area Skate, Bike and Recreation Foundation. The $713,000 project is still in need of about $100,000, which led Bosheff and other area skaters to launch a three-month fund-raising blitz, “Project Skate: Help Us Build It.” “Just because we have an account to cover the costs doesn’t mean we don’t have to pay it back,” Bosheff said.

MICHIGAN

U aids in research for online resource

Leslie Escobar
August 31, 2001

Students of all ages will benefit from the creation of “Michigana,” a proposed online encyclopedia of Michigan history and culture. The Michigan Humanities Council announced Monday that Dr. Nancy Nelson Knupfer was hired as the project planning director for the encyclopedia, which will be launched in about a year. A $50,000 grant was awarded to the council for the project from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

MICHIGAN

Officers hope to better serve student groups

Jamie Gumbrecht
August 31, 2001

East Lansing Sgt. Nancy Hamilton spent eight of her 11 years with the East Lansing Police Department working with the canine patrol. Now she’s handling a completely different kind of animal - students. On top of her regular road-patrol duties, Hamilton will serve as the student alliance coordinator, a position created to improve relations between MSU students and police. “This is to try to get students familiar with officers,” Hamilton said.

MICHIGAN

Airport may consider changing emergency plans

Steve Eder
August 30, 2001

Representatives from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport agreed Tuesday to consider changes to its plan for handling families of plane crash victims.Directors from the National Transportation Safety Board and the airport testified in front of the state House’s Airport Review Subcommittee to discuss the emergency contacting practices.

MICHIGAN

Click it or Ticket this Labor Day weekend

Jamie Gumbrecht
August 30, 2001

MSU police are planning to buckle down on drivers who don’t buckle up. Just in time for Labor Day travel, the Department of Police and Public Safety is participating in the statewide Click it or Ticket campaign, putting more emphasis on safety belt wearing. “We do it all the time, but we’ll be giving it special attention,” said MSU police Sgt.

MICHIGAN

Bill Knapps decides to downsize company

Shaun Byron
August 29, 2001

Bill Knapp’s Restaurants might be closing a location back home. Eleven Bill Knapp’s restaurants in Michigan and five in Ohio have closed because of a lack of customers. “Like any other restaurant, they looked at each location to see what the market is,” said Nick Thole, a spokesman for Bill Knapp’s Restaurants. Thole said in the majority of the cases, the company felt it would be good to pull back and let business matriculate to the others. Local Bill Knapp’s locations in Lansing, Okemos and Delta Township, however, are still safe, he said. “Right now I would say those restaurants are very strong for the company,” he said. Whether other locations will also close is still unknown. “I don’t know the future plans for the company, it is just an ongoing thing and they make the determinations on whether this is the right move,” Thole said.