What does it say about our state when we fund education — our future generations — through gambling? Should the proposal pass, the electorate is betting casinos will be the state’s magic bullet to solve part of the education budget crisis. Ideally, Michigan will be seen as a place of entertainment and thriving school districts all within the foreground of the state’s natural beauty.
I was astounded to read the State News editorial justifying raises for William Strampel, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine (58 percent), Marsha Rappley, dean of the College of Human Medicine (26 percent) and Provost Kim Wilcox (20 percent) — all within a three-year period.
I am writing with a concern about the State News editorial “Royal Hanneford Circus should remain on campus”:http://statenews.com/index.php/article/2010/03/royal_hanneford_circus_should_remain_on_campus_ (SN 3/5). I myself am an avid animal rights activist.
According to a recent report released by the Department of Homeland Security’s, or DHS, Office of Inspector General, between 2006 and 2008 the department lost 289 weapons in the line of duty. No amount of language can demonstrate the actual gravity of this properly enough, so I will just state it as plainly as possible: DHS agents literally lost and forgot their weapons.
Many students might be shocked to learn that after MSU veterinary students perform educational surgery on a live animal, the subjects are euthanized shortly thereafter. That method soon will be history now that MSU has decided to change its policies on the use of live animals for learning — a right move as long as the quality of education doesn’t suffer.
The approach of spring break draws near, a time when millions of families and students travel to Mexico and the Caribbean for a sun- and sand-filled beach vacation. Many vacationers will try multiple activities at their destination, such as snorkeling and deep-sea fishing, while others may spend their entire vacation lazing around on white-sand beaches. Whatever activities the tourists participate in, it almost can be guaranteed that purchasing souvenirs and gifts to take home will be one of them. Herein lies the problem.
Good thing I went to Beaumont Tower. Good thing I walked the skinny, turning staircase to the top. Good thing I was sitting in a softly sunlit room in an old folding chair watching Ray McLellan play the carillon to north campus.
In the grand scheme of things, the debate over the circus performance is a matter of ideology. What exactly constitutes animal abuse? Some might see the idea of a circus itself as abuse to all the animals involved, while others might be more concerned with whether or not these animals are undergoing unnecessary stress or suffering. SPAR members have a right to be concerned for animal safety, but they must realize that their ideology might not align with every student at this university.
Karey’s goals were to help to tear down the barriers and help to dispel the rumors about people with disabilities. Karey believed that you could never judge someone by how they appeared, because she was misunderstood by everyone who ever met her. She may have passed away before her full impact on the world could be felt, but those who had the pleasure of meeting her will be forever impacted by her memory.
Babylon has something for everybody! For the rebellious among you, we’ve got “alternative” music, thick black plastic glasses, clothing sporting the image of Che Guevara (possibly made in the “sweat-free” sweatshops of Cambodia), mineral water imported from Europe and even a “progressive” president — who’s black!
As NBC welcomed Jay Leno back to his position as host of “The Tonight Show” this week, ASMSU members attempted to welcome its former host, Conan O’Brien, to MSU. ASMSU placed a bid last week to persuade O’Brien to stop by campus to perform in May. If O’Brien comes to campus, he potentially could perform May 10-13 and 16-21, a time when many students are off campus for summer break.
It is hard to believe that MSU could not find a different place for the new center, and that it was absolutely necessary to demolish the library. The decision was taken so fast that even the professors of the Department of Physics and Astronomy learned about that news at the faculty meeting, so that their following letter with objections was too late because the matter was already decided without asking for their opinion.
Numerous times, club sports at our university achieve great accomplishments with little acknowledgement from The State News. The particular event that motivated me recently was a member of our team, microbiology senior Adetayo Mafe, was listed on the USA rugby site as a reserve competing right now to be a member of the 2010 USA National Women’s World Cup Team.
An average student might look at these salary increases and be angry, especially considering MSU’s recent cuts in other areas. But in the grand scheme of things, raises for university officials are a normal occurrence, and students shouldn’t be upset without looking further into the situation.
I’m more than a little hesitant to jump on board of one of MSU’s fine study abroad programs. I like my trips to be a nice mixture of educational and relaxation activities, so I’d rather not base my trek on an education. Although my mind is teetering back and forth between going, I acknowledge the fact there are countless benefits for participants and that experiences vary from person to person.
In reality, we’re always going to disagree. That’s just the nature of politics. Big issues take time, because they can affect our nation for a long time to come. It’s more important that we hold intelligent discussions about these issues instead of resorting to pathetic name calling and heckling. Maybe if we can laugh at ourselves, it’ll be easier to identify with one another.
It would be ideal if MSU made efforts to move beyond coal energy in the future, but we as a university and culture are too reliant on it at this point in time to make a drastic change. Once the plant has bounced back from the violations and made the appropriate corrections, MSU will be able to move on from the mistakes and continue meeting EPA guidelines.
While ASMSU has made available $225,000 to pay O’Brien for a couple of hours of entertainment, MSU is struggling with cuts that not only challenge faculty and administrators but are felt most profoundly by students who have to keep up with increasing tuition rates.
The East Lansing City Council and East Lansing Planning Commission should do what they can to stall the development. The city cannot stop a sale outright, but the planning commission will look at how the development would comply with city codes, a process that can take months and give the local fraternity time to find another buyer or solidify its tentative deal with the alumnus. Too much tampering would be illegal, but for once, bureaucracy and drawing things out would look good on the city of East Lansing.
In February, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute released a study that assessed how well American college graduates understand crucial components of American civics, even things that would be asked on a citizenship test. The results from the survey surprisingly show that college actually fails to sufficiently produce civic knowledge in college graduates. Yet, for some strange reason I find it pretty hard to easily accept that. What I don’t find hard to believe is that the study also shows that college can actually influence students’ opinions to lean toward the liberal end of the spectrum.