Construction workers drilling on Dormitory Road near Snyder and Phillips halls hit a gas line at about noon on Tuesday, causing a gas leak that kept running for roughly five hours. "It just shoots out because it's forced gas," said Lt.
Aspiring MSU comedians gathered in the Union's Ohio State Room on Tuesday night, hoping to extract a chorus of belly laughs from a University Activities Board judging panel. The comedians were auditioning for a slot in the upcoming "Last Spartan Standing" competition, the MSU version of the "Last Comic Standing" NBC television series.
An identity theft workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today in the third-floor conference room at the Nisbet Building, 1407 S.
On Wednesday, several MSU conservative political groups will have a chance to make an announcement - they are proud of their political affiliation. The opportunity is part of the first-ever National Conservative Coming Out Day, an event aimed at raising awareness about the conservative presence on college campuses. At MSU, informational tables and a mock closet for participants to come out of will be set up at the Brody Complex and Bessey Hall, as well as a possible location on East campus, political science and pre-law senior Luke Pelican said. "The purpose of this day isn't to go after anyone or have an aggressive agenda," Pelican said.
Members of ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, feel that selling alcohol in the suite area of Spartan Stadium is unfair to students and gives more privilege to those who pay extra for season tickets. "It's ridiculous.
It is not uncommon for Niharika Joglekar to be the only female in her classes. It's this observation - among others - that has led the computer science and engineering senior to start a new group on campus called MSU Women in Computing. "Women don't feel as comfortable as they should in this male-dominated major," Joglekar said.
By Erica Richards Special to The State News The peaceful lawn of the Administration Building turned into a medieval battlefield Saturday afternoon - but fighters wore T-shirts and used weapons made of wood, leather and duct tape. A small group of students and instructors from the Aegis Sword Academy in Pinckney took turns fighting within a ring of green rope as part of a swordsmanship demonstration.
Student Parents on a Mission will have a welcome meeting from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the Spartan Child Development Center, located at 1730 Crescent Road. Free dinner and child care will be provided, and a children's craft activity will start at 7 p.m. The organization was founded in 1995 with the Family Resource Center to provide an environment for student parents to come together and learn about resources MSU provides for them, such as assistance in finding employment and financial aid.
In a unanimous decision during Friday's MSU Board of Trustees meeting, board members approved the sale of MSU's Merillat Equine Center, an 80-acre farm in Adrian that specializes in breeding. The farm was given as a gift to the university in 1996 by the Merillat family.
The Listening Ear Crisis Intervention Center, 313 W. Grand River Ave., will have orientation sessions for new volunteer training starting at 7 p.m.
As Sayrah Namaste waited at an MSU medical center Wednesday, she overheard two janitorial employees discussing the donation of money to victims of Hurricane Katrina. One employee said he was asked to contribute but declined because he and his wife had already withdrawn everything from their savings to donate one week earlier. "He looked like he was at retirement age," Namaste said.
Students should visit a new student-run Web site with information on East Lansing City Council candidates because students are residents of the city with the right and responsibility to vote, all four candidates have said. "I don't think enough students register to vote in East Lansing," said Kevin E.
The Muslim American Society, the Islamic Center of East Lansing and the Muslim Students' Association are hosting "Inside Islam: A Cultural Fair" from 1-5 p.m.
Although Israel is thousands of miles away from East Lansing, a little piece of the country was at the rock on Farm Lane on Thursday night. At Israel Fest - put on by the Jewish Student Union and Spartans for Israel - guests were given an opportunity to learn about Israeli culture and politics. The free three-hour event included Israeli food, demonstrations on Israeli military self-defense and different musical acts ranging from an MSU student to Jewish rapper Remedy, who is affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan. Cindy Huey, adviser for the Jewish Student Union, said the group planned the event to celebrate and showcase an Israel different from what is portrayed on the news. "When most students hear about Israel they hear about the political aspect of the conflict (in the Gaza Strip and West Bank)," she said.
A group of MSU administrators, state authorities and scientists had a first look at a new facility built on campus to house a cutting-edge nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR, spectrometer on Thursday. A dedication ceremony was held at MSU's Core Technology Alliance Biomolecular NMR Facility, a part of the Engineering Research Complex, to introduce the new instrument, which uses powerful magnets to help scientists determine the structures of large molecules and monitor the interactions of drugs and proteins - important applications for biological and medical research. The 900-megahertz spectrometer, which arrived on campus in May, is part of the Michigan Center for Structural Biology, a group of shared instruments housed at facilities in the state and other parts of the Midwest, including MSU. The spectrometer provides state-of-the-art speed and sensitivity, said Shelagh Ferguson-Miller, chairperson of MSU's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. It is one of only five such machines in the nation. MSU's instrument is intended to be used by scientists at a number of institutions around the state, country and world, said J.
While many Hurricane Katrina fundraisers are geared toward general relief, some MSU student groups are keeping the universities located in the devastated area at the forefront of their relief efforts. "As students, it was very important for us to help the affected students who are going through this," Residence Hall Association President Kevin Newman said. On Monday, RHA, ASMSU and the MSU chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary began their program of selling donation cards for $1.
Before joining the MSU Outing Club, education junior Sarah Hughes said she hadn't experienced many outdoor sports, but now considers ice climbing one of her favorite hobbies. Last year, Hughes signed up to go whitewater rafting in West Virginia with the club even though she didn't know anybody on the trip, she said. "By the end of the drive there I had become really good friends with the people in my car," she said. The club is about learning and experiencing outdoor activities by taking trips to hike or climb rocks and ice, Hughes said. In addition to the whitewater rafting trip, the club has already planned tentative trips listed on its Web site that allow people to experience the outdoors, said interdisciplinary studies in social science senior and club President Allison Solka. "The club allows people to try things they normally wouldn't," Solka said, adding that one of the features of the club is that members can rent gear such as backpacks for free. The MSU Outing Club has about 200 members.
As Valerie Chadwick watched the relentless news coverage of the devastation following Hurricane Katrina, a few images remained with her. Chadwick, assistant professor for the College of Veterinary Medicine, said scenes such as animals stranded on top of submerged cars or swimming as boats full of people passed, have prompted her to take part in a relief effort with the college. "It's frustrating," she said.
Friday's MSU Board of Trustees meeting could result in the approval of a new parking lot in protected campus green space. At the meeting, the first this semester, the trustees will discuss the possibility of straying from an MSU zoning ordinance that prohibits development in specific green areas on campus by constructing a 20-space parking lot at the Clarence E.
From keeping watch so Wolverines don't paint it maize and blue to moving it indoors and building a new one outside, the MSU community is protective of the Spartan statue - a university symbol for 60 years. The original terra cotta statue was recently moved into the new Spartan Stadium addition, which left some fans wondering how accessible the familiar landmark will be. The statue's new home is in a lobby that serves as a gateway to the new reserved area for club-seat and suite ticket holders, as well as the media, on home football Saturdays. Access is restricted for about five hours each game day, but there are opportunities before and after games for the public to see the statue, said Greg Ianni, senior associate director of athletics.