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News | Msu

MSU

Students hold party for persons with disabilities

Supply chain management senior Linsey Vasilenko sat at a table in the Union's Gold rooms on Sunday, making Valentines with guests at the Supply Chain Management Association's Very Special Valentine's Day Dance. "A lot of people look forward to coming to this event every year," said Vasilenko, president of the association.

MSU

Activists seek recognition at MSU

The contributions of students throughout MSU's 150-year history have been ignored, some students say. So to draw attention to student accomplishments, a number of student organizations started a campaign called "150 Years of Struggle," which kicked off Friday during the university's Founders' Day celebration. "This is about how students have contributed for the last 150 years," said Erik Green, director of racial, ethnic and progressive affairs for the Residence Halls Association. "The campaign focuses on the accomplishments of student groups through hard work, dedication and struggle," he said. A year-long series of events will be organized by students from the Coalition of Racial Ethnic Students, or CORES, the Council of Progressive Students, or COPS.

MSU

MSU trustees approve parking ramp plan

A contract to develop a surface parking lot near Morrill Hall into a controversial seven-level ramp was approved Thursday at a meeting of the MSU Board of Trustees. The ramp is being constructed to satisfy a 400-space deficit on north campus.

MSU

Team of leaders agree on med school future

The members of the MSU medical school development team signed an agreement outlining their commitments to the expansion of the MSU College of Human Medicine to Grand Rapids during a meeting Tuesday, a statement released Thursday by the Van Andel Institute said.

MSU

Pow-wow of Love to be held this weekend

The 22nd annual "Pow-Wow of Love" will start today at 7 p.m. inside the Jenison Field House and will run through the weekend. The powwow is sponsored by the North American Indigenous Student Organization, or NAISO, and will showcase American Indian traditional dances, drumming and food.

MSU

Former dean dies after car accident

An MSU professor described as a "pioneer" died on Wednesday after injuries sustained in a traffic accident. Gill-Chin Lim was an MSU endowed professor of Urban and Regional Planning and a former dean of International Studies and Programs. Lim died at 2 p.m.

MSU

Students picked for residential college program committee

Three seniors have been selected as voting members of the curriculum team for the new residential college program. Andrew McCoy, Paige Harley and Kyle Martin were among the students recommended for the positions by the Lyman Briggs School, James Madison College, the Residential Option in Arts & Letters program and the College of Arts & Letters.

MSU

Marksmen shoot for club status

The MSU Marksmanship Club is taking aim at a new goal - becoming an official club sport. The club, which was started about four years ago, has grown to 45 due-paying members.

MSU

Med school plans to be announced today

People involved in the move of MSU's College of Human Medicine to Grand Rapids met Tuesday to discuss a set of commitments for the project. The commitments indicate what the group members intend to do on the project and were formally decided upon at the meeting, said Steven Heacock, chief administrative and legal officer of IdeaSphere Inc., a David Van Andel-run private company that manufactures and supplies dietary supplements. Heacock also serves as a discussion facilitator of the group of leaders in the expansion.

MSU

Students, ASMSU weigh proposed tax hike

Some undergraduates support a new ASMSU tax that will create a scholarship fund, while several student government members oppose the idea. In a meeting last week, Academic and Student assemblies for MSU's undergraduate student government voted to increase student taxes by $3 to fund a scholarship account.

MSU

Expert offers information on preserving collections

An expert in preservation taught about 10 people how to protect their personal collections over lunch on Tuesday. Jeanne Drewes, the assistant director for access and preservation at the MSU library, gave the presentation in the Ohio State room of the Union.

MSU

Trustees' meeting to focus on traffic

Two projects that would change the way motorists drive and park on campus are among the issues to be discussed at Thursday's MSU Board of Trustees meeting. A redesign of the intersection near Sparty and the construction of a parking ramp near Morrill Hall with access from Grand River Avenue are both part of the university's 2020 Vision plan. The plan is a way for university officials to outline and expand the growth of MSU by the year 2020. The parking structure near Morrill Hall was identified as needed to reduce a deficit of parking on north campus, said Jeff Kacos, director of Campus Planning and Administration. The ramp is expected to add about 525 parking spaces and will be designed to look similar to the existing buildings in the area, Kacos said. Because this is the first time Trustee Melanie Foster has seen the plan, she said she has some questions and concerns about the ramp. "I have fresh eyes," Foster said.

MSU

Simon adjusts to new role as president

After her first week as MSU's 20th president, Lou Anna Simon said a good assessment of her administration would come after her first month in office. Now that the time has come, Simon says her presidency has gone relatively smoothly in the first month. "I've been working hard to look at Michigan State through fresh eyes, and to see Michigan State through a fresh perspective," she said. Something Simon didn't anticipate when taking over MSU's top role was the struggle between her personal and professional lives among those who have known her for years, she said. Colleagues were used to addressing her as "Lou Anna," and now have a hard time adjusting to her formal title of President Simon. "There's President Simon and then there's Lou Anna with a new job," Simon said.

MSU

Committee discusses liberal arts college

The Executive Committee of Academic Council heard feedback from the standing committees on the final report of the Committee on College Reorganization. Only the University Committee on Faculty Affairs endorsed an option laid out in the final report - the recommendation that MSU improve liberal arts and sciences education, without significant college reorganization now. Investment in liberal arts and sciences must wait for new resources, rather than shifting funds from other programs, said Susan Melnick, co-chairwoman of the University Committee on Faculty Affairs. "We are arguing in favor of strengthening liberal arts, not diminishing it," Melnick said. The other option mentioned would establish a Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences institution that would include the Colleges of Arts & Letters and Social Science. Vinayak Prasad, chairman of the University Committee on Student Affairs, said his committee felt strong reservations about the option because it did not include the College of Natural Science. "We are hesitant to say reorganization is necessary to fix the problems," Prasad said.