Ah, the site of a wild and untamed freshman with a map glued to his or her face and the smell of sweet, sweet dung around south campus. Both are sure signs another school year is commencing at MSU. But manure and maps aside, the other big annual change students notice is the influx of freshmen on the Capital Area Transportation Authority buses.
Although MSU’s greek community has improved its reputation dramatically during the past few years, it still has some hurdles to overcome. Since 2001, the number of greeks with grade-point averages below 2.0 increased, one fraternity was shut down by its national organization for hazing and discrimination violations and two sororities closed their doors because of a lack of interest. But while it might seem as though MSU greeks have fallen on hard times, the situation isn’t as bad as it seems. Despite last year’s lower GPAs, greek grades have been on a steady rise during the past five years. Although alcohol is a staple at many greek functions, as with many college social groups, the community isn’t perceived as the binge-drinking society it once was. On another positive note, MSU greeks have put more of an emphasis on community-service projects.
It’s the start of a the school year, and returning students are sure to notice some new things. But as the adage says, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The freshly renovated Shaw Hall is full of surprises.
While the locations for Michigan’s gubernatorial debates are not yet set, the candidates should jump at the chance to hold at least one of their forums in East Lansing - more specifically, at MSU. The AARP, the official name of the American Association of Retired Persons, has contacted the campaigns of Democratic Attorney General Jennifer Granholm and GOP Lt.
So, you’re in college. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to learn, expand your mind and go out into the world afterward a better person.
Summer is nearing its end, fall classes are beginning and thousands of new students will soon learn the joy of navigating campus with their AOP maps while languishing in the 90-degree heat. After almost four months of releasing my ever-accumulating rage, frustration, emotion and occasional coherence to a group of relaxed, subdued summer-school students, the time is approaching when The State News will resume circulation to the full student body, allowing me to advance my personal agenda through the media once again. For all of the new students arriving at MSU this fall, I would like to use this opportunity to offer advice. First, although this has been incessantly repeated at every step of your college preparation, I would like to emphasize the importance of learning to study and of not getting drunk every night. While I do not explicitly condone underage drinking (despite the glaring inconsistency of our drinking laws when compared with our voting age or the age for military service), many of you may choose to scoff at the drinking laws and consume alcohol this year. Please do not be stupid about it.
Ceramics experts have given Sparty an ominous diagnosis - he only has eight years to live if his lifestyle doesn’t change soon. But help is on the way for MSU’s terra-cotta icon, believed to be the world’s tallest free-standing ceramic statue.
Welcome to college. No doubt you’ve gotten hundreds of bits of advice in the last few months. “Always go to class,” the people say.
A reporter asked me the other day if I had found a note on my desk she had left about being reimbursed for mileage to cover a story. I looked at my desk, looked at the reporter and laughed.
A short time ago (and now almost forgotten) in a suburb of Chicago two children were murdered by a handy man who had worked in their home for 10 years.
Along with the recent inflation of rent, gas and tuition, pizza joints might soon make their own raid into students’ pocketbooks. Domino’s Pizza is considering raising the cost of a hot, delivered pizza.
I came across Drew Harmon’s recent column, “Time to let go of hopes for better things, let apathetic do as they please,” (SN 8/7) and Rishi Kundi’s, “Loss of faith in public encouragement doesn’t bode well,” (SN 8/8) during my most recent bout with insomnia.
Local coffeehouse patrons have truly struck a mighty blow against the evil of Satan. His influence spreads everywhere - even to local percolation stations. Paintings deemed “disturbing” and “satanic” were removed from the walls of The Cappuccino Café, 1500 W.
The end of the summer is approaching, and with it, the end of an era. It’s time for some of us to leave.
As some of us know, last Monday the character of Timmy died on an episode of “Passions,” a popular soap opera.
And I’m back. After spending five weeks in the United Kingdom, I’m writing this column while flying over Northern Canada, waiting for the last three hours to pass on my direct flight from London to Detroit.
I was shocked to see the “Forced worship” editorial in The State News on Wednesday, August 7, 2002.
Beginning this week, some workers in Ingham County will get a breath of fresh air as a countywide ban on smoking in break-rooms used by smokers and nonsmokers alike takes effect.
Ceramics experts have given Sparty an ominous diagnosis - he only has eight years to live if his lifestyle doesn’t change soon. But help is on the way for MSU’s terra-cotta icon, believed to be the world’s tallest free-standing ceramic statue.
I followed with some interest the recent columns by Drew Harmon, “Time to let go of hopes for better things, let apathetic do as they please,” (SN 8/7), and Rishi Kundi, “Loss of faith in public encouragement doesn’t bode well,” (SN 8/8). The question of student apathy generally focuses around causes, or “why don’t those idiots care about what’s going on?” I would suggest that there are two reasons: Many students have the incorrect perception that local and state politics don’t affect them much, and the correct perception that they can’t do much about it anyway. For the effects of local politics, consider that many local initiatives (such as the Capital Area Transportation Authority question of last Tuesday’s vote) affect property taxes, which directly affect rent.