MSU

Sparty's to help finance Katrina relief

Kristen Daum

April 4, 2006

Sparty's Convenience Stores will begin selling donation cards on Monday to raise funds for an MSU volunteer program in New Orleans. The program, called the MSU New Orleans Summer Project, will send about 30 MSU students, faculty and volunteers to four New Orleans-area school districts this summer, where they will tutor K-12 students and help rebuild the teachers' homes affected by Hurricane Katrina last August. "It's a new effort, and it really appears to be an effort that pulls together a number of issues that are important to the university and Sparty's," said Ken Deneau, Sparty's general manager. The projected cost of the project is about $800 per person, said Joyce Grant, an associate professor of teacher education who is coordinating the trip. Volunteers will drive down in rented vans on May 29 and return to Michigan on June 25, she said. "There are a lot of things that are going on to raise money," Grant said, including efforts to earn support grants.

MSU

ASMSU orients new members

Kristi Jourdan

April 4, 2006

Student government officials are working this week to transition ASMSU's organization into its next term, which begins today. ASMSU is MSU's undergraduate student government. The group is introducing new assembly members to the organization and preparing old members for their new positions, among other things, as this week is labeled "Orientation Week" by ASMSU officials. "We're going to have to get the organization functioning with the new positions that have opened as a result of the tax increase, integrate them and do that as quickly as possible," said Roger Ludy, vice chairperson for internal affairs for ASMSU's Student Assembly.

MSU

Taking on the world

Holly Klaft

April 4, 2006

The MSU Vis Arbitral Moot team will participate in an international law competition beginning on Saturday. The 13th annual Willem C.

MSU

Games used to liven up classrooms

By Trey Scroggin For The State News Some professors say they have found the key to making traditional lectures more interesting — by turning them into games. At the Reacting to the Past conference for faculty held over the weekend at the Kellogg Center, professors learning about France in the 1790s took on the roles of figures of the era while gaining insight to a new teaching method. The Reacting to the Past program is a way of allowing students to take control of their education by participating in a role-playing game in which they assume the roles of people throughout history and argue about different issues from their characters' perspectives. All the professors involved with the game, called "Rousseau, Burke and Revolution in France, 1791," were eager to speak for their characters' opinions and dig into the material. The purpose of the conference was to familiarize MSU faculty with the program and the structure of the games, as well as to put it in contact with professors who have previously taught the program. More than a dozen games have been developed for classroom use.

MSU

Law inequalities focus of forum

Lindsay Machak

April 3, 2006

Issues such as how much negotiating power a person has when getting a warranty for a television and in contracts with insurance companies were addressed at a conference Friday at the MSU College of Law. Law students and professors listened to speakers at the conference, which was organized by the Michigan State Law Review and law Associate Professor Daniel Barnhizer.

MSU

Medical school exam to get face-lift

Kristen Daum

April 3, 2006

In three weeks, students will have their last opportunity to take the paper version of the Medical College Admission Test. Upcoming changes to the exam, commonly known as the MCAT, will transform it from a paper format into an electronic format — allowing more opportunities for students to take the exam each year, and faster turn-around time for students and universities to receive scores. But the transition won't have a large impact on MSU's medical schools, which use the exam during the admissions process, university officials said. The colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine require the MCAT for admission, and the College of Veterinary Medicine accepts both the MCAT and the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE. The College of Veterinary Medicine would be the least affected of the three colleges, because most of their applicants take the GRE, said Hilda Mejia Abreu, director of admissions for the college. "It doesn't impact us as much as it would the other medical schools," Abreu said. But Kathie Schafer, director of admissions for the College of Osteopathic Medicine, said the change in format would help in processing applications. "It'll be more efficient for us if the applicants get their results quickly, too," Schafer said.

MSU

MSU student to vie for prize

Lindsay Machak

April 3, 2006

When Timothy Vitollo found out he won a drawing that would send him to a national rock, paper, scissors tournament, he first thought it was a scam. But Vitollo, a second-year law student, soon learned it was legitimate — complete with a trip to New York. "I didn't even remember entering my name in the drawing," Vitollo said.

MSU

Safeguarding seniors

Holly Klaft

March 31, 2006

Christy Curtis' voice tensed as she talked about her late mother and the care she received in her last years. Curtis' family decided to hire a home health care worker to take care of her mother after the family had difficulty providing the care themselves.

