statenews.com | 10/17/13 | @thesnews Michigan State University’s independent voice
p o l itics
BIG RULING ON STATE GAY MARRIAGE PUSHED BACK By Celeste Bott and Simon Schuster sschuster@statenews.com and cbott@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
DETROIT – Mason residents Lee Chaney and Dawn Chapel have been together nine years. They always have considered themselves married, but on Wednesday, they hoped the state of Michigan also would recognize their bond. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait a little bit longer. “We were completely devastated,” Chaney said. “We really felt that we were finally going to get the same freedom as everybody else and the same rights and (be) allowed to marry the person that we love.” And they aren’t the only ones waiting. April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, who are suing the state of Michigan for the right to marry and adopt one another’s children, didn’t receive the decision they were hoping for in Detroit on Wednesday afternoon. In fact, they didn’t receive a decision at all. Michigan’s constitutional ban on gay marriage will stand, as Judge Bernard Friedman denied both the plantiffs’ and defendant’s motions for summary judgement at a hearing in federal court. Citing factual issues, Friedman set a trial date for Feb. 25. Friedman will issue a written opinion, but said he agreed with both sides. Michigan Assistant Attorney General Kristin Heyse spoke first for the defense, saying the decision should be left to Michigan voters, who have decided married parents of both sexes is the ideal model for raising children. “Disagreement f rom the plaintiffs does not make the amendment or adoption code irrational or unconstitutional,” Heyse said. “Democracy is great, you just ca n’t persec ute peo ple,” the plaintiffs’ attorney, Carole Stanyar, said in her counterargument. Stanyar also challenged the “ideal model.”
See MARRIAGE on page 2 u
c r ime b r iefs
police crack down during homecoming Campus police made a total of 39 arrests during last Saturday’s game, according to MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor. McGlothian-Taylor said 15 of the 39 arrests involved trespassing on Munn field. She said police often write citations or arrest tailgaters for trespassing when they are found with alcohol on the field, as it is considered an alcohol-free zone. The season’s other highest-ranking game, in terms of citations was Youngstown State on Sept. 14, with a total of 20 arrests. McGlothian-Taylor said the bulk of such citations usually involve minor in possession incidents.
alleged robbery occurs Bath Charter Township police are investigating an alleged robbery that occurred at about 7 p.m. Tuesday in an apartment complex in
Dantonio confident in Cook
Shaping the city’s future
Head coach thinks quarterback has potential as runner
Residents, students weigh in
sports page. 6
Margaux Forster/The State News
Vice President of DTN Management Colin Cronin
campus+city, pG. 3
Public Comment Recent moves by student government have drawn scrutiny This is an awful waste of resources. People who want a bike already those who don’t want one, wont use this. I wish ASMSU would get over planned useshave of one, student tax dollars their act together and work on things that actually benefit students, not just a pet project. Time to petition WTFMSU to help us students abolish ASMSU - an institution that no longer stands to represent the people for which it stands and has become destructive of its own ends. ASMSU is really kind of a joke. Look at the voting participation in the election, or the massive amounts of money misspent, thus leading to the school takeover. I don’t know if this Student Union is a solution or not, but the student body is largely unrepresented in University Decisions. No, just no. Please end the madness that is ASMSU. ASMSU is garbage. 40 bikes for a thousand people? That’ll go well I’m sure... Shared transportation is definitely is worth looking into to help solve the crisis of overflowing bike racks near residence halls, particularly those near halls that house mostly first year students. Hopefully ASMSU can effectively implement this program. Can I have my $18 back? I’m so glad that ASMSU is using our tax dollars so well! Once again they’re acting like a bunch of idiots. I mean a campaign for fixing things on campus and you advertise with graffiti? How do they not expect that to blow up in their face. Honestly they should be lucky they didn’t face more legal actions. What To Fix? End ASMSU permanently. We gave ‘em another chance, they blew it. In true fashion, ASMSU is willing to use funds from MSU students to pay for the removal of the paint from their acts of vandalism rather than performing the clean up work themselves. Says it all. Abolish ASMSU. ASMSU is done. Way to ‘represent my voice’ and defile our beautiful campus with vandalism. And with my money, no less! illustr ation by isabel calder | sn
Through comments on ASMSU-related articles on statenews.com, MSU community members have voiced their displeasure with some of the group’s policies and practices.
By Nolly Dakroury ndakroury@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
F
or a while, ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, flew under the radar for a lot of students.
