Faculty members said they were pleased with the role they played in forming the plan for liberal arts reorganization, and they want to make sure they are still involved in the implementation of any changes.
ASMSU joined part of an ongoing battle between students and administration officials Thursday when it passed a bill calling for MSU to join the Worker Rights Consortium, a nonprofit international group that monitors labor practices. MSU's undergraduate student government requested the MSU Board of Trustees to allocate one percent of its profit from licensed apparel, up to $50,000, which is required to join the consortium. The WRC would report on factory conditions overseas where some MSU apparel is manufactured to ensure fair labor practices. Nine of the 11 Big Ten universities belong to the WRC, including 120 other colleges and universities across the country. Lauren Olson, a representative for the College of Natural Science, introduced the bill to Student Assembly and said petitioning ASMSU to join the WRC was one of the major reasons she became a representative. "We should be perpetuating the idea of fair labor as we go into the real world," she said.
The issue of medical and social treatment of intersex individuals will be addressed today during a discussion hosted by the Undergraduate Bioethics Society. Intersex individuals are people with a wide variety of physical abnormalities that cause the genitals to differ from the "normal" conception of male or female anatomy, said Alice Dreger, a Lyman Briggs associate professor. "We like to increase awareness about some of the ethical issues concerned with reproductive health in this society," said Annika Storey, chairwoman of the society and a physiology senior. Dreger will lead the discussion, "Gender, Sex and Ethics," at 7:30 p.m.
A poetry collective called Batey Urbano excitedly warmed up in a back room of the Erickson Kiva before several Latino and Chicano urban poets hit the stage to perform poetry with a purpose. "Is-La Mind," or "Ease The Mind," showcased the Batey Urbano poets as part of Puerto Rican Culture Week, put on by the Puerto Rican Student Alliance this week. "Our performances are a collaboration of our culture and hip-hop," Chicagoan group member Jiovani Vargas said. Batey Urbano is an outlet for people to express themselves, Vargas said.
MSU President M. Peter McPherson will speak about Africa's agriculture production and rural income on Friday at Penn State University. The speech, entitled, "Progress Can Be Achieved in Africa," is part of Penn State's lunchtime speaker series. McPherson said the presentation will give him an opportunity to give back to the university. "Penn State is our sister university because they came into existence around the same time MSU did," McPherson said, adding Penn State's President Graham Spaniard asked him to give the speech about a year ago.
Gabrielle Russon Special to The State News Students flocked to the International Center this weekend to see the third annual Spartan Idol competition.
Women on MSU's campus have gone from protesting in the streets to using the support of successful women to gain powerful positions. The second annual MSU Women Students Leadership Conference allowed those in attendance to spend Sunday afternoon equipping themselves with the tools necessary to become successful in a male-dominated society.
Award-winning online software is now being recognized after MSU's online teaching and learning software system, the LearningOnline Network Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach, or LON-CAPA, won an award from the Sloan Foundation. The system will also be the first American program introduced into the German-based CampusSource software exchange, which helps educational institutions create the infrastructure necessary for new media in teaching. "This is very nice, but not the greatest thing since sliced bread because we are one of five schools awarded," said Gerd Kortemeyer, LON-CAPA director and an assistant professor in the Lyman Briggs School.
To determine changes in how student taxpayer money is used and the effectiveness of its internal structure, ASMSU allocated almost $7,000 on Thursday to gather student opinion. Student reactions will be gathered through a survey of undergraduates for its Constitutional Convention Committee, which will review ASMSU's constitution and might propose changes such as combining the two assemblies into a unicameral body.
In addition to approving contracts for MSU President M. Peter McPherson and President-designate Lou Anna Simon on Friday, the MSU Board of Trustees also approved a $3.6 million agreement to construct a new veterinary medicine center. The board took a contract with Fryling Construction Company to begin work on the $3.6 million Matilda R.
About 25 students ranging from human biology to computer science majors, gathered at Olin Health Center to learn about the Health Advocates on Thursday night. "It sounds really interesting and it's so good what they do.
Volunteers from the MSU Bike Project and the MSU Cycling Club are holding the MSU Bike Fest 2004 from 6-9 p.m.
Members of the MSU Debate Team began their season by placing in the top eight and top 16 teams at the season opener at Georgia State University in September.
The American Folklore Society awarded the 2004 Américo Paredes Prize to Kurt Dewhurst and Marsha MacDowell of the MSU Museum.
The MSU College of Law is hosting a symposium entitled "The Death of Poletown: The Future of Eminent Domain and Urban Development after County of Wayne v.
White lights wound around the banisters in the McDonel Hall Kiva twinkled in the darkened room as rhythmic drumming and a lilting pipe filled the air. Women dressed in colorful choli suits of blue, green and pink practiced a dance, their arms swaying in unison to a slight tinkling of bells. About 55 people gathered Thursday night to celebrate and learn about the Diwali holiday in an event hosted by the Coalition of Indian Undergraduate Students, Asha for Education, the MSU India Club and McGlobe International Club. Diwali, a festival of lights, is celebrated by people who practice Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism.
A black mask that collects dirt and monitors air quality while someone travels around a city is the newest of Natalie Jeremijenko's inventions.
Walter Mears spent his fair share of time in political reporting. The retired Pulitzer Prize winner covered nearly 40 years of presidential campaigns for the Associated Press, and after four decades of reporting, he shared his anecdotes from the inside. Mears spoke to about 30 people in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building on Wednesday as part of the Siebert Lecture series. In the first election since his retirement, Mears said sitting on the sidelines this year wasn't easy. "I missed it a lot, but there comes a time when another generation needs to take over," he said. The retired journalist spent the first 20 minutes of his speech criticizing President Bush, and was almost relieved in saying that his reporter's obligation to be objective was relinquished after retirement. Mears said even though politicians are more accessible now than any other time, much of the coverage is superficial and insubstantial. "While images and sound bites from political candidates are more accessible, they're packaged and sold as supermarket products," he said. In his early days, when a journalist's questions weren't answered by politicians, "it would get nasty," he said. "Right now, there's almost none of that and it's a loss to the political readers," Mears said.
At its Friday meeting, the MSU Board of Trustees will discuss a variety of campuswide changes, including renaming a board committee and restoring part of Spartan Stadium. Up for approval is renaming the board's Finance Committee to the Finance and Audit Committee and making minor changes to its responsibilities. "Across the country, you see corporations, both public and private, enhancing and stressing the important role that audit committees play," board Chairman David Porteous said.
A mariachi singer tapped her stark white boot to the music as she sang a traditional song begging her lover to return.