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MSU

Heathcote honored with court

Coach Jud Heathcote won MSU a Big Ten title on Breslin Center’s floor in its first year.Now he will have a court named after him.The former men’s basketball coach, who led MSU to the 1979 national title, will be honored with “The Jud Heathcote Gymnasium” in Breslin’s newly renovated and expanded Alfred Berkowitz Basketball Complex.The MSU Board of Trustees is expected to approve the naming of the gym and “The Forest Akers Trust Gymnasium” during Friday’s meeting.

MSU

Forum offers information on civil rights

The questioning of 5,000 Middle Eastern men by the U.S. Department of Justice for information about Osama bin Laden’s al-Quaida terrorist group. MSU will be hosting a forum today for those who are seeking information about the governmental questioning. The forum will be held at 8 p.m.

MSU

Summit discusses global food safety

Heather Fisher returned from Tokyo last month with authentic green tea, blueberry bubble gum and a dedication to work on international food issues. Fisher, an MSU dietetic intern, attended the International Students Summit on Food, Agriculture and the Environment in the New Century at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, a sister school of MSU. “Many of the issues they deal with (in Japan) we are also concerned with in the United States and at Michigan State University,” Fisher said. Genetically modified foods and animal diseases such as mad cow and foot-and-mouth were international concerns discussed at the conference. Students from countries such as Korea, China and the Netherlands attended the summit, which recognized the 110th anniversary of the Tokyo university. Upon closing the conference, Fisher said the students adopted the Tokyo Declaration and began work on an e-mail network. “The deceleration says we as students and future professionals in our field will work together to solve some of these issues,” she said.

MSU

IAH adds new classes, Web site to address terrorism issues

Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, new classes and an MSU Web site have been popular among faculty and students.Some classes being offered next semester, which are sponsored by the Center for Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities, involve issues brought up since the attacks.IAH 211B, Area Studies and Multicultural Civilizations: Asia Focus on India, Pakistan and Bangladesh is the only new IAH course being offered.

MSU

GEO strike at Illinois highlights U dispute

A recent strike by graduate assistants at the University of Illinois has brought more attention to MSU’s Graduate Employees Union, which is in the process of bargaining for its first contract. The Graduate Employees Organization at the Urbana-Champaign campus of Illinois voted early last week to have a two-day strike as a protest against union constraints. Todd Mireles, organizer of MSU’s union, said a similar strike at the university is unlikely but not out of the question.

MSU

U job market looks shaky

The job market after college hasn’t been looking so good, and it’s not going to get much better - at least not right away - the 31st annual Recruiting Trends survey found. The survey of more than 280 employers, conducted by MSU’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute, found graduates with bachelor’s degrees could see a 6 to 13 percent decline in hiring.

MSU

New GEU president earns unopposed win

As the Graduate Employees Union bargains with MSU administrators for a contract, strong leadership is a necessity - one that was provided Thursday when a new president was chosen.Jessica Goodkind, who ran for the position unopposed, was elected at the membership meeting.“I’m really committed and I really believe in what we’re doing,” the psychology graduate student said.

MSU

Legal advice just a call away

The American Civil Liberties Union is offering assistance for Middle Eastern men being asked to participate in the Department of Justice’s terrorism investigation.The Know Your Rights telephone hotline, (313)578-6806, was initiated Friday.

MSU

Psychology professor to head Outreach program

Connecting Michigan communities with MSU’s campus is the goal of Hiram Fitzgerald, assistant provost for University Outreach.Fitzgerald, a university distinguished professor of psychology, starts his new position today.

MSU

Craft show kicks off Christmas cheer

Santa Claus stood quietly as the masses viewed his facial features and caressed his clothing. Santa, who was made of porcelain, was one of thousands of crafts and artwork available for purchase at the Union for the 38th Annual Holiday Arts-N-Crafts Show this weekend. More than 200 booths ranging from knick-knack items and jewelry to holiday ornaments and decorations were set up on three floors of the building. The show was a fund-raiser put on by the University Activities Board, which helps organize events for students on campus, including concerts and speakers. Jodi Roberto Hancock, associate director of the University Activities Board, said the timing for the show is perfect. “It’s kind of a kickoff for the holiday and it’s a very festive atmosphere,” she said.

MSU

Patriotic greeting captures contest

Months after the terrorist attacks on the United States, Jennifer Brigham developed a greeting card that focuses on the nation celebrating the holiday season in unity.Brigham, a studio art senior, created the winning design for the Kellogg Center’s ninth annual Holiday Card Design Contest.

MSU

Undergraduates give advisers positive marks

MSU advisers are doing more to accommodate and inform students and as a result, students’ perceptions have improved, a recent study said. Lee June, vice president for Student Affairs and Services, said the 2001 Survey on Undergraduate Academic Advising, officially released about two weeks ago, is a repeat of a 1998 survey. Results from the survey showed 81.1 percent of students rated the overall quality of MSU advising as excellent or good, up from 76.6 percent reported in the 1998 survey. “We’re encouraged,” June said.

MSU

Law school donation gives hands-on education

Selected MSU-Detroit College of Law students are getting a unique opportunity through a new program initiated this fall.The Trial Practice Certificate Program is part of the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute.A $4 million donation for the institute from Michigan lawyer Geoffrey Fieger was announced Tuesday.

MSU

New science building to open Feb. 1

Many MSU faculty members are looking beyond the holiday season to the Feb. 1 opening of the new Bio-Physical Sciences Building, located on Wilson Road. “Personally, I am very excited.

MSU

ASMSU nears completion of its online text exchange

After months of work, ASMSU members put some of the finishing touches on the organization’s textbook exchange Web site Wednesday. MSU’s undergraduate student government will have the site running by the end of the semester, after it’s tested and all the details are worked out. The site will operate like a message board, in which students can set their own prices to exchange textbooks with other students. Jared English, an Academic Assembly representative for James Madison College, has been watching the site’s progress and said the timing couldn’t be better. “This would be the best time to use the site to the full potential, for both selling and buying,” he said. The international relations and finance sophomore said the book exchange should appeal to students because it’s free, unlike others that charge students.

MSU

ASMSU representative resigns

At the end of last Tuesday’s ASMSU Academic Assembly meeting, Monica Leslie, a representative for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, calmly wished her colleagues a Happy Thanksgiving - then she resigned. Leslie, who has been active in MSU’s undergraduate student government, said she felt it was the appropriate time to inform everyone of her decision because she didn’t want to disrupt the business that needed to get done. The communication freshman said time commitments, internal conflicts and lack of communication with administrators were reasons for her resignation. “I wanted to learn how the system worked - and I learned a lot, but I still have a lot to learn,” Leslie said.

MSU

Firstborn children more likely to contract allergies

Recent research conducted by an MSU professor discovered that firstborn children are more likely to suffer from asthma and other allergies.Wilfried Karmaus, an associate professor of epidemiology, found that firstborns have higher levels of cord blood immunoglobulin, a protein determined to be a risk factor for asthma and other allergies, such as hay fever.Karmaus said changes in the mother’s womb after the birth of a first child are reasons for the difference.“The immune system is changed to a different state,” he said.