“I think the best government is the one that goes unnoticed,” said ASMSU President Evan Martinak. But lately, ASMSU has been anything but under the radar, drawing more attention than before for various initiatives that have spurred criticism and scrutiny from students. ASMSU is proof the phrase, “all publicity is good publicity,” isn’t always accurate. The undergraduate student government recently has started turning more heads, especially after a controversial campaign involving the appearance of sidewalk logos across campus that stirred intrigue and brought up potential safety concerns. Although the student government now has its accounts
controlled by university administrators, the organization has fielded an onslaught of accusations related to wasteful usage of student tax dollars. WTF MSU ASMSU drew some negative attention through a viral marketing campaign earlier this fall semester, entitled “What to Fix? MSU,” better known as “WTF MSU.” It received scrutiny because of its chalk-paint logos across campus sidewalks. The campaign even caught the eye of the MSU police. “MSU police became aware of the campaign and several concerns from people in the MSU community, prompt-
ing an investigation,” said Sgt. Florence McGlothian-Taylor. “While no direct complaints were made to MSU Police, investigators uncovered several concerns posted on social media.”
ASMSU officials say some recent programs have been successful despite negative feedback from students Student government officials assured the police and the university the campaign is meant to better student life on campus and does not cause any threat to campus safety. The campaign launched Oct. 1 and still is ongoing.
ASMSU spokesman Matt Franks said the campaign has been effective so far. The campaign’s Twitter page has a little more than 1,000 followers, and the Facebook page has about 350 likes. McGlothian-Taylor said investigations now are closed after officials found there was no intended vandalism, nor any threat associated with the campaign toward on-campus safety. Franks added the student government offered to pay for any clean-up costs associated with the campaign. He said all the WTF MSU logos around campus were applied with washable See STUDENT GOV’T on page 2 u
To take an interactive look at the student government’s recent history at the university, visit statenews.com.
campus
MSU researchers working to tackle breast cancer By Justine McGuire jmcguire@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
Although October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a team of MSU researchers is acutely aware of it all year long. Many MSU faculty and students dedicate their time to finding new treatments and preventative measures for breast cancer, and their findings could be impactful in the future. Sandra Haslam, professor of physiology and director of the Breast Cancer and the
Chandler Crossings. Journalism junior Matt Ward said he and his roommates, along with a few friends, were in his apartment when an unknown man walked through their door and pointed a gun at them. “He took one of our roommates around our apartment to look for things to steal or take,” Ward said. The suspect took several electronics, including an Xbox, a phone, an iPod and a laptop. Ward said the suspect then ran out the door and the roommates alerted authorities. Police confirmed a burglary took place Tuesday night, but could not confirm further details. Officers were stationed outside the building Tuesday night, searching the area and speaking with local residents. The incident remains under investigation and there were no injuries, police said. Katie Abdilla
“We are trying to identify treatments that work better and are less toxic and have a lower rate of resistance.” Susan Conrad, MSU professor studying breast cancer
Environment Research Center is working with Richard Schwartz, professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, to find ways to prevent cancer by looking at the effects of diet during puberty They’ve found that a diet high in animal fat during puberty can increase the risk of developing breast cancer. “It doesn’t have to do with weight gain,” Haslam said.
“Without an increase in body weight, we still saw an increase in breast cancer risk.” Schwartz said there are many more people who eat high fat than gain weight, meaning this could apply to a large segment of the population. “It may be wise for adolescent women to avoid such a diet,” he said. The research started in 2002,
but since 2010 the pair has worked to explain why this type of diet increases risk and how to best express their findings to the public. “I feel very positive about focusing on prevention,” Haslam said. “As much as we try to improve therapy, we really need to move on to prevention.” Treating resistant patients Patients with estrogen receptor-positive, or ER, breast cancer tumors are treated with therapies that target the receptor, but they’re not effective for everyone. About 60-80 percent of breast cancer is ER positive.
Susan Conrad, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, has worked for about five years to find an alternative treatment for those people, she said. “We are trying to identify treatments that work better and are less toxic and have a lower rate of resistance,” she said. W hen a cancer patient with ER-positive tumors stops responding to hormone treatments, there are no good options for them besides chemotherapy, Conrad said. When people relapse and their tumors are ER-
See RESEARCH on page 2 u
h ist o r y
MSU Museum kicks off National Fossil Day Geological sciences junior Carly Scott points to the parts of a dinosaur fossil on Wednesday at the MSU Museum. The museum was hosting educational activities for National Fossil Day. — Georgina De Moya, SN See SCIENCE on page 3