Saturday, April 11, 2026

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

Opinion | 1000

Submit a Letter
COMMENTARY

Peace commission good idea in theory

A group of peace activists would like you to think the act of activism itself lends credence to an argument that otherwise wouldn’t be as strong. The problem is the outcome of their actions likely will be negligible.

COMMENTARY

SIRS as a ‘living document’

As I read Craig Pearson’s column “Let students in on info” (SN 8/8)), I remembered when — almost 10 years ago — I commented on the issue of Student Instructional Report System, or SIRS.

COMMENTARY

Solve problems before violent outbursts

The last few days have been tumultuous ones in London, where riots have swept through the city. The police have been slow to react; no one knows what the rioters are protesting (or if they’re protesting anything at all at this point), and irrevocable damage to London’s global image has been done.

COMMENTARY

Loan cuts hurt grad students, future

A bleak outlook lies ahead for current and future graduate students. Because of the debt ceiling deal reached by Republicans and Democrats in Congress last week, for next year and the foreseeable future, there will be no more federally subsidized loans for graduate students.

COMMENTARY

Let students in on info

We’ve all done it. At the end of the semester, as many as three different sheets of paperwork cycle the classroom or lecture hall en route to a fat envelope that some poor chap gets drafted into taking to an office somewhere, never to be seen again.

COMMENTARY

Age discrimination claim weak, spiteful

It’s extremely difficult to find a job in Michigan right now, no matter your age. But that’s not stopping one would-be MSU professor. Nicholas Spaeth, 61, filed an age discrimination complaint against the MSU College of Law in a U.S. District Court because he was denied an interview for a teaching position.

COMMENTARY

Legislators must move on from tuition

In their zealotry to “protect” students, state lawmakers almost dealt them a body blow. Over the last two weeks, there’s been a battle going on between state lawmakers and MSU officials over the rise in MSU’s tuition rate.

COMMENTARY

Troop withdraw has promise

In the aftermath of the killing of Osama bin Laden, a unique opportunity has presented itself for the U.S. After a near-flawless operation in Pakistani territory reminded the world of the reach and power of the U. S. military, we are now able to enter the arena of international affairs in a position of strength.

COMMENTARY

Troop withdraw has promise

In the aftermath of the killing of Osama bin Laden, a unique opportunity has presented itself for the U.S. After a near-flawless operation in Pakistani territory reminded the world of the reach and power of the U. S. military, we are now able to enter the arena of international affairs in a position of strength.

COMMENTARY

Senator misses point of marijuana offer

If an elected official misses the point, is his statement still right? State Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, was right when he said that he didn’t “think it’s appropriate to offer any enticement to vote for or against elected officials of any kind.” Unfortunately, the subject he was talking about had nothing to do with enticing voters.

COMMENTARY

MSU’s research-rich legacy

The word “research” appears four times in MSU’s official mission statement. That’s twice as much as any other word, discounting common conjunctions, articles and prepositions. That’s significant.

COMMENTARY

Engineering will save the US

When one listens to the news at night, reads the newspaper, gets a tweet or follows blogs from every Tom, Dick and Harry who feels the need to expound on every issue from Libya to malnutrition, one becomes both confused and depressed.

COMMENTARY

A short farewell to welfare

It might seem impossible, but it just got tougher to be unemployed in Michigan. A bill passed through the state Senate last Wednesday that would reduce welfare from 60 months (five years) to 48 months (four years).

COMMENTARY

Medical marijuana laws require clarity

The medical marijuana laws in Michigan are about to get a lot less hazy. In June, a package of eight bills was introduced into the state House to address unclear issues within the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. The act, as written, is vague and confusing to law enforcement officials as well as medical marijuana patients, so state legislators have been looking at a way to clarify the act through further legislation.