MSU

Committee searches internally to fill senior associate provost spot

Kristen Daum

March 30, 2006

A search is underway to fill the position of senior associate provost, with plans to have a candidate selected by the end of this semester, university officials said. The senior associate provost will assist Provost Kim Wilcox in implementing university initiatives and managing academic colleges, departments and units. A committee, comprised of three deans, one school director, a faculty member and an administrator, already has met once to begin looking at about 12 possible candidates, said Donna Zischke, MSU's associate director for academic human resources. But rather than looking nationwide, the search is only open to faculty and administrators within the MSU community, Wilcox said. "I'm interested in someone who understands Michigan State — understands the campus, the organization and the goals," Wilcox said. Qualifications for the position include effective communication skills, the ability to work collaboratively and having tenured status, which is an indefinite faculty appointment with MSU. "The person in this role needs a very broad view of the university and a capacity to learn and address issues across a broad scope," said Bob Banks, assistant provost and assistant vice president for academic human resources. Banks added that the candidates come from several different areas within the university. The search committee will continue to meet over the next several weeks to review candidates' credentials, including their strengths and weaknesses for the position, before submitting a report to Wilcox by the end of this term, Wilcox said. He then will make a recommendation for the position to MSU President Lou Anna K.

MSU

WEB EXTRA: Women's career equality still lagging

Driving along Grand River Avenue the morning of March 22, MSU police Officer Lorrie Bates typed the license plate number of the car in front of her into a computer in her police SUV. The plate had expired in January. Bates pulled the motorist over and wrote him a ticket.

MSU

ASMSU tax hike to fund new positions

Kristi Jourdan

March 29, 2006

Now that an additional $237,000 will be made available because of a student tax increase, ASMSU officials plan to expand their organization to compensate workers for their efforts during the year and create new jobs to equalize the workload. The funding was made available to ASMSU officials after voters passed a $3 tax increase in last week's student government election, but now a new budget must be passed and finalized by ASMSU's Student Assembly before any extra funding goes into effect. The extra money gives student government officials a cushioned budget of about $1.1 million to work with for the year. The tax increase, which raises the current tax from $13.75 per semester to $16.75 per semester, will be effective during the summer and is necessary to "enhance the characteristics and qualities" of the organization, said Meg Wolocko, ASMSU's comptroller. "(We want) to be able to give back to students," Wolocko said.

MSU

Faculty strives to improve anti-cancer drug

Holly Klaft

March 29, 2006

MSU researchers are working to develop a more potent version of a powerful cancer-fighting drug, while making its production more environmentally friendly. MSU Assistant Professor Kevin Walker is heading up research to develop a biosynthetic way of producing the drug Taxol — a popular anti-cancer agent — and make stronger versions of the drug that would reduce treatment dosages. Taxol is known as a "spindle poison" that targets quickly dividing cancer cells and prevents them from dividing, according to a University of Bristol Web site.

MSU

More than 4K students given new SAT results

Kristen Daum

March 29, 2006

A scoring error in SAT exams administered in October has granted new scores to more than 4,400 high school students nationwide, including about 50 students who applied to MSU. After two high school students requested their exams be rescored by hand in December, the College Board, a New York-based organization that administers the test, stumbled upon a larger problem — student scores were both underscored and overscored, said Brian O'Reilly, executive director of SAT information services at the board. All 495,000 exams taken on Oct.

MSU

Innovations: Protein pressures

Kristen Daum

March 29, 2006

Name: Professor Donna Wang Department: Medicine Type of research: Studying a protein that could regulate blood pressure and heart disease Date of research: Wang has been studying this protein since 1998, and the project is ongoing. Basics of the project: The specific protein Wang is researching is present in sensory nerves, which allow people to feel pain, heat or cold. "What we are trying to define is (how) to assign a new role for this protein," Wang said. "We believe this protein plays a role in cardiovascular regulation or the control of blood pressure." Wang and six other MSU researchers from several fields of study across campus, including engineering, biochemistry and pharmacology, is developing molecular and animal models to research the protein, she said. With these models, the researchers can see the protein's effect at the cellular, tissue and organ levels of animals and humans, and they eventually will be able to study the effect on the entire body, Wang said. "Once we know more about the molecular structure of this protein, it might help the future design of a novel drug," she said. Social impact of research: Wang's research could lead to the development of a medicine that uses the protein to treat heart-related problems, Wang said. "It will certainly be conceivable that those drugs may be used for the treatment of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases," she said. Grants and funding: The project receives funding from MSU, the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor and various pharmaceutical companies.

