Saturday, November 30, 2024

Take a peek behind the curtain and test drive the NEW StateNews.com today!

News

MSU

For-profit Internet proposal taken off trustees agenda

MSU officials will be reevaluating a proposal for MSU to create a new for-profit Internet service providing company.MSU Provost Lou Anna Simon, who presented the proposal at last month’s Board of Trustees meeting, refused to comment about the reevaluation, saying it only was taken off the trustee’s agenda, not suspended.The proposal would have created an Internet service providing company operating with a lower overhead cost than local competitors.

MSU

Elections open, seek student participation

Students will have a chance to vote on representation and tax increases when student election polls open today. Position elections for ASMSU, the undergraduate student government, and other changes will stay open until noon Saturday at www.student-elections.msu.edu.

MICHIGAN

Natural Resources Commission establishes goals

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources could receive a few changes this year. The Natural Resources Commission, which establishes general policies for the department, met last week to discuss its goals for the year. The commission agreed on five goals to update the department’s policies but DNR spokesman Brad Wurfel said the biggest change in the commission’s outlook is its involvement in the department’s operations. “Clearly they’re making a move to become more involved in the agency and in the legislature,” he said. Wurfel said while a strong relationship is the highlight of the commission’s goals, the group has progressed in that respect over the past five years. Director K.L.

MICHIGAN

Shamrocks fill establishments, help cause

Green and gold shamrocks are covering the walls of local businesses, schools and restaurants for the 19th annual Shamrocks Against Dystrophy program. For a $1 donation, students and customers can sign green paper shamrocks, and for a donation of $5 or more they sign gold shamrocks.

MSU

Science library provides more resources

Robert Cichewicz said he instantly noticed a difference when he entered the new Biomedical and Physical Sciences Library on Monday.“This one smells better,” the horticulture graduate student said.

MICHIGAN

U-M association leads walkout

Ann Arbor - Members of the University of Michigan’s Graduate Employees Organization led a one-day walkout on Monday that left some classes empty. About 500 graduate student instructors at the Ann Arbor campus picketed several locations to show the organization is working without a contract. U-M spokeswoman Julie Peterson said some classes had low turnout but weren’t canceled. “My suspicion is that some classes did not meet,” she said. Peterson said further negotiations were booked for today, but a tough budget year is limiting the school’s financial abilities. The graduate students have been negotiating with U-M administration since October.

MSU

Buddy program links students

MSU is responsible for 21 blind dates that have turned into relationships this semester.The Buddy Program combines an international graduate student with an American undergraduate student for eight weeks to introduce the buddies to each other’s cultures.

MSU

Math chair adjusts to position at U

Pink Floyd and the Pythagorean Theorem aren’t related - but Peter Bates, the new chairman of the Department of Mathematics, has experience with both.Between studying math books and taking tests at the University of London in the 1960s, Bates booked the rock band for a campus activity.“The student union wasn’t putting on any events so my friends and I took it upon ourselves and booked Pink Floyd,” he said.

MSU

Web-broadcast may be forced to pay listener fees

Radio stations broadcasting on the Internet may have to dig deep into their pockets to keep the United States Copyright Office and the Recording Industry Association of America away.By May 21, a copyright office committee will decide whether to levy fees for Internet broadcasting.

MSU

History department lecture series to start

Carleton College Professor Adeeb Khalid will give a speech entitled “Reform and Contention in Modern Islam” Tuesday. Khalid is appearing as part of a lecture series titled Middle East Contexts for September 11th. The lecture series accompanies a Department of History course this spring dealing with the Sept.

MSU

Tour promotes nuclear physics

When Charles Breneman finally saw the high-tech equipment and white tiled floors of MSU’s Cyclotron, he was impressed.His son had worked at the facility as a summer job while attending MSU years ago, but he’d never seen the particle accelerator before.“It is a fascinating thing,” the Haslett school board member said.“There are so many opportunities and you don’t have to have a Ph.D.

MSU

Elders to speak about alcohol on Tuesday

Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders will speak in East Lansing Tuesday about attitudes, behaviors and perceptions associated with alcohol in university communities. Elders, the first black surgeon general, will give a speech entitled “Prevention or Punishment: Challenging the Environment of High-Risk Drinking in a University Community.” The presentation will be at 7 p.m.

MICHIGAN

Windstorms cause residents to lose power

Wintery weather during spring break brought power outages and a half-inch of snow to the Lansing area, after a mostly warm and pleasant week. The area saw only a half-inch of snow but an average wind speed of 24 mph with gusts up to 54 mph.