COMMENTARY

Illegal file sharing protocols handled with tact

Stealing is stealing. No matter if it’s a song that’s been on the radio repeatedly, or even if it’s a song that we’ve danced to at the eighth grade formal. It’s stealing even if it’s a song we’ve only liked for a week and then never listened to it again until it randomly comes up in a playlist. Illegal downloading is, by definition, illegal. The important question is: Is it really something MSU needs to address?

COMMENTARY

Today's problems stem from past

The recent worldwide controversy about Quran burnings, as well as concerns about cultural integration and assimilation, made me think about Western Europe and the situation it finds itself in during these times.

COMMENTARY

A little bit of understanding can go a long way

Who would have thought trash could bridge the divide between the permanent residents of East Lansing and MSU students? MSU’s Community Relations Coalition, or CRC, invited MSU students, as well as long-term residents, to clean up the streets and yards of East Lansing on Sunday after MSU’s victory over Notre Dame.

COMMENTARY

Court's ruling threatens rights

The fear of government encroachment on personal rights and privacy is as old as this great nation. Since a constitution has existed, people have suspected that the government would transgress upon it. The current climate in the U.S. echoes those age-old fears.

COMMENTARY

DREAM Act gives those without choice a chance

During the past year or so, there has been a great deal of talk about illegal immigrants. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has spent plenty of time in the media spotlight defending her state’s relatively new immigration policies against organizations such as the ACLU and even the U.S. government.

COMMENTARY

Letters are dead; long live letters

This semester, the “Letters” section of the opinion page started out with a bang. First, there was the letter from an MSU alumnus castigating the greek community for paying lip service to what the author felt was a serious problem. A week later, the vice president of the fraternity in question responded in another letter.

COMMENTARY

Waste awareness brings bad habits to forefront

MSU has taken heed to the complaints about cafeteria food on campus being lackluster and has provided students with a dining experience known as Brody Square. Attacking the square in droves, students are acting such as a child in a candy store would: “I want this and that. Oh, and that.”

COMMENTARY

Renters not the root of all evil

In December 2009 I had a chance to cover an East Lansing City Council meeting where councilmembers rezoned sections of the Whitehills Neighborhood/Rudgate area North of Saginaw Street, south of Lake Lansing Road and west of Hagadorn Road to a R-O-1 designation, prohibiting all new rental licenses within the designated district.

COMMENTARY

Quran burning offers a chance to reflect, learn

Even though Florida Pastor Terry Jones did not burn any Qurans, his message was alive and well at the Islamic Center of Greater Lansing on Harrison Road where the allegedly feces-smeared pages of a burnt Quran were found.

COMMENTARY

Texting relevant, but not in school

According to a recent study by MSU researcher Jeff Grabill, texting is the No. 1 form of writing among college students. Grabill, the co-director of MSU’s Writing in Digital Environments Research Center, performed a study lasting from April to June about the writing behaviors of more than 1,300 first-year college students across the nation. He concluded, “The day of traditional college writing instruction are nearly over.”

COMMENTARY

Voter registration only the first step in process

Simply put, the right to vote is an essential feature of any democratic government. Another essential — although less acknowledged — factor, is that the more people who vote, the more likely the candidate or policies will represent the entirety of the interests of the constituents. Of course, the point is moot if one is not registered to vote.

COMMENTARY

The truth will help us overcome

I wasn’t surprised to hear Matt Lauer proclaim he was “shocked” on NBC’s “Today” show when he talked to Shirley Sherrod about her resignation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in July over alleged racist comments. He could not believe the “garbage” said about her would lead both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, and the White House to demand her resignation without any confirmation.

COMMENTARY

New era of ASMSU should be one of collaboration

In any story about undergraduate student government at MSU, there will almost always be this sentence, “ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.” It’s there because without it the reader might not know the function of ASMSU.

COMMENTARY

Fraternity responds to MSU Alumnus' critical letter

When it came to the attention of at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity that a social gathering titled “The Freshman ‘Fifth’teen” appeared to give a misleading impression, the decision was made to immediately cancel the event without question or hesitation.

COMMENTARY

More time needed to consider plan

Everyone in the nation, especially residents of Michigan, can appreciate the idea of repairs and upgrades to roads and other forms of transportation. Ill-kept roads have become a common sight to many, and to see the infrastructure of the U.S. transportation system in such a state can be worrisome.

COMMENTARY

BIlls facing death in legislature worth saving

Two bills that could have a significant impact on MSU students might die Dec. 31 before being able to make a change. One of the bills proposes that the East Lansing Secretary of State office, 400 Albert Ave., and the Lansing Secretary of State office, 108 S. Washington Square, merge to combine a SUPER!Center in the Frandor shopping center.

COMMENTARY

Quran burning in Florida sends the wrong message to world

This Sept. 11, a church in Florida is looking to commemorate the attacks on the U.S. in a unique way: by burning thousands of Qurans.

COMMENTARY

Fans should remain for the duration of football games

We are deeply concerned about the lack of support shown for the Spartan football team in the season opener against Western Michigan when almost the entire student section disappeared before the end of the game.

COMMENTARY

Burden of actions not Jones' alone

I’m pretty sure everyone has heard of The Rev. Terry Jones “International Burn-a-Quran Day.” The event — by all indications more local than international — is scheduled for this Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

COMMENTARY

Program substitutes information for interaction

A new program offered by the MSU police gives students attending Spartan football games the opportunity to alert the department of crimes with an anonymous text message. Though the idea of communication between police and public should be encouraged, it’s hard to think of a situation in which texting the police station would be more appropriate than a call.