Thursday, April 30, 2026

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COMMENTARY

Katrina response wasn't about race, but poverty

I am writing in response to Darrell Hughes' "Government's Katrina reaction shows America's underlying racism," (SN 8/29). The Hurricane Katrina situation is a direct result of structural violence, which is a form of violence that is unintended but still occurs because of the nature of the "system" or the environment. It isn't directly the government's fault that these Americans are poor, though it does play a part.

COMMENTARY

Contraceptive choices expand, should be available for everyone

Condoms don't discriminate. Available almost everywhere from Olin Health Center to Walgreens, condoms are sold to anyone willing to dish out a couple bucks in exchange for pretty good protection against unwanted pregnancies and most sexually transmitted infections. But think of all the sperm collected in that thin, latex contraption that could have otherwise fertilized an egg and developed into a real-life walking, talking human being. Still, condoms live on.

COMMENTARY

Guest ID policy doesn't fix problems

East Lansing is alive again with the hustle and bustle of MSU's student body. It's official — fall semester has begun. But before classes even started, an off-duty night receptionist was assaulted while trying to enforce the university's new, stricter dorm-visitation policy.

COMMENTARY

ID policy at MSU's dorms ill-advised, not effective

I was a supervisor for the Brody Hall night receptionist program since January 2005. Last week, I quit. I believe Adam Lark's article, "Policy problems," (SN 8/28), gives readers a very skewed understanding of the consequences of the new identification collection policy.

COMMENTARY

Government's Katrina reaction shows America's underlying racism

A year after Katrina ravaged the southern coast, light-headed politicians and most Americans are still not effectively addressing the social inequities brought to light by the disaster. My heart ached as I watched Oprah's Hurricane Katrina special after the storm claimed hundreds of lives across the southern United States — it seemed so surreal. Young women, men, the elderly and children were found on the side of roads and in houses, sucked lifeless by Katrina's wrath.