Birthday cake and hominoid fossils meant one thing to the MSU Museum: It was time to celebrate Charles Darwin's birthday. Darwin Discovery Day, hosted by the MSU Museum for the second time ever on Sunday, was part of an international celebration of the impact Darwin's theory of evolution has had on science. The annual event is held around the world on or near Darwin's birthday, Feb.
Nigel Scarlett, who became the new ASMSU vice chairperson for external affairs early Friday morning, said he plans to focus his time on advocacy and spreading the word about MSU's undergraduate student government. "When students come to MSU, they don't really know about ASMSU," Scarlett said.
Members of American Indian tribes from across the country are coming to Jenison Field House to compete against one another in traditional dancing, drumming and singing. The North American Indigenous Student Organization, or NAISO, is hosting the 24th annual MSU Pow-Wow of Love this weekend. "We love to have students of every background — it's not only fun, but it's educational," said Allie Sturk, a NAISO member and ASMSU's director of racial, ethnic and progressive student affairs. Any kind of event that advocates diversity and culture is important, she said, especially after the passing of Proposal 2, which banned affirmative action in the state. Don Lyons, another NAISO member, said many people's only knowledge of American Indian culture is connected to casinos. He said the powwow can serve as an introduction to tribes with rich histories and traditions. "Student have no idea that American Indians are still here," he said. The powwow dancing, drumming and singing ceremonies have traditional significance and purpose, said NAISO fundraising chairman Jeff Gargoshian. "We believe that the creator gave us this way of life," he said. Some ceremonies, for example, are done when "a feather drops," Gargoshian said.
At tonight's ASMSU Student Assembly meeting, the assembly will discuss the state's affirmative action ban with MSU administrators and elect its new vice chairperson for external affairs. ASMSU is MSU's undergraduate student government. Vice President for Student Affairs and Services Lee June and Director of the Office for Affirmative Action, Compliance and Monitoring Paulette Granberry Russell will attend the meeting at ASMSU's request to discuss the effects of Proposal 2 on the university. "It's a great idea," said Allie Sturk, director of racial, ethnic and progressive student affairs for ASMSU.
For some students, the opportunity to solve the world's problems beats the allure of a typical 9-to-5 white-collar job. During the MSU Call to Serve Fair, such students will have a chance to explore their career options with nonprofit organizations and government and public service programs.
The former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, will speak about "Weapons of Mass Deception" on Thursday. Civil rights activists such as Lowery risked their lives, fortunes and families to better society, said Pat Grauer, a spokeswoman for the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Lowery, who co-founded the SCLC with Martin Luther King Jr., was the first recipient of Boston University's Martin Luther King Award and delivered eulogies at Rosa Parks' and Coretta Scott King's funerals. "It really says a lot about the way the civil right community holds him in esteem," Grauer said.
This spring's ASMSU elections give students a chance to represent their colleges and fill more than 30 vacant seats. Any undergraduate can vie for a seat on ASMSU's assembly to represent his or her college for the one-year term.
The Muslim Students' Association will hold a discussion today about the situation in Iraq. At the meeting, speakers will present the perspectives of the Muslim world, President Bush and the anti-troop increase.
By James Andersen For The State News Tim Potter has a simple piece of advice to all bike riders on campus: "Always keep your (bike) chain lubed." Potter, the marketing and sales coordinator for the MSU Bikes Service Center, put on a basic bicycle tune-up clinic Saturday. The session is the first in a spring series.
By Julie Baker The State News For one MSU student and an MSU alumnus, the gloom and doom predictions of global warming offer more than bad news — they offer a challenge. The MSU Bio Diesel Project will be producing fuel using products commonly found in the kitchen during a demonstration at 7:30 p.m.
It was the 1974 football season, the first year women were allowed in the press box at Notre Dame stadium. Then-reporter Sue Carter was sent to cover the game against MSU for a small Lansing radio station. But she wasn't allowed into the locker room. "I had brought a male friend with me, and I gave him my tape recorder and a list of questions and sent him in," said Carter, now an MSU journalism professor. Women have made strides for equality in journalism since then. This year, four women — including Carter and Cheryl Pell, another School of Journalism faculty member — and one man will be inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. "Great progress has been made, but even greater progress is to come," Carter said.
Visiting beautiful Sydney, Australia, or lovely London could do more for students than provide pictures for a photo album. A Study Abroad Fair, put on by the MSU Office of Study Abroad on Thursday, allowed students to view more than 100 exhibits and decide which location was best for a semester or summer of eventful off-campus learning. Last school year, 2,787 students went abroad through MSU programs, office spokeswoman, Cheryl Benner said.
Former Detroit Mayor and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Dennis Archer speaks today on "Civil Rights and the Law." The lecture, sponsored by the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, is the first of four to be presented at 5 p.m.
It's only ironic that MSU's ecological group, ECO, is holding its Week of Action to raise awareness of global warming during the coldest week of the year. ECO members braved the biting wind at the rock on Farm Lane Wednesday to inform MSU students about the effects of global warming. Students painted the rock with the phrase, "start global cooling" as a part of Rising to the Challenge: A Week of Action.
Before becoming the general manager of 88.9 WDBM 18 years ago, Gary Reid was a professional musician.
Illegibly graded research papers, thousands of assigned pages to read, Web surfing instead of working and evil professors.
Over the next three years, MSU will extend programs to increase students' social and civic engagement within the community. Administrators plan to add service-learning and internship courses, study abroad programs and a class on civic responsibility designed to bring together students from different departments. This became possible because MSU was chosen along with 17 other universities to participate in Core Commitments Leadership Consortium — a grant from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, or AAC&U.
The MSU Stonewall Democrats hope a reorganization of the group will create awareness for the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community on campus. Last semester, the group worked with the MSU College Democrats to get people to vote during the November elections. Now, the group has shifted its efforts back to activism, said Kate Lester, president of the Stonewall Democrats. In today's reorganizational meeting, Lester said she plans to set times and dates for group meetings, try to put together goals and establish an executive board.
Patricia Edwards first attended the National Reading Conference in 1983. In 2006, she organized the conference that took place in Los Angeles.
ECO, a student "sustainability organization" on campus, is hosting a "Week of Action" to inform the MSU community of the effects of climate change and how people can make a difference. Today, the group will be roving across campus to interview students about their thoughts on global warming.