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MICHIGAN

Cigarette tax burns holes in area pockets

Since the cigarette tax increased by 50 cents Aug. 1, some people might see their money go up in smoke.Wesley Thomas contends the change, along with measures across the country to eliminate smoking in public, is discrimination against smokers.“It’s stupid that they’re raising taxes and saying that we can’t smoke where we want to,” the 19-year-old Lansing resident said.

MSU

Impounded bicycles left unclaimed end up on sale

Many times students see them left on campus, long forgotten, tires flat, rust collecting on the bars and seats missing. MSU Parking Services has impounded more than 1,300 bicycles since this summer. And while students are notified by letter if their bike has been impounded, many times bicycles are not retrieved. Many of them are taken to the MSU Surplus Store after no one bothers to retrieve their transportation.

MSU

Shaw Hall steeped in stories, history

When Larry Goulette lived in Shaw Hall in 1973, the world was a different place. The Vietnam War was close to ending, the Watergate scandal was on the rise and the art of streaking was much more popular than it is today.“I remember we went through that cafeteria without the benefit of clothing,” said Goulette, an MSU alumnus who now lives in Allen Park.

MSU

U not part of recruiting trend

MSU officials say lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender students are attracted to MSU because of its welcoming atmosphere, but the university is not part of a growing trend of schools actively recruiting LBGT students.Some universities are increasingly approaching admittance of LBGT students in a way similar to recruitment programs aimed at racial and ethnic minorities.“In the Northeast it’s becoming more common,” said Jibril Salaam, associate director of admissions for diversity and inclusion at the University of New Hampshire.

MSU

Pavilion adds energy savers

Solar panels and saving money are on MSU’s horizon.On July 1, 2003, the Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education will have about 70 solar panels placed on its roof to save $1,300 in MSU’s energy cost while helping the environment.The $100,000 grant for the solar panels was issued by the Department of Consumer and Industry Services to provide campus with an alternative energy source.

MSU

CATA unveils campus service center

Students who once huddled next to each other for warmth as they waited for a bus to come barreling down the street now have a new boarding center on Shaw Lane to keep them toasty and dry. The Capital Area Transportation Center was scheduled to open Aug.

MSU

Go on now, get shot up already

It only takes a shot to save a life. That’s the message MSU officials are hoping to get out with a new marketing strategy to promote immunizations for incoming freshmen and other students at risk for preventable diseases. Immunization-themed posters and bookmarks were put strategically in various campus buildings, and depict either a basketball player mid-air or a tennis player mid-swing.

MICHIGAN

Department prepares for more students, more alcohol

An influx of students during welcome week means an increase in traffic, crowding and drunken driving.The East Lansing Police Department and MSU’s Department of Police and Public Safety create safeguards each year to help deal with the substantial growth in the area’s residency.East Lansing adds patrols during welcome week, football weekends and any other time period where people traffic may be high, Capt.

MSU

Dunlap settles into role as U chief

MSU police Chief Jim Dunlap has had two months to get used to being head of MSU’s police department, a move he was restless to begin.Dunlap was sworn in June 24 to officially take over for the retiring Bruce Benson, who spent nine years as Department of Police and Public Safety’s top authority.Benson started his new job as a full-time professor in the School of Criminal Justice on Aug.

MICHIGAN

New complexes please residents

Students are flocking in droves from downtown East Lansing to the northern city limits to settle in two new apartment complexes. Melrose Apartments, 16789 Chandler Road and the Village at Chandler Crossings, 3839 Hunsaker Street, will be the beneficiaries of students seeking a bargain.

MICHIGAN

Textbooks targeted for thefts

Each year students lose thousands of dollars worth of cell phones, textbooks and other personal items because of theft. “It’s often because they’re left unattended,” MSU police Lt.

MICHIGAN

Campaigners rely on students

When Republican Larry Ward began his state House campaign against incumbent Rep. Gretchen Whitmer, critics told him he didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell against the Democrat from East Lansing. Political science junior Jason Miller said he hoped to improve Ward’s chances. Miller, Ward’s campaign manager, took the back roads to Hell, Mich., in the dead of winter and had himself photographed holding a snowball next to a sign that read “Welcome to Hell.” “Hell freezes over in Michigan,” Miller said. Until MSU students and recent graduates can begin their own political careers, they pay their dues by doing what it takes to get their elders into office. Ward, a Republican candidate for the 69th District state House seat, found his campaign manager at an MSU College Republicans meeting. “He came up and picked my brain after the meeting,” Ward said of Miller, chairman of the student GOP group.