Michigan State’s Independent Voice EDITORIAL
Why we’re no longer publishing a survivorthemed issue We want to be positive allies for survivors of sexual assault and relationship violence. That means adjusting our allyship as time goes on. PAGE 2
SPORTS
Marcus Bingham Jr. struggles to find his footing after bout with COVID-19
TEXTBOOK AFFORDABILITY There’s no end in sight for the outstanding course material price tags that students have to deal with, but there are still many ways to combat the issue at hand. PAGE 4
Bingham said the bad performance has lit a fire under him to come out and make a statement for the rest of the season going forward. PAGE 6
BRENDAN SANTO’S BODY FOUND After months of civilian search efforts, fliers and a large social media campaign to “Bring Brendan Home,” the GVSU student’s body was found on Jan. 21. Following the discovery, the MSU community reacted with devastation and sympathy towards the family and friends of Brendan. PAGE 2
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East Lansing community reacts to discovery of Brendan Santo’s body TIMELINE OF THE SEARCH
EDITORIAL
Why we’re no longer publishing a survivorthemed issue
By Dan Netter
OCT. 29, 2021
Grand Valley State University student Brendan Santo is last seen by friends shortly before midnight, leaving Yakeley Hall in MSU’s North neighborhood, traveling across campus to the Brody neighborhood.
NOV. 1, 2021
MSU Police Department, or MSUPD, and Ingham County Sheriff’s Office announces it will be conducting searches for Santo by foot, with K9 teams helicopter, drone and boat.
NOV. 5, 2021 After almost three months of searching, police found the body of missing Grand Valley University student Brendan Santo in the Red Cedar River on Jan. 21. Photo by Sheldon Krause
By Raenu Charles rcharles@statenews.com Michigan State University Police and Public Safety announced Jan. 21 that a body believed to be Brendan Santo was located in the Red Cedar River. Dental records confirmed the body to be Santo’s on Jan. 22 bringing a monthslong search for the missing Grand Valley State University student to a close. Santo was last seen Oct. 29, 2021, leaving Yakeley Hall. After civilian search efforts, fliers and a large social media campaign to “Bring Brendan Home,” the MSU community became deeply involved in the case. After the discovery of the body, many students are devastated. “I’m honestly just shocked, I feel sick to my stomach,” psychology sophomore Emma Craft said. “It’s a twisted comfort. We know what happened now, but I can’t believe it.” Craft is not the only student who feels some sense of closure after the 80 days since Santo was last seen. Zoology sophomore Joey Rosasco said that in a way, the discovery is relieving. “This wasn’t the outcome we’d hoped for,” Rosasco said. “But it’s a really relieving thing that we finally know what happened to him.” Students also expressed sympathy for Santo’s family, who conducted multiple civilian searches on MSU’s campus with more than 800 volunteers. “I have a lot of sympathy for his family, and I’m glad there’s some kind of conclusion,” global arts and humanities freshman Julia Carroll said. “My heart is out to his family.” Computer engineering sophomore Peyton Nagher said that while he was shocked at the suddenness of the discovery, he hopes it gives the family closure.
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The family of Brendan Santo announces they will be organizing a voluntary search party for Santo on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021. The search party focused primarily on campus, trails and other wooded areas in East Lansing.
NOV. 6, 2021
MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced in an email that 300 new security cameras will be installed throughout campus in the following weeks. This announcement came after it was found that the camera at the entrance of Yakeley Hall was not operational on Oct. 29, when Santo went missing.
NOV. 12, 2021
The reward for information to find Santo is raised from $5,000 to $11,000. Over the course of the investigation, the total will rise to over $30,000.
DEC. 9, 2021
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department continues the search by boat in the Red Cedar River to the west of the library.
JAN. 13
The search for Santo expands into the neighborhoods just outside campus. Prior to this, the search occurred before Harrison Road and farther west.
JAN. 18
A dinner and silent auction is announced for Feb. 26 to raise awareness for Santo.
For resources, the MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services, or CAPS, is available 24/7 by calling 517355-8270. The MSU Employee Assistance Program, or EAP, is also available by calling 517-355-4506.
JAN. 21
Students at Grand Valley State University can also contact their University Counseling Center at 616-331-3266.
JAN. 22
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MSUPD finds a body in the Red Cedar River at 12:30 p.m., approximately 1.5 miles downriver from where Santo was last seen. The body has yet to be properly identified, but it is believed to be Santo’s. MSUPD later confirmed private investigator Ryan Robison was the one to notify police he had found the body. MSUPD Inspector Chris Rozman confirms that the medical examiner identified the body found in the river as Santo’s. MSUPD believes there was no foul play in the death, nor did Santo intend to harm himself.
