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News | Msu

MSU

Divine Nine preparing for Friday step show

Members of The Divine Nine fraternities and sororities have been putting in hours of training with one goal in mind — stepping their way to first place this Friday night. MSU’s Divine Nine organizations, which are primarily made up of African American students, will step up to the challenge 7 p.m. Friday at the East Lansing High School auditorium for its annual step show contest, expected to reel in hundreds of attendees.

MSU

Council of Graduate Students moves funds to on-campus accounts

The Council for Graduate Students, or COGS, approved a resolution Wednesday to move the group’s funds to on-campus based accounts, thus aligning with the university policy. COGS President Stefan Fletcher said the group’s executive board has had extensive dialogue with Vice President for Student Affairs and Services Denise Maybank and Vice President for Finance and Treasurer Mark Haas. “We’ve had a fairly robust dialogue, because I don’t think any of (the executive board members) wanted to present something to the (council representatives) that was not a good deal,” Fletcher said. The resolution was put to a vote in a previous COGS meeting on Sep.

MSU

MSU alumna wins prestigious artwork award

MSU alumna Ann Loveless took home a special prize this past week, literally. Loveless won first place based on public voting at the 2013 ArtPrize, which ran from Sept. 18 until Oct. 6 in Grand Rapids. Loveless, who has been creating art quilts for 10 years, entered the competition with a five-by-20 foot long art quilt mounted on four panels showing the shoreline of Lake Michigan.

MSU

One year later, new fraternity begins to flourish

While most incoming freshmen were preoccupied by the?hassle of moving into a cramped dorm room and leaving their homes behind last fall, a few students were thinking of adding their own spin on the MSU fraternity scene. Now, the 11 founding fathers of the Zeta Beta Tau chapter at MSU have established themselves in a small house on the northwest outskirts of campus and amongst greek life.

MSU

John Gaboury to take over as Associate Provost for Academic Services

A leadership position that touches the academic lives of MSU students will change hands officially on Nov. 1, with the transition process already beginning. The post of Associate Provost for Academic Services will be taken over by John Gaboury who already spends two days a week at the university while he wraps up his duties at the University of Toledo.

MSU

MSU Surplus Store hosts weeklong Community ReUse days

Students planning to throw away anything from textbooks to old furniture can look to the MSU Surplus Store for a more sustainable alternative. The store’s Community ReUse Days allows MSU students, faculty and alumni to haul in their unwanted household items, which are then resold in the store or recycled.

MSU

Males sport high heels in anti-domestic violence event

MSU fraternity brothers stepped outside their comfort zone for a good cause by strapping on high heels Sunday for a walk dedicated to raising awareness about harassment and sexual assault. The “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event is a national awareness campaign brought to MSU by the greek community.

MSU

Locals clear pathways for recreational use in Red Cedar River

Chainsaws, canoes and cleaning crews filled the Red Cedar River Saturday afternoon to clear pathways to maximize the river’s full potential for local residents. For the past 12 years, the Lansing Oar and Paddle Club has organized a team to clear log jams, hanging trees and pollution that often makes the river unusable.

MSU

MSU engineering hosts recruiting event for potential students

The College of Engineering hosted its annual Spartan Future Engineers Preview Day, a recruitment event for high school juniors, seniors and prospective transfer students, on Saturday. During Preview Day, prospective students experience lab tours and attend two faculty and student-led information sessions about the different academic departments of the college, said Drew Kim, assistant to the dean for recruitment and K-12 outreach.

MSU

University officials look to address cheating methods in online courses

Offering online courses is relatively new at MSU, and the campus community still is working toward the best solutions for academic problems that can arise, officials said. Online courses generate increased complaints of academic dishonesty that warrant different kinds of investigation and communication, University Ombudsperson Robert Caldwell told the Steering Committee earlier this week.

MSU

Living City-Inside the fish bowl

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in your own personal aquarium? Welcome to the life of fisheries and wildlife junior Heather Burke. She has a concentration in fisheries biology, and it shows. Burke comes home everyday to more than 40 fish tanks that are tucked away into every free corner of the small house she shares with her younger sister.

MSU

Divine Nine fraternity hosts week of events highlighting African-American history

In an effort to bring together MSU’s student community to address problems often associated with African-American heritage, MSU’s Alpha Phi Alpha designed a full eduactional week informing students on various issues. Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity created a week of events, with a theme of “We the People.” With only 16 active undergraduate members, Keyon Clinton, chapter president and electrical engineering senior, said the events were focused on redefining themselves in the African-American community, with programs explaining African-American worth in the U.S. and establishing an agenda to become a proactive race.

MSU

Group protests Kellogg Company

MSU students are imploring Kellogg’s food company to stop doing business with Wilmar International, a palm oil supplier destroying rainforests and threatening the endangered Sumatran tiger. Student volunteers spent hours Wednesday on Grand River Avenue sidewalk outside Espresso Royale recruiting passersby to call Kellogg’s and make their voices heard.

MSU

University officials discuss free Wi-Fi in residence halls at RHA meeting

The university is working on brining free wireless service into residence halls for students, starting with Wilson Hall this fall. During Wednesday’s Residence Halls Association, or RHA, meeting Ray Gasser, senior associate director for the Residence Education and Housing Services, or REHS, said the organization is working on educating residents of Wilson Hall not to use routers in their rooms since the additional routers distort the connection.

MSU

ASMSU looking to launch new bike rental program

ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, approved a bill last week allowing the allocation of $52,800 to fund a bike share pilot program on campus, providing students and faculty members initially with 40 bikes to rent throughout the school year. The program would allow students to rent from stations across campus, mostly located in front of residence halls.

MSU

Office for International Students and Scholars offers day trips to international students

MSU’s Office for International Students and Scholars, or OISS, will be providing international students the chance to experience some of the nation’s most popular cities, including Chicago this Saturday. For years, OISS has planned field trips targeted at the MSU international student population and visiting scholars who are here on temporary visas to help them see as much of American culture as possible.

MSU

Members named to committee inspired by Penn rant

The committee formed in response to professor William Penn’s alleged anti-Republican rant is coming together and forming goals, with the members named at the monthly Steering Committee meeting Tuesday. The Committee on Social Media, Pedagogy and Academic Rights and Responsibilities is chaired by communication professor William Donohue, who also is chair of the University Committee on Faculty Affairs.