MSU

Lively lifestyles

Holly Klaft

March 29, 2006

After losing 47 pounds while participating in the NBC weight-loss show "The Biggest Loser," Amelia Stephens said she hopes to inspire people to make their own lifestyle changes. "If I can inspire one person to change their life, to exercise and eat better, then it was all worth it," said Stephens, a communication senior. Stephens participated with her family on the show, which she said was scheduled to air this month but was postponed until summer. She said women tend to neglect themselves and are usually the ones taking care of others. "We can't take care of anyone else if we can't take care of ourselves," she said. Stephens attended the Women's Health Fair on Tuesday afternoon at the Union. The fair was organized by the MSU Women's Resource Center in honor of Women's History Month. Jodi Roberto Hancock, educational program coordinator at the Women's Resource Center, said the fair is a way to raise awareness about physical health, relationship health, stress management and balancing work and family. "This fair is a way to show the resources that are available to women," Roberto Hancock said. She said women's health is important because women often are the main source of health information for their families. Roberto Hancock added that women also have often been left out of major medical research. "I just recently heard there was a 20- or 30-year study just following women and really trying to realize that women's bodies are different," Roberto Hancock said.

MSU

Study: College faculty values own spirituality

Nurses work with people who are within inches of their lives on a day-to-day basis. That's why Mary Jo Arndt, an associate professor and director of undergraduate programs in the College of Nursing, said her students will encounter many instances that involve someone's spirituality. "People are very vulnerable when (nurses) work with them.

MSU

U-M professor, author will debate initiative

Fredricka Paul

March 28, 2006

The Residence Halls Association, with help from other campus organizations, is sponsoring a debate on campus today about the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, is a proposal to amend the state constitution to ban affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes. Speakers will include activist and author Tim Wise and University of Michigan philosophy Professor Carl Cohen. The Residence Halls Association, or RHA, and ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, decided to take a stance against MCRI in December. Vic Maurer, director of Racial, Ethnic and Progressive Affairs for RHA, said he started to consider holding the event in November. "(RHA) represents student concerns, and this is obviously an issue students are concerned about," Maurer said, adding that the initiative clearly affects the campus and state. The event will cost close to $9,000, with speakers costing $4,000 each.

MSU

Law course readies students for technology in courtroom

Fredricka Paul

March 28, 2006

Many professionals in the law field, including lawyers and paralegals, are switching over to electronic evidence programs as courtrooms become more high tech. And MSU College of Law students are following suit. A new course, called the Courtroom Technology and Electronic Evidence Lab, is open to law students and practicing attorneys. This semester, two sessions of the course were offered to students, including one that is currently in session. The lab teaches students how to use a program called TrialDirector Suite, which is the most-used trial presentation software. Bonnie Dabb, a judicial assistant for Judge David McKeague of the U.S.

MSU

ASMSU survey opens online

Kristi Jourdan

March 27, 2006

Beginning today, students can fill out an online survey created by ASMSU officials to determine student demand for additional recreational space on campus. The survey will be available to fill out for a week and a half, student government officials said. ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, allocated $7,000 in January to fund a survey of student opinions on the project, which calls for the construction of a combined IM facility and student events center. The project is meant to compete with facilities at other universities and would lower expenses for registered student organizations planning to host events such as concerts, speaker series and other larger events, ASMSU officials said. Additional financial resources are needed to pursue this project, said Rick McNeil, assistant director of Intramural Sports and Recreative Services, adding that students would have to be willing to pay fees incorporated into tuition. "There are two parts," said Harry Wang, a finance sophomore and Eli Broad College of Business representative for ASMSU's Student Assembly.

MSU

MRULE 2-day AIDS event draws 600

By Jason Chapman For The State News Audience members viewing an AIDS awareness movie called "A Closer Walk" began to shed tears as soon as the film began in the crowded Union on Saturday. The movie, which depicted dismal scenes of AIDS throughout the world, was the centerpiece and inspiration of a two-day event called "No Place to Hide: Student Activism and the Fight Against the Global AIDS Pandemic," according to students of the Multi-Racial Unity Living Experience, or MRULE. "We want students to find their place in the great struggle to fight this pandemic," MRULE Director Jeanne Gazel said.