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STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO
The State News Editorial Board feedback@statenews.com Four years ago ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to 175 years in prison after decades of sexual abuse. Since then, The State News has dedicated a January print issue to the Nassar survivors, their stories and the ongoing fallout of Nassar’s conviction. These issues intended to serve as an outlet for those survivors. However, as we approach the four-year anniversary of the conviction, we’ve decided to stop publishing a Nassar survivor-themed print edition. We want to be positive allies for survivors of sexual assault and relationship violence. That means adjusting our allyship as time goes on. After spring 2021’s survivor issue, we received feedback from multiple groups about various oversights in the issue, from the stories we covered to the ones we regrettably did not. We felt this issue was no longer serving its original purpose. Instead of aiding survivors in their healing, the issue became a source of trauma and a reminder to this community of not only Nassar’s actions, but the university’s lack of action against a sexual predator. We want to be clear: This doesn’t mean our coverage is over. We will continue to be an ear for survivors and continue to hold the university accountable. We still demand the Board of Trustees to release over 10,000
documents from the investigation to give survivors their continued closure. We are still diving into the multiple settlements from all the various entities, Michigan State included, that allowed Nassar to continue his abhorrent behavior. We’re still keeping track of MSU’s sexual misconduct policies, Title IX and how these effect survivors. The State News will continue listening to and reporting on the various student- and faculty-led groups that push for change at our university. Survivors are always on our mind. We will continue to be allies for a community that was let down time and time again. We will not — and we cannot — forget what happened at our university. This is a step of many we have and will take to foster a powerful allyship with survivors as the student voice of Michigan State University.
The State News Editorial Board is composed of Editor-in-Chief Karly Graham, Managing Editor Jayna Bardahl, Campus Desk Editor Wendy Guzman, City Desk Editor Griffin Wiles, Culture Desk Editor Noah Edgar, Sports Desk Editor Eli McKown, Copy Chief SaMya Overall, Multimedia Editors Devin Anderson-Torrez and Rahmya Trewern, Social Media Manager Stephanie McCullum and Diversity Rep. Raenu Charles. Staff Rep. Morgan Womack did not participate in this editorial.
Vol. 112 | No. 11
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CULTURE Karly Graham EDITOR Noah Edgar MANAGING EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR Jayna Bardahl Eli McKown COPY CHIEF SaMya Overall
MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Devin AndersonCAMPUS EDITOR Torrez, Rahmya Wendy Guzman Trewern CITY EDITOR Griffin Wiles DESIGN Maddie Monroe
SOCIAL MANAGER Stephanie McCullum
Northwestern’s junior guard Boo Buie (0) attempts to shoot the ball while being guarded by Michigan State’s senior center Marcus Bingham Jr. (30) and redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser (10) during Michigan State’s loss on Jan. 15. Photo by Rahmya Trewern
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NEWSROOM/CORRECTIONS (517) 295-5149 feedback@statenews.com GENERAL MANAGER Christopher Richert ADVERTISING M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The State News is published by the students of Michigan State University every other Tuesday during the academic year. News is updated seven days a week at statenews.com. State News Inc. is a private, nonprofit corporation. Its current 990 tax form is available for review upon request at 435 E. Grand River Ave. during business hours. One copy of this newspaper is available free of charge to any member of the MSU community. Additional copies $0.75 at the business office only. Copyright © 2022 State News Inc., East Lansing, Michigan
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How college students can combat the pricey foe of textbook affordability
Students looking for textbooks at the Student Book Store in East Lansing on Jan. 12. Photo by Lauren Snyder
By Nick Lundberg nlundberg@statenews.com With a new semester comes new classes, new classmates, new professors and the inevitable, frustrating expense of new books. The average college student pays around $67.61 on materials per course. If they are enrolled in the average five courses per semester, that adds to about $676 in total each term, Amber Straatman, the regional manager of sales and operations at Follet, the provider of education technology, services and print and digital content for the Spartan Bookstore, or SBS, said. MSU students from Michigan pay around $25,000 for tuition and room and board, while outof-state students pay around double the price, according to MSU’s financial aid website. Those costs — on top of paying for day-to-day necessities while the average price spent on books is around $1,352 a year — can be very concerning for students and their budgets. Not to mention the materials they buy for their courses might not even be used for more than a month, as was the case for journalism junior Lily Cross. “I have a stack of textbooks that we used for possibly two 4
