Online evaluations get a second chance

Representatives from ASMSU’s Academic Assembly dodged a procedural bullet to keep alive the possibility of putting SIRS - Student Instructional Ratings System - evaluation forms online.At the Executive Committee of Academic Council meeting Tuesday, an item was placed on the agenda denoting a meeting of the Academic Senate, a group composed entirely of faculty members that supersedes Academic Council, to possibly vote on the SIRS proposal.“(The vote for SIRS) wouldn’t have had student input and that is not good,” said Steve Lovelace, undergraduate diversity division and ECAC representative for academic assembly.The group did not go in session, however, because Lovelace’s motion to cancel an Academic Senate meeting was approved.

Flu vaccine will be late coming to U

The arrival of flu season means students can use all the help they can get to stay healthy - but that help may be delayed.Vaccinations are usually distributed in late October, but people may have to wait until as late as December to receive a dose because shipments of the vaccine have been held up.

House cuts costs with laptops

LANSING - Multiply 110 lawmakers by two large boxes of paper a day, and you have a ton of paper.To reduce the amount of paper used, and the associated costs, the Michigan House of Representatives came up with a solution and implemented it with the opening of the fall session in late September.Each representative’s desk on the House floor is now complete with a $2,900 WinBook Pentium III laptop computer.The 110 computers cost nearly $320,000 - and that doesn’t include labor costs and installation fees.

Peacefest comes to campus

Government spending will be the topic of discussion at the Bread Not Stones Peacefest at the rock on Farm Lane on Wednesday. The event, slated to take place from noon to 3 p.m., will include a 30-minute presentation titled “U Slice the Budget Pie.” It will deal with the extremes of government spending and will include giant inflatable puppets and the “Moneymobile,” which is painted with readings urging the government to invest money in kids. The bus tour is part of Bread Not Stones: A National Catholic Campaign to Redirect Military Spending sponsored by Pax Christi USA.

U professor recognized nationally

After nearly 30 years at MSU, psychology Professor Bertram Karon is being rewarded.The International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology presented Karon with its 2000 Award for Contributions to the Ethical Human Sciences and Services last week at a three-day conference in New York.Throughout his career, Karon has been a proponent of psychoanalysis - a method of investigating a patient’s emotional psyche through free association and dream analysis - in place of excessive medication, shock treatment and other methods of treating patients.“There are problems with psychoanalysis - even Freud knew that - but I’ve found it helpful as a theory and as a treatment,” he said.He’s especially noted for his stance against using drugs to treat mental patients.Karon did his undergraduate studies at Harvard University and performed his graduate studies at Princeton University.

Aussie to speak to U

James Cowan has traveled the world, spending time in the wilds of Borneo, Aboriginal communities in Australia and tribes in North Africa.Now the Australian native will be saying “G’ day” to MSU.The Residential Option in Arts and Letters, a two-year program for freshmen and sophomores from different disciplines in humanities, will be hosting Cowan on Wednesday for a lecture in the Union Gold Room.“He’s imbued with a combination of European and Aboriginal perspectives,” said Arthur Versluis, acting director of the humanities program and associate professor of American Thought and Language.Versluis said Cowan’s speech will focus on the relationship between creativity and spirituality.First published in 1964, Cowan’s work has been translated into dozens of languages.

Homecoming promises fun

For more than six months, plans for Homecoming 2000 have been built and tweaked to help captivate students, community and alumni.Now, MSU is ready to celebrate.The theme “Champions 2000” reflects the success of the last year and the hope for more in the future, particularly during the Homecoming football game Saturday against the University of Wisconsin Badgers.Keith Williams, executive director of the MSU Alumni Association and a co-chairman of the Homecoming committee, said the week is always fun-filled.“We have raised Homecoming to a new level where it’s very popular,” he said.

Doctors urge students to get vaccinated

With the cold and flu season here, it can be hard to know when sniffles and sneezes require only a bowl of chicken noodle soup or a doctor’s care and antibiotics.

Bills make U physicians liable for malpractice

The state Senate passed two bills Wednesday, under which MSU doctors will lose their immunity from malpractice lawsuits. The bills close a 14-year-old loophole that has protected MSU doctors.

Police briefs 10/10/00

Council to consider transportation merger

The East Lansing City Council will meet tonight to discuss Capital Area Rail Council merging with the Capital Area Transportation Authority. The Rail Council is a group of representatives from the Greater Lansing area who oversee the Amtrak station in East Lansing.

Student stabbed twice at off-campus party

A 22-year-old East Lansing resident was stabbed while attempting to break up a fight early Sunday morning.Eric Miller, a criminal justice and psychology senior, was stabbed twice in the back by an unidentified male at a party inside a private residence on the 100 block of Gunson Street around 1:15 a.m., said East Lansing police Capt.

Ghandi inspires student volunteers

Dozens of MSU students took to the streets Saturday, taking part in volunteerism events to commemorate the National Ghandi Day of Service.The Coalition of Indian Undergraduate Students and Into the Streets sponsored the activities, which sent student volunteers to 15 different sites throughout East Lansing and Lansing.The event, which is named for the late Indian leader Mahatma Ghandi, is seen as a way to share his charitable ideas among people, said Amit Agarwal, social chairman for the coalition.“This is a day to show appreciation for the important ideals of Ghandi,” the political economy sophomore said.

Police race bikes against disease

Winter-like temperatures didn’t keep nearly 40 riders from coming out for the first ever East Lansing Police Department/Jimmie Heuga Center Mountain Bike Race Sunday morning. The event was organized by Officer Dave DeKorte of the East Lansing Police Department to benefit the Jimmie Heuga Center in Edwards, Colo.

U expands online courses and programs

In an attempt to branch out and expand online learning programs, MSU recently introduced its newly established Global Initiative.The program, an extension of the university’s already existing Virtual University and University Outreach programs, will target off-campus working adults and other college students who want to obtain multidisciplinary certificates or receive degrees via the Internet.“We’re taking all the intellectual capital - faculty knowledge, research capabilities - and blending them with MSU’s interest in technology,” said Bruce Magid, director of the initiative.

Sting busts online tobacco sale to minors

Following an online sting by Michigan’s attorney general, 11 tobacco distributors will face criminal charges for selling restricted products to minors.Attorney General Jennifer Granholm filed 20 criminal complaints against eight individuals and three corporations, accusing them of selling tobacco and tobacco products to minors via the Internet.The Notice of Intended Action was filed Sept.

Absentee ballots still available for U voters

Voting to some people may mean a stressful, confusing process that isn’t worth the hassle. But for some MSU students, voting is as easy as filling out a form and applying a stamp. For those who prefer to vote in districts away from MSU, absentee ballots are frequently the solution.

Races benefit center

LANSING - Combining fitness, science and fun, more than 500 people raced to benefit a Lansing museum that reopened its doors Sunday with the eighth annual Capital City River Run and Planet Walk. The two runs, a 10-mile and a 5K, both began in the parking lot of the Impression Five Science Center, 200 Museum Drive, and ran along the River Trail in downtown Lansing. There was also a Planet Walk - a nearly two-mile hike which illustrated a scale model of the solar system - along the River Trail, ending in Potter Park Zoo.

Police briefs 10/09/00

Privacy advocates battle Web sites

If you think the Internet is an escape where an anonymous Web surfer can cruise through stock options or even buy DVDs online unnoticed, you’re wrong.Someone, somewhere is probably watching, a notion which has rubbed privacy and security advocates in Michigan and Washington, D.C.