As an MSU alumna, long-time East Lansing resident and diehard champion of education, I would like to provide the technical details surrounding The State News' Feb.
If you are a white student who feels that you were, or could have been, snubbed by the affirmative action policies of colleges and universities, and therefore are praying for its demise this April, I agree with you on one stance.
Policy makers for MSU's Academic Council have redefined the meaning of LBGT to mean Lacking Better Gender Treatment. MSU, a university under the flag of diversity, has been fumbling with a gender clause that needs to be added to its Anti-Discrimination Policy. By means of a footnote, the Academic Council could alter the policy to give protection to issues involving gender identity. The council is a policy-making group of administrators, faculty and students who make recommendations to MSU's Board of Trustees.
To use the word "disturbing" to describe the real-life image of a burnt mannequin head with a knife through it would be making light of a stomach-wrenching sight. Although the three men, all minorities, who are responsible for burning the head along with other items outside the Village at Chandler Crossings apartment complex in Bath Township, might not have meant to ethnically intimidate anyone, their actions spoke louder than their intentions. The image of the burnt head, which was displayed prominently on the front page of The State News on Monday and by television news agencies throughout the community Sunday, was a haunting reminder of a country's marred past and struggling present. If the appearance of a burnt head with a knife through it in a tree doesn't offend everyone who views it, people are in serious need of having their emotions and attitudes examined. Whether the intentions of Saturday's pyromaniacs were racially ill does not mute the fact that the outcome of their actions was nauseating and abominable. Bath Township police say one of the three men who admitted to the mannequin burning had recently broken up with his girlfriend and the group set ablaze of her left-over possessions. Given that explanation, it is somewhat of a relief that the responsible party's intentions weren't racially motivated.
Wow, I am a radical liberal. After a recent letter to the editor branding a number of opinion writers, including myself, as radical liberals, I thought I would sit down and ponder long and hard to get a clearer perspective of who I really am.
This is in response to the letter, "No such thing as a free notebook," written by Brent Franey (SN 2/20). The ASMSU tax is voluntary.
I am so sick of uneducated people saying things about affirmative action, especially white females, because they are covered under this policy as well ("U-M policy doesn't award for hardship," SN 2/20). I would like to give you the basics on what affirmative action is.
I am writing in response to the editorial "Nothing to fear," (SN 2/21). This opinion piece demonstrates many of the problems inherent in the way some people view security and homeland security specifically.
MSU students benefit from the university's reputation. I'm not talking about our reputation for having a good time, but the research that our university is known for.
In Matt Treadwell's latest column "Being anti-war doesn't make one unpatriotic, pro-Saddam" (SN 2/19), he wrote how unfair it is that those who oppose his views blindly label him as a traitor to his country and a supporter of Saddam Hussein.
While the days of flying saucer-shaped cars might still be far off, the state Legislature is making a small step toward securing Michigan's future with a tax break given to biofuel creators. We're talking about a greener, brighter future in which the fuel put into our vehicles is fashioned with renewable sources such as soy.
It seems university and state officials would rather spend time whining and pointing fingers than actually working together to find the best way to allocate limited funding sources. Gov.
In regards to your editorial "Left Behind" (SN 2/20), I am wondering why The State News is surprised by the actions of the Democratic members of the House Appropriations Committee in their support for Gov.
Kudos to MSU's undergraduate student government and Residence Halls Association for joining the campus safety discussion that has risen since a Case Hall freshman was held at knife point last month. If there is an authority of campus safety issues, it is the student body who is affected by such measures.
I am writing to voice my frustration with the continued discrimination at MSU. Currently, any student, faculty or staff member can be discriminated against because of one's real or perceived gender.
Some of you more avid State News readers might recognize my face as the soccer columnist who, last summer, trekked across the globe and wrote four stories about my experiences in South Korea and at the World Cup. While there, I encountered some of the friendliest people I have ever met. Frequently my two brothers, cousin and myself would be standing on a train or subway platform as we waited to return to Seoul from other cities all across Korea, often where we had just witnessed a World Cup soccer game. Sometimes we knew which line to take and sometimes we didn't, but no matter the case, a Korean citizen, recognizing we were foreigners, would approach us calmly and ask us if we needed directions or where we were going.
I would like to comment on Andrew Goetz's column, "War might be answer for peace, appeasement has failed before," (SN 2/20). I challenge the notion of preemptive strikes based on the possible threat of danger to the United States.
Well, it's time to dust off your Y2K kit and Cold War safety diagrams. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and his new department are expanding their budget as they move up their grade school-esque warning systems from colors to shapes. Ridge is advising us to "Make a kit!" and "Have a plan!" He has millions of dollars in his budget and his department is giving us diagrams that tell us, when trapped, head to an exit with a nice arrow leading the way. Ridge also informs us about what to put in our emergency kits: Duct tape, plastic sheeting and water, among other items. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
In response to "No such thing as a free notebook," (SN 2/20), I would like to invite students to an ASMSU meeting.
If ignorance is bliss, the happiest people in the world must be walking around MSU's campus. This is in response to "U-M policy doesn't award for hardship," (SN 2/20). I'm tired of the lack of support for affirmative action and the ignorance about who it helps.