lessons and we never opened them up ever again after,” Cross said. New trends that have risen over recent years are the shifts to purchasing limited-time e-books and rentals. At first glance, these options may seem like a great alternative, considering the average limited-time e-books and rentals are usually cheaper. However, according to a fall 2019 national survey of 4,000 students across 83 institutions and a United States Public Interest Research Group report, access codes and other digital materials have shown little measurable improvement in key textbook affordability measures over the last six years. Additonally, this national survey was administered before the COVID-19 pandemic, and many students’ financial situations could have drastically changed since then. Students may also have trouble adhering to certain return policies. According to the MSU Bookstore return policy, sales are final two weeks after a textbook has been purchased. Students might not be able to comply with these policies due to unforeseen circumstances — a prominent example being the pandemic — resulting in additional funds they have to
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pay off. Other material return policies vary, but the two-week return window for textbooks can cause problems that could add to the worries students may already have. Another recent trend has been students purchasing materials off Amazon, but when it comes to friendly neighborhood billionaire Jeff Bezos’ company, their services can be hit or miss, many students said. “I ordered a textbook off of Amazon that I was told I needed for the semester — it was already costly and I didn’t even use it,” kinesiology senior Elena Serafimovski said. “It stayed in the box and it came really damaged and I didn’t even touch it. When I returned it, it was sent back and they said I caused the damages when I didn’t and they charged an extra $50.” What can students do? If you are a student that has been affected by the pandemic financially and are struggling to keep up with the cost of course materials in college, there is help available. Theo Caldwell, an assistant dean in the College of Engineering, spearheads the College of Engineering Student Emergency Fund, which is a fund that was created during the spring 2020 semester.
TU ESDAY, JANUA RY 25, 2022
“We recognized that we were going to have a number of engineering students who were going to need some financial support based on the impact of the pandemic,” Caldwell said. Caldwell said during the beginning of the semester usually three-to-five students per day ask the fund for help. According to the College of Engineering Student Emergency Fund’s website, over $38,000 has been raised and over 125 people have participated in donating. Those who want to support the fund can donate at the emergency fund’s website. “We didn’t have a student that got the funding and then came back and said that it wasn’t enough,” Caldwell said. “That was enough to bridge them and help meet the gap that they had.” If students aren’t in the College of Engineering and are in need of funding Caldwell said they should reach out to the assistant dean of their college. He also encouraged students to reach out to the Office of Financial Aid to see whether or not there is available funding left over. Another resource available to students is the Open Education Resources Program, or the OER, program. The third-year program is
Prices to rent or buy a textbook for ANTH 271 at the Student Book Store in East Lansing on Jan.12. Photo by Lauren Snyder
a part of MSU Libraries and is led by Open Educational Resources and Student Success Librarian Regina George. According to the OER Program Website, some of the goals of the program are to reduce educational costs by providing free or low-cost learning materials that are available from day one of their class and customizable to fit their learning needs, and encourage and support the adoption, adaptation and creation of OER and other free and low-cost materials as textbook alternatives. Examples of OER include open textbooks, images, course
modules, videos, homework assignments, quizzes, lectures, lab and classroom activities, games, simulations and other resources contained in digital media collections from around the world. Millions of dollars have been saved in OER’s effort to support students. “We have saved students since we started in the Fall 2019 semester around $4 million” George said. There’s no end in sight for the outstanding course material price tags that students have to deal with, but there are still many ways to combat the issue at hand.
