Helmets to hymns
Former Spartan spurns NFL opportunities for seminary SPORTS+FEATURES, PAGE 6
Chris Norman poses with Farmington, Mich., resident Luke Wilson, 5, on Saturday at Oak Pointe Church, 50200 W. 10 Mile Road, in Novi, Mich.
statenews.com | 6/17/13 | @thesnews Michigan State University’s independent voice
JUSTIN WAN/THE STATE NEWS
Snyder inks budget with higher ed funding boost
HANGING OUT WITH
DAD
Michigan universities looking at 2 percent funding increase next year By Michael Gerstein mgerstein@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS
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t’s a steady upward trend: climbing, climbing. That gradual, but merciless climbing. It was $179.75 in 2002, $197.50 in 2003, and $206.25 in 2004. Shave a little here. Add a little there. Jump ahead five years to 2009, and it’s already $347 per credit hour in the fall semester. Then $371.75, $406.75 and finally $420.75 in the fall of 2012. Tuition is rising. It has been for a long time. But next year’s $49.5 billion state budget, signed into law on Thursday by Gov. Rick Snyder, includes a 2 percent funding increase for higher education. It’s a $31.9 million boost for universities and colleges, and the governor, Republicans, college administrators and higher education lobbyists hail it as a victory. “We should be proud of the fi nancial stability that is now fi rmly established within the state budget,” Snyder said at the bill-signing press conference last Thursday. “This is a great education budget. It’s about investing in our students — our future.” Republican Speaker of the House Jase Bolger said this
year’s appropriation is a reversal of the decadelong trend. “We pressed the reset button when we came into office a couple years ago so that we could realign and grow,” Bolger said in an email. “We did that because we believed that when the pocketbooks of Michigan’s families got healthier, the state budget would get healthier. That’s exactly what we’re seeing now.” Yet a bitter taste lingers in advocates’ mouths. Mark Burnham, MSU’s vice president for governmental affairs, said the increase “is important, but it isn’t a big amount of money.” He said it’s impossible to know
CRIME
search for the remaining suspects, and the case currently still is under investigation. The robberies took place just after midnight on Wednesday in an alleyway located just north of the East Lansing Marriott at University Place, according to police. One victim’s purse was ripped from her shoulder, and another victim had her iPhone snatched from her hands. The suspects then fled to a nearby vehicle driven by Allen. Police believe Allen and his co-conspirators might also be connected to an armed robbery that took place June 10 on the 100 block of Orchard Street in East Lansing, wherein two suspects approached and robbed an MSU student before fleeing to a nearby vehicle. All three victims were MSU students, according to police. The department is asking anyone with information to contact Officer Dan Brown at 517-319-6811 or Officer Chris Shadduck at 517-319-6842.
ROBBERY SUSPECT ARRAIGNED FRIDAY A suspect implicated in a string of unarmed robberies, which took place June 12 in downtown East Lansing, was arraigned in district court June 14, as the East Lansing Police Allen Department continues the search for additional suspects. Charles Marice Allen, 19, of Lansing, was arrested after leading police on a chase into the capital, which ended when Allen and three additional suspects abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot. Allen is facing six separate charges including two counts of unarmed robbery and one count of fleeing and eluding the police. Police are continuing their
See BUDGET on page 2 X
Perry, Mich., resident Mike Rains helps his son Mikey, 2, across the monkey bars on Sunday at Patriarche Park, 1100 Alton St. Celebrating Father’s Day at the park where he used to play as a kid, Mike Rains Sr. said he was glad be able to bring his son there. DANYELLE MORROW | THE STATE NEWS
RJ WOLCOTT
BMX racers qualify for state championship Ada, Mich., resident Raven Kincaid, 8, pets a dog during the Capitol Area BMX races on Saturday at Gier Park in Lansing. Kincaid said she likes “to get on the track and ride and have fun.” –Julia Nagy, SN See BMX on page 3
FITNESS
Bikram Yoga studio opens on Grand River Avenue By Anya Rath
arath@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS ■■
Get ready to stretch and sweat. East Lansing’s fi rst Bikram Yoga studio officially opened its doors on Sunday in Brookfield Plaza. Bikram Yoga Capital Area, 1355 E. Grand River Ave., is Michigan’s seventh Bikram Yoga studio, and follows the teachings of Bikram Choudhury, a yoga guru who developed the sequence known as Bikram Yoga and has published several books about the benefits of yoga. Ann Chrapkiewicz, direcSee YOGA on page 2 X
Benefits of Bikram Yoga It helps improve the functioning of the respiratory system, nervous system, circulatory system, skeletal system and muscular system. The sweat resulting from doing the postures combined with the intense heat detoxifies the body. The heat coupled with an increased heart rate allows more oxygen to travel throughout the body. It strengthens bones and muscles while increasing the flexibility of muscles. SOURCE: WWW.BIKRAMYOGABENEFITS.NET