As federal investigators try to convict an MSU researcher for the alleged disappearance of a pig bacteria, the reputation of the university is getting dragged through the mud. "It's a tragedy," said Bob Huggett, vice president for research and graduate studies at MSU.
If Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposed plan to balance the state budget reflects the priorities of Michigan residents as she says, then a rocky future lies ahead for the state's universities. Granholm announced Thursday a 6.5-percent cut to higher education funding as part of a plan to overcome a predicted $1.7-billion shortfall.
Why is it that so much time is devoted to a mannequin? Ideally, one would imagine the consensus would be, "Thank goodness this wasn't an incident of racial intimidation, now we can get on with life." Instead, there was an incredibly poorly worded article with the "It was a white mannequin, we don't need to care anymore" tone which seems only too calculated, as if with intent to draw on a reverse-discrimination debate by so blatantly implying that color was a factor.
Although I am sure you received plenty of e-mails regarding the incident involving the speech on Feb.
I am writing in response to the article entitled "Controversial talk interrupted," (SN 2/26). I believe the MSU College Republicans were correct in having a talk like they did.
It's been interesting to watch the various reactions to the mannequin-burning incident that happened this weekend ("Police: Prank not race related," SN 2/25). The police described it as "kids goofing around," saying it wasn't racially motivated, and "there was no intent to intimidate or threaten anyone." What a relief to hear it was originally a white mannequin, and that the kids who burnt it didn't want to intimidate anyone.
MSU's multicultural student organizations should be commended for creating a watchdog plan to push university officials to pay more attention to the concerns of the community's marginalized citizens. The Council of Racial Ethnic Students and the Council of Progressive Students unveiled MSU Affirmative REACTION on Wednesday and discussed the new group's mission to provoke more response from university leaders on issues pertinent to the multicultural community. REACTION stands for Reminding Every American Citizen That It's Our Need. While the acronym is a stretch to fit its letters to the group's mission, its new creation, announced in the Multicultural Center on Wednesday, is right on target in its duty. Louis Brown, ASMSU's Student Assembly vice chairperson for external affairs, is right in his assessment that university leaders are not addressing multicultural issues in a proactive manner. Despite a sound bite from MSU spokesman Terry Denbow saying, "MSU can't and won't tolerate any kind of (racist) activity," it seems the actions of the school's governors speak otherwise. How else should members of MSU's multicultural community interpret university action that shove their concerns around from committee to committee causing them to seemingly disappear with each generation of students? How else should the MSU community interpret the Board of Trustees' unwillingness to speak out about the U.S.
In response to the letters charging Kenya Harvey with overreacting in the recent mannequin incident, I am compelled to say I disagree.
I'm tired of being scared everyday, whether it is terrorists, war with Iraq, high cholesterol, nuclear missiles, cancer and everything I can't even remember that is killing me.
It's just a flag, but Manhattanville College women's basketball player Toni Smith hangs on a political crucifix because she doesn't worship symbols. Smith, in subtle protest, turns away from the American flag during "The Star-Spangled Banner." This simple action went unnoticed for months in Manhattanville before it came to the nation's attention. People being the politically sensitive vultures they are, came down on Smith calling her a "disgrace" at games.
I consider myself a liberal Democrat, and let me be the first to say I was appalled by the behavior of Erin Belinger as she represented the Wilson Hall government at the event sponsored by the MSU College Republicans on Tuesday night ("Controversial talk interrupted," SN 2/26). Belinger and, consequently, the Wilson Hall student government, do not seem to appreciate the fact that the university is meant to be a place of learning.
After reading the article "Survey: greeks succeed" (SN 2/25), I was reminded of how image really is everything.
This is in response to the "mannequin shenanigan." As the entire MSU community breathed a sigh of relief when the mannequin head was found to be white, I worried, as did Kenya Harvey ("Police: Prank not race related," SN 2/25). It turns out we, as a white race, have been intimidated by another race.
In her letter, Sarah Nalett makes a good point: there is a double standard regarding racism in this country ("Since mannequin is white, no one cares," SN 2/26). Our society certainly has differing reactions to racism when practiced by a member of the racial majority or a minority.
After reading Matt Treadwell's column "Bush should accept Saddam's debate offer - unless he's yella" (SN 2/26), I couldn't believe this newspaper would print such a disrespectful and anti-American piece of propaganda.
This is in response to "Since mannequin is white, no one cares," (SN 2/26). I wanted to inform Sarah Nalett who stated, "Hasn't anyone ever heard that black people or other minorities can be racist?" This is an incorrect statement.
As people worry minors make up one-fifth of the nation's drinkers, the real focus should fall on anyone drinking a fifth in a single sitting. An alcoholic is an alcoholic is an alcoholic, whether 12 years old or 44.
A university campus is a vast garden fit for planting seeds of knowledge to bear fruit to make the world a better place.
As spokesman for the organization whose event was interrupted on Tuesday, I would like to further address the issue beyond what The State News presented in its article "Controversial talk interrupted" (SN 2/26). The individual who felt the topic of the presentation had been misrepresented clearly did not exercise the rationale one needs in order to arrive at that conclusion.
Matt Treadwell's column on the proposed President Bush/Saddam Hussein debate is entirely absurd for several reasons ("Bush should accept Saddam's debate offer - unless he's yella," SN 2/26). It would be much easier for Saddam to win the debate because he isn't constrained by having to tell anything remotely close to the truth.