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E.L. Film Festival holds Five Days/Five Minutes short film contest

Ariel Ellis
September 19, 2013

Professional and novice filmmakers alike are competing in the East Lansing Film Festival competion for the chance to win a cash prize and have their short film showed at the festival in November. Contestants in the Five Days/Five Minutes competition will be given five days beginning Thursday to create an original five-minute film containing three elements: a prop, a character and a line of dialogue. Films are due Sept. 24.

MICHIGAN

Apples make comeback after devastating 2012 crop

Geoff Preston
September 19, 2013

Bare trees were an all too common sight for Michigan apple growers last fall. But this year, experts said the crop is coming back in full force. A heat wave in March 2012 coupled with an April 2012 frost decimated the apple crop throughout the state last year, with apple farmers losing between 70-100 percent of the average haul, depending on the area.

MSU

Supply chain team competes in national event

April Jones
September 19, 2013

After recently being named the No. 1 ranked supply chain management program in the country, a team of MSU supply chain students is taking its talents to the annual General Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition. MSU, along with 19 other competing universities from across the country, were invited to the weekend-long competition hosted at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, with the task of figuring out what kind of battery should be used for an ELR-extended-range electric vehicle and where the it should be placed for best performance. John Taylor, director of supply chain programs at Wayne State University, said the competition is designed to bring attention to careers in the auto industry supply chain. On Friday, teams will be divided into five regional groups and participate in a competition presenting their ideas. “The four regional winners are given a new competition twist Friday afternoon,” Taylor said.

MSU

ASMSU approves $500 sponsorship for sexual assault awareness event

Nolly Dakroury
September 19, 2013

ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, passed a bill Thursday night allowing the student government to sponsor the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event. ASMSU will allocate $500 for the event, which is hosted by the MSU Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils on Oct. 5. “Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council are an important part of ASMSU, they’re always sitting in on our general assemblies, so it’s important that we support them,” said Teresa Bitner, vice president for internal administration.

MSU

Living City- The hunted

Khoa Nguyen
September 19, 2013

While sitting around at a graduation party, physiology junior Tristan Worthington and his friends decided playing games with Nerf guns sounded fun. What started as a fun party activity has turned into a registered student organization on campus known as the MSU Assassins Club. Worthington was able to register the club in 2012, but not without some difficulties. Worthington said the organization ran into some speed bumps when it came to using Nerf guns on campus.

MSU

New nature plaza replaces Morrill Hall, keeps name

Celeste Bott
September 19, 2013

While Justin S. Morrill Hall is no longer around, the name still will linger over the new landscaped plaza that will be replacing the building. The MSU Board of Trustees approved the new nature area Justin S. Morrill Plaza at its meeting last Friday. The nature area is open for students to use, but small tasks such as planting trees still must be done.

MSU

Penn incident leads faculty to investigate tech. rights

Justine McGuire
September 18, 2013

Faculty are responding to English professor William Penn’s in-class rant, which some are calling anti-Republican, by putting together a subcommittee to address social media, rights and responsibilities in the classroom, but some students think they should be part of the process.

MICHIGAN

Bikers, pedestrians have tough time sharing paths at MSU

Simon Schuster
September 18, 2013

MSU has been gradually increasing the campus’ network of bike lanes, but one thing remains unchanged — bicyclists, for the most part, stick to the sidewalk.

MSU

RHA officials discuss Homecoming at weekly meeting

Nolly Dakroury
September 18, 2013

The Residence Halls Association, or RHA, discussed spreading awareness on how student groups can get involved in the Homecoming parade during its meeting Wednesday night. “This year’s theme will be Creating Spartan Heros,” said Ellen Evans, RHA’s University Activity Board representative. Mathias Koller, adviser of the Homecoming Committee and Homecoming Court, said this years theme includes four new super heros, who “relate to what a real Spartan is.” “This year we want to make (a theme) that (students) can identify with,” Koller said. Homecoming Court is made up of 10 students who will represent the student body during Homecoming week, said RHA President Zachary DeRade, who is also part of the court. This year’s theme is also will feature MSU alumnus and Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment Geoff Johns as grand marshall. Homecoming will take place the week of Oct.

MICHIGAN

E.L. assists communication skills with language interpreter service

Ariel Ellis
September 18, 2013

To help the growing international population in East Lansing, city officials have added an interpreter service to all departments to broaden communication with the international community. LanguageLine Solutions is a 24-hour phone service that will translate face-to-face interactions between city staff and community members whose primary language is not English.

FOOTBALL

Cancer research fundraiser inspired by U-M prank raises more than $20,000

Geoff Preston
September 18, 2013

MSU alumnus Scott Westerman’s plea to raise $3,000 for ovarian cancer research in response to a University of Michigan fan’s game day prank has been more successful than he ever imagined. Westerman, the executive director of the MSU Alumni Association, called on Spartan fans to raise the money after “Go Blue” was splashed across East Lansing skies during the last football game against Youngstown State.

MICHIGAN

Campus groups, professors celebrate Constitution Day with various events

The MSU community celebrated United States Constitution Day on Tuesday with activities that honored the nation’s founding document in both serious and light-hearted ways. Constitution Day, originally known as Citizenship Day, commemorates the day the Constitution originally was signed. It was named a federal holiday in 2004.

MICHIGAN

Course program offers new amenities for MSU alumni

Geoff Preston
September 17, 2013

For more than 60 years, the MSU Evening College has served as a way for alumni to stay engaged with the university through courses and instruction. With the new Alumni Lifelong Enrichment for Spartans program, or LENS, the MSU Alumni Association looks to “re-envision” what the former evening college should be.

MICHIGAN

City council appoints members of University Student Commission

Ariel Ellis
September 17, 2013

With the intent to improve student and community relations and establish communication between the two, a University Student Commission, or USC, is appointed each year. At Tuesday’s East Lansing City Council meeting, new members of the USC were appointed, representing the Residence Hall Association, Inter-fraternity Council, Nation Panhellenic Council, ASMSU, Olin Health Center, Community Relations Coalition and the council of Graduate Students.