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MSU

Teaching assistants to earn $100K after contract dispute

Kary Askew Garcia
February 17, 2014

Graduate teaching assistants are set to receive more than $100,000 in back wages that the university hadn’t paid them in two semesters after a dispute between the Graduate Employees Union and MSU was resolved. The union’s successful claim stemmed from a complaint that teaching assistants were not paid during a three-day overlap between the past spring and summer semesters, where more than 300 teaching assistants were essentially working two jobs. Union president Dan Clark said per their contract with MSU, the spring semester appointment period for teaching assistants went from Jan.

MSU

Crowded at the caf

Pasta is psychology sophomore Taylor Williams’ favorite dish. But it just isn’t worth braving the winding lines at the Shaw Hall cafeteria. Instead, she often uses her meal pass for quick snacks.

MSU

'50 Shades of Green' encourages talk of sexuality

Kary Askew Garcia
February 16, 2014

Sex can be an embarrassing, awkward topic that many people don’t want to talk about, but on Valentine’s Day, the LBGT Resource Center collaborated with the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum to overcome the stigma by hosting an event encouraging the MSU community to have a dialogue about sexual issues.

MSU

Event touches on law student health

Michael Kransz
February 13, 2014

For many law students, mental health issues are the elephant in the room. This prompted the MSU College of Law to host an event on Thursday shedding light on issues and lending solutions.

MSU

Taking the helm

Kary Askew Garcia
February 13, 2014

As Kiran Samra prepares to take over chief governing duties for MSU’s undergraduate student government, the main thing she’s hoping for is a chance to live out her vision. After working with the organization since her freshman year, most recently as chief of staff, she thinks she is ready to take the helm and make some serious waves. She was elected as the new ASMSU president last week and will run her first meeting Thursday.

MSU

Friends create bracelets for Charlie Waller fundraiser

Sara Konkel
February 12, 2014

Charlie Waller’s legacy will forever live on within the walls of Marble Elementary School. This week, students are making and selling bracelets to raise money to buy a “buddy bench” in honor of their former schoolmate, who lost his battle with cancer in December.

MSU

Simon: 'We know that tuition is too high'

Olivia Dimmer
February 11, 2014

Despite years of funding cuts and difficult budgetary decisions, President Lou Anna K. Simon said she’s confident MSU’s situation isn’t going anywhere but up. During her annual State of the University speech, Simon addressed several accomplishments MSU made throughout the last year, including the football team’s monumental Rose Bowl win. But she didn’t hesitate to address one of the biggest issues currently facing students — a series of tuition increases approved by the Board of Trustees that university officials blame on decreased appropriations from the state. “We’ve been through one of the worst times in our history,” Simon said during her speech.

MSU

Morrill Plaza to commemorate MSU women

Juliana Moxley
February 11, 2014

A small group huddled together under a tent on Tuesday afternoon where Morrill Hall once stood, crowding around to hear MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon and faculty members celebrate the grand opening of Morrill Plaza.

MSU

Student group protests recent tuition increases

Sierra Lay
February 11, 2014

On Tuesday afternoon, President Lou Anna K. Simon gave her annual State of the University address at Wharton Center, while members of MSU Students United gathered outside the building to protest many hot button issues set to be discussed in the speech, including rising tuition rates.

MSU

MSU introduces site advocating for higher ed in political arena

Olivia Dimmer
February 10, 2014

MSU is taking a stand against rising tuition costs and other challenges facing the university by launching a website designed to allow Spartan proponents to convey the message that policymakers should support higher education. The website, called Spartan Advocate, aims to decrease tuition costs and make degrees more accessible and affordable. The need for Spartan Advocate spawned from a desire to educate new legislators and alumni on the importance of higher education in research and economic growth, said Monique Field, assistant vice president of strategic initiative in the office of governmental affairs at MSU. As Field visited with alumni clubs, she saw that not everyone understands how MSU is spending state dollars and how the cuts to those funds have impacted tuition. “As state appropriations went down, the difference was made up (in tuition) by parents who send their kids to school,” Field said.

MSU

A bug's life

Simon Schuster
February 10, 2014

Once a month, children and MSU students gather around the Department of Entomology’s collection manager Gary Parsons and listen to him describe the ins and outs of insects.