COMMENTARY

U not keeping deal with graduate union

The Graduate Employees Union and MSU administration already have discussed the issue of level-three teaching assistant pay while bargaining the union’s first contract. The contract’s objective was to set down, in legal form, the rights and responsibilities of both parties. Level-three pay is set for employees with a master’s degree or equivalent and at least four semesters of experience as a graduate assistant (or equivalent experience at the faculty level) in the employing unit or in a department considered relevant by the chairperson of the employing unit.

COMMENTARY

Its so easy

I you’re not registered to vote in the Nov. 5 general election, get off your couch, quit making excuses and do it.

COMMENTARY

Loftier fines will keep noise down

If East Lansing officials were serious about noise probable, they should stiffen fines and stop pussyfooting around.

COMMENTARY

Students, residents should share blame for E.L. troubles

Students. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. It seems tensions are mounting between students and East Lansing residents since the commencement of classes, but a recent city council meeting showed the real, lingering problem. Everyone seems to be pointing fingers instead of sharing the blame. This city was founded and fostered by the growth of MSU since the 1850s, which has created a “where would you be without me attitude” among students. The fact is, there probably is about the same number of permanent residents living in East Lansing as there is students.

COMMENTARY

F-word coverage disappointing in SN

It was extremely disappointing to see more than half of two separate pages of The State News were dedicated to reporting on the F-word ( “The F-bomb: Just another part of everyday language” SN 10/2). I didn’t know there was so much of an interest in this slang word that such a large amount of the paper should be dedicated to it. This article was not something The State News should be proud of or have even printed in its daily newspaper. Although this word is used often, it is a term that is offensive to prevailing notions of propriety.

COMMENTARY

Pedestrians best watch out for drivers

Every year the topic of crazy campus drivers makes its way into The State News (“Drivers should read, yield to pedestrians” SN 10/1). Well, I am going to stand up for all of my four-wheeled friends. How is it possible we get blamed when day after day we have to deal with some freshman walking or biking across the street while smoking, listening to a Walkman, talking on a cell phone and looking at a campus map? Listen up my two-legged foes, if my turn arrow is green, and you have a bright orange “Don’t Walk” sign over on Farm Lane, you better listen to Ludacris and “get out the way.” Remember when you were younger, those words of advice from mom: Look both ways before crossing the street?

COMMENTARY

Precious pond

If some lake lovers have their way, Lake St. Clair might soon gain status as the sixth Great Lake. While it is nice and biologically diverse, it isn’t great. However, a worthwhile issue as been raised by the Great Lakes Commission - great status would bring Lake St.

COMMENTARY

Love should have say about Nirvana

I am writing to express my disappointment in Leslie Escobar’s column “Nirvana scandal a disgrace, Love should get a life” SN 10/2). Why should Courtney Love have equal say when it comes to Nirvana releases?

COMMENTARY

E.L. police right to ticket alley drivers

I am writing in response of the letter to the editor “Ticket sting shows ill intentions of E.L.” (SN 10/2). I would like to commend the police officer that finally ticketed the cheap, selfish, lazy people who drive through the alley between the MSU credit union and the parking lot on Albert Avenue.

COMMENTARY

Everyone needs a scapegoat; Michael, Dems good options

In an obscure corner of my apartment’s living room, which only the most observant guests will notice, is a soft gray chair that was furnished with the residence. For a few weeks, this chair sat vacant.

COMMENTARY

TAs trying to abuse power of unions

In response to the letter to the editor “SN should side closer with union” (SN 10/2), I must respectfully ask, “are people nuts?” Of course job promotions are at the discretion of employers.

COMMENTARY

Union doesnt get respect it deserves

Arbitration will prove a costly process for both the Graduate Employees Union and the university. But it is the only out-of-court option left to the union if it wants to get the salaries it thought were promised to its most experienced teaching assistants in the contract signed last spring.

COMMENTARY

Council right to allow apartment construction, E.L. is home to students and residents alike

Yet again, the development of more student housing has residents bothered about noise, but finally the East Lansing City Council made the right decision.In a 3-2 vote Wednesday, the council approved a request by Campus Village Properties to build an apartment complex at 1153 Michigan Ave.The new development is expected to house 222 residents.After recent complaints concerning noise in off-campus neighborhoods, it is good to see the city council is not backing away from new near-campus housing geared toward students.This complex is not in the middle of a neighborhood, it’s on Michigan Avenue - near the Brody Complex and other student housing venues.East Lansing residents need to realize the city’s need to grow along with the university.

COMMENTARY

Pedestrians should share danger blame

I’d like to respond to Patti Ruggiero’s letter to the editor, “Drivers should read, yield to pedestrians” (SN 10/1). I’m a frequent walker or biker myself, but I drive on campus once or twice a week to my night classes.

COMMENTARY

Refusal to grant bars request to expand wrong,

It’s nice to see East Lansing is trying to help its struggling businesses with grants, but city officials should keep a better balance in the way they handle the economy.

COMMENTARY

SN should side closer with union

It is disappointing to read State News editorials, such as “Talk it out” (SN 10/1), that insist the Graduate Employees Union “might discover a job promotion should be at the employer’s discretion.” The editorial weakly backs up its assertion by presenting professors getting tenure as being equivalent to graduate employees being promoted to a level-three pay tier. Professors are unorganized workers and do not have a contract that stipulates when they should receive tenure.

COMMENTARY

City boycott not solution, go vote

I am writing in response to the letter to the editor, “Students should set date to boycott city” (SN 10/01). In regard to the past few letters that have called for a boycott of East Lansing’s businesses, students are making the wrong choice.

COMMENTARY

Unsatisfactory

It’s a good sign for college sports that the number of student-athletes who reach graduation is on the rise - some 60 percent of Division I’s freshman class of 1995 graduated from college. But MSU still has work to do. For the same class of students, MSU only graduated 57 percent of its scholarship athletes.

COMMENTARY

Ticket sting shows ill intentions of E.L.

Throughout the last five years, I have seen the reputation of the East Lansing Police Department criticized more times than I can count.

COMMENTARY

Lets talk about sex

The Bush administration’s strong-arm policies have claimed another victim - HIV prevention. The White House has deleted information about the effectiveness of condoms from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, perhaps because the administration wants to promote a abstinence-only approach, The Associated Press reported. The administration needs a wake-up call.