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MSU

'U' research funding might be slashed

Kurt Ludke
January 23, 2003

An MSU pesticide research program could lose $210,000 if Gov. Jennifer Granholm follows budget cut recommendations from a Midland-based think tank.According to a report by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group, Michigan can save $34 million by eliminating programs in the state's Department of Agriculture.But Chris DiFonzo, MSU's pesticide education program coordinator, said a cut wouldn't have a big affect on the university.The Department of Agriculture gets federal funding to run the pesticide certification program, and MSU is contracted to make educational material for people who use the chemicals.

MSU

Students to vote on $5 energy fee

Fossil fuel energy on University Farms might be history if students decide to front the money to make the transition to environmentally-friendly energy.Students will vote in March on whether to add a $5 student tax to fund environmental initiatives.ASMSU passed a bill allowing students to vote on the tax after the environmental organization ECO proposed the bill to MSU's undergraduate student government in November.The farms purchase fossil fuel energy from Consumers Energy, but would start shifting to solar and wind turbine energy if the tax passes, said Terry Link, a representative for the University Committee for a Sustainable Campus."There's only so much fossil fuel we can burn," he said.

MSU

Basement cafe caters to patrons

Aaron Foley
January 23, 2003

People in business attire sit at tables in the Union basement, quietly chatting with one another over their food.Servers in white aprons distribute helpings of roasted turkey and potatoes onto plates.It's just another day in the Heritage Café.From 11 a.m.

MSU

DCL professor's site opposed by state rep.

State Rep. Susan Tabor, R-Delta Township, is speaking up against an MSU-Detroit College of Law professor's animal law Web site, claiming it provides support to anti-hunting views."In a time of tight budgets when Michigan schoolchildren are being asked to do with less and MSU students are seeing steep tuition hikes, the last thing we need is a new, highly controversial program of dubious practical value," Tabor said in a statement. The site, www.animallaw.info, includes information about 120 statutes and 100 cases involving animal rights.

MSU

'U' outperforms colleges in endowment return

MSU gained money from endowment investments during the 2001-02 fiscal year, while many universities around the United States spent the year trying to recover losses.Glen Klein, director of investments and financial management for MSU, said the university saw a 2.3-percent return in 2001-02, compared with the national average college endowment loss of 6 percent, as surveyed by the National Association of College and University Business Officers.Endowments are funds donated to the university but not spent all at once.

MSU

Board to discuss breakup of language department

Amy Bartner
January 22, 2003

A proposal to split the Department of Romance and Classical Languages into two smaller units moved on to the next stage of debate.The Executive Committee of Academic Council decided Tuesday to send the plan to the MSU Board of Trustees.

MSU

One-woman show embodies diversity

The lobby of Wharton Center's Pasant Theatre was full of anxious people waiting for the doors to open for the one-woman performance of "Faces of America."The show, which only ran on Tuesday, starred Fran de Leon portraying six different people.

MSU

Underpass project could improve safety

Anyone who has to venture to the south side of campus knows what it's like to wait.The university estimates about 60 trains, sometimes up to two miles long, chug along the CSX and CN railroads on tracks crossing Farm Lane between Trowbridge and Mt.

MSU

New director for group wants to rejuvenate position

Vikas Menon is full of ideas.As the new director of human resources for ASMSU, the computer engineering junior said he plans to streamline the way MSU's undergraduate student government operates."I want a human resource department, not just a person who hires and fires people," he said.Menon recruits students, coordinates hiring committees and maintains a database of applicants."I just love human resources," he said.

MSU

Fieger to speak at DCL, reflect on career as trial lawyer to students

Attorney Geoffery Fieger will be speaking at 8 p.m. Thursday in Room 343 of the MSU-Detroit College of Law Building. The program, "Champion and Advocate: Reflections On My Life as a Trial Lawyer," is part of the Geoffery Fieger Trial Practice Institute lecture series. Fieger, a 1979 DCL graduate, ran for governor of Michigan in 1998 but lost to then-Gov.

MSU

ASMSU fights financial aid drug law

ASMSU is implementing a plan of attack against a federal rule which bans financial aid to students convicted of drug crimes.MSU's undergraduate student government condemned the drug provision of the Higher Education Act at its Thursday meeting.The provision states students convicted of a drug crime will not be eligible for financial aid for a minimum of one year, depending on the severity of the crime.The policy has been denounced by several universities and national organizations since it was added to the Higher Education Act in 1998."Judges punish people, not federal programs," said Andrew Banyai, representative for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

MSU

'U' works to mend bones

When Ian Smith was 15 years old, his father gave him an article on bionic eyes - glasses that connected to the brain allowing a blind person a chance to see shapes and colors for the first time.

MSU

Professor's animal law site stirs controversy

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is up in arms over an animal law Web site created by an MSU-Detroit College of Law professor. Beth Ruth, a spokeswoman for the organization, said the DCL site is "anti-hunter." "I think it is OK to have your own ideas on things, but I don't think a public university should be supporting this sort of material," Ruth said. The site, created by Professor David Favre, has been available for public viewing since October.

MSU

Proposal could divide language programs in half

Amy Bartner
January 17, 2003

MSU's Department of Romance and Classical Languages could break into two smaller departments if a proposal is accepted by the Executive Committee of the Academic Council on Tuesday. The proposal, which has been in the works since last semester, calls for the department to divide into two programs.

MSU

Trustee to file police report over bowl rings found on eBay

MSU Trustee Joel Ferguson said his attorney will file a police report on two of his missing MSU bowl rings, which have wound up on an online auction house."We've got some criminals to chase," Ferguson said, adding he didn't remember how they left his possession.Ferguson received the 1990 John Hancock Bowl and 1993 Liberty Bowl rings for being an MSU trustee when the Spartans played in the two games.Angelo DiMeo, owner of two jewelry stores in Lansing, is selling the rings for $1,400 each on eBay.