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MSU

ASMSU votes to back Penn State student government

Student government officials throughout the Big Ten are fighting for student input regarding decisions made by university officials at Penn State University. The university's administration seized control of the Undergraduate Student Government, or USG, and replaced it with the University Park Undergraduate Association, or UPUA, a student advocacy group. ASMSU, MSU's student government, created and passed a bill at its meeting last Thursday showing support for the USG and allowing Roger Ludy, ASMSU's Student Assembly chairperson, to contact Penn State University officials. The Penn State administration eliminated the USG's authority and appointed students to the UPUA, ASMSU officials said. In officially recognizing the USG, ASMSU joins eight of 11 universities within the Association of Big Ten Students, which is composed of Big Ten university undergraduate student governments. Julielyn Gibbons, external affairs vice chairperson for ASMSU's Student Assembly, said if roles were reversed, she would hope other schools would do the same and offer their support. "Unlike ASMSU and other student governments in the Big Ten, we have no power — none," said Nick Stathes, USG's president.

MSU

Accepting community

When John Herbst told his friends and family he is gay, it wasn't easy. He knew he was gay, but he didn't quite know how to tell everyone, he said. "It was bubbling up inside me," he said.

MSU

MSU may hire 2 new deans to colleges

MSU may be losing two of its current deans by the end of the academic year. Ronald Fisher, dean of the Honors College, will be leaving his position in the spring, said Robert Banks, associate provost and vice president for academic human resources. Banks added he is hoping to have the new dean work with Fisher to ensure the transition goes smoothly. Fisher said he did not want to comment on his departure because he did not "feel it was newsworthy." Members of the Executive Committee of Academic Council, or ECAC, passed a motion Tuesday to begin the search for a new dean.

MSU

GE, mtvU offer $25K for earth-friendly ideas

General Electric Co. and mtvU have teamed up to motivate college students to save the environment. In early September, the groups announced the "ecomagination Challenge," a nationwide contest encouraging college students to think of inventive, cost-conscious ways to improve their campus environments. "We essentially partnered with (General Electric) because we started hearing that the environment and global warming were becoming very serious issues," mtvU general manager Stephen Friedman said.

MSU

College to offer organic farming

People now have a chance to get their hands dirty while earning a certificate in organic farming at MSU. The yearlong Organic Farming Certificate Program begins in January and will include a lot of hands-on experience, such as an internship, said Eunice Foster, associate dean for undergraduate and certificate programs in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "The program has been in development for a couple of years," Foster said.

MSU

ASMSU condemns Young Americans for Freedom event

Student government officials took an active stance by passing a bill condemning "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day" last Thursday during an ASMSU Student Assembly meeting. Mark Dobson, vice president of the Residence Halls Association, introduced the bill to ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, after he gained support for passing a similar bill within the undergraduate residential government. The event was planned by MSU student group Young Americans for Freedom, or YAF, after the planning of the University of Michigan's YAF event.

MSU

Day focuses on native people

Many students on campus celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday instead of Columbus Day. Some student groups, such as the North American Indigenous Student Association, or NAISO, refer to the event as Indigenous Peoples Day because Christopher Columbus claimed the Americas when natives were already there, NAISO co-chairperson Vanessa Welch said. "People that don't know about Native American culture say that Columbus found America when really North Americans were already there," the studio art sophomore said.

MSU

Committees created to include faculty input

Five committees were created to help resolve major issues after MSU faculty members said they wanted more input on decisions made within the university. The committees, called the Faculty Voice Task Forces, were created in September 2005 and worked throughout the spring.

MSU

Officials propose new music college

The addition of a new academic college could be music to the ears of some MSU students and officials. Academic Assembly received a proposal from university officials on Tuesday to support the School of Music's move to becoming a college.

MSU

Student organic farm to host informative event

The Student Organic Farm Harvest Fest will be held from 1-5 p.m. Saturday. The farm was created in 1999 to provide information to students regarding organically grown food. Events featured at the festival include fresh food, hayrides, farm tours, cider-pressing, face-painting and a pie-eating contest, among other things. The festival will feature live music from local bands Head and Toe, A Story Told and Dali Rocket. The farm is located at 3291 College Road in Holt.

MSU

Nursing center expands patient care

The MSU College of Nursing Primary Care Center sits inconspicuously among a bevy of other health care providers in the Clinical Center, but it bears a new name and has a broader focus.

MSU

Groups to celebrate 'Indigenous Peoples'

Most calendars identify Oct. 9 as Columbus Day. However, some students on campus refer to the day as Indigenous Peoples Day instead. "We call it Indigenous People's Day because in calling it Columbus Day, you're celebrating the mass murder of people," said Ashley Harding, cultural programmer for the North American Indigenous Student Organization, or NAISO.

MSU

Innovations: Animal health

Correction: The phrase "sticking a pipe" should have been "placing a self-expanding metallic stent." For clarification, there are more schools that teach the procedure than MSU, and the special funds do not apply to intervention radiology. Name: Matthew Beal, assistant professor Department: Small Animal Clinical Sciences Date of method: Beal has been working with the new procedure for about a year. Type of method: Interventional radiology Basics of method: "It allows us to treat animals in a less invasive way," Beal said. The methodology allows veterinarians to perform procedures on animals without them having large incisions. Some small-breed dogs can get tracheal collapse when the cartilage in their windpipes begins to collapse, Beal said.

MSU

Computer networks to be shut down Friday

Some MSU computer networks will be shut down from 6-11 p.m. Friday for Academic Computing & Network Services to test electrical system upgrades. The online services to be affected are afs.msu.edu, Angel, LON-CAPA, Magic and Webmail.