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MSU students react to virtual start of semester
An MSU fan holds up a sign, “This game is OK but in-person class?” during the Spartans’ 71-69 win against Minnesota on Jan. 12. A week prior to the start of the semester, President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. sent an email out that put the first three weeks of spring learning online. Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez
By Madison Rose mrose@statenews.com
STATE NEWS FILE
On Dec. 31, President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. Stanley sent a campus-wide email reverting MSU’s intent to start the spring 2022 semester in person. The email stated that while on-campus housing and facilities would be open, the majority of MSU’s classes would be held online for at least three weeks. The new decision sent waves of mixed emotions across campus for some students who had been anticipating another in-person semester. “I was really upset at President Stanley’s email,” social work sophomore Ava Ballagh said in a text. “I understand why we need to do it, but it really sucks. I’ve spent the last two years on and off online and I just want a sense of normalcy.” The announcement came in light of a U.S. Department of Education report which found that the pandemic, and virtual learning, has negatively impacted students’ academic growth and has deepened educational disparities in access and opportunity. Overall, Spartans seem to agree with these findings, expressing that they find it more difficult to truly engage in their coursework and campus life when everything is over the internet. “It’s my final semester here at MSU and while my professors do their best, I know my education will suffer being online,” media and information senior Daniel Isabella said in a text. “My degree is very hands-on and technical and it really can’t be translated to a Zoom class well.” However, some students are
enthusiastic about the switch, citing a preference for online learning and a belief that virtual learning is the safest option in the midst of Michigan’s COVID-19 spike. “I was kinda relieved (about the switch) because with literally almost everyone I know getting sick, with COVID or not, I was nervous about going back right away,” English and psychology senior Emma Clemons said in a text. “I especially was nervous because I had a 250 person lecture which I was hoping would go virtual.” Still, some students feel frustration and exhaustion with virtual learning. “Being a transfer student and spending my first year at MSU online was honestly hard for me as I was looking forward to meeting new people,” elementary education senior Anna Carpenter said. “Going online for this semester will affect how I interact with others from MSU as it will be mostly through a screen or social media as opposed to engaging in person.” Some students are questioning the effectiveness of pausing inperson learning but still allowing on-campus living. “How does closing masks-required and spaced classrooms but keeping the nomasks cafeteria and dorms open make any sense,” chemistry freshman Audrey Courneya said in a text. “We’ll be around still. The classroom doesn’t spread COVID, social events do.” Yet, through all the questions, frustrations and disappointments, some students are understanding, and even appreciative, of why the university decided to make the switch. “My initial reaction to President T U ES DAY, JA N UA RY 25, 2022
Stanley’s email was ‘Oh, no ... not again,’” education sophomore Autumn Turner said in a text. “It just seems that COVID is a huge setback. Soon as it gets better, it gets worse. But, you have to be considerate of everyone’s health and safety. This time it’s sort of understandable due to the increased amount of cases in 2021 which are higher than the cases were in 2020. Overall, I just worry and hope these three weeks doesn’t be extended, but if it have to, I understand. We are Spartans, we will achieve any obstacle thrown at us.” This is not the first time some MSU students have experienced a three-week move to remote learning. On March 12, 2020, Gov. Whitmer declared that all K-12 schools must operate remotely from Monday, March 16 to Sunday, April 5. However, by the end of those three weeks, Whitmer had already issued a new declaration: Schools would remain virtual through the end of the semester. During this time period, Michigan was averaging around 1,000 COVID-19 cases a day. Today, Michigan is averaging over 20,000 COVID-19 cases. On Jan. 21 however, Stanley confirmed in-person learning will return on Jan. 31, as predicted by the initial three week online time period. “With our continued mask mandate, high vaccination rates and most students and faculty boosted, we believe we are well-positioned to resume in-person classes Monday, Jan. 31, as planned,” Stanley said in the email. Students, staff and faculty are required to submit proof of a booster shot through a verification form that will be open from Jan. 26 until Feb. 1. STATEN EWS.CO M
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Conservative students at MSU reflect on the events of Jan. 6, 2021 By Dan Netter dnetter@statenews.com On Jan. 6, 2021, eyes were glued to televisions, radio volumes were turned high, all covering what was thought to be impossible. Rioters in Washington, D.C., fueled through anger over the results of the previous November’s election, broke into the Capitol and delayed both the House of Representatives and the Senate’s certification of the Electoral College vote for president. The event left five dead. Of the five, two supporters of former President Donald Trump were dead, one shot by Capitol Police, the other being crushed by stampeding rioters; three police officers died as a result of the event, one from injuries from the riot, while two others died by suicide. Political theory and constitutional democracy senior and James Madison College Conservatives, or JMCC, president Gavyn Webb said when he heard about what was happening, he thought the news was exaggerating. It was not until later, when he saw tweets and posts
about the storming of the Capitol, that he started paying attention. Webb, the vice-chairman of Young American Foundation, or YAF, at MSU, said he was horrified the Capitol was being besieged. He said he voted for Trump in the 2020 election and while he understood the frustrations with the outcome, he did not think it was right to disrupt the process of the Electoral College. Webb said he is open to the idea that there was voter fraud somewhere in the country, but he does not think it was widespread enough to change the outcome of the election. MSU College Republicans Chairman Ryland Bennett, a political science senior, expressed disgust toward the events of Jan. 6, 2021. He said he did not think there was enough voter fraud to flip anything more than a precinct or two. Trump sued in six key states, including Michigan, claiming rampant fraud. An investigation by the Associated Press published last month showed there were less than 500 instances of potential voter fraud of the 159 million votes cast in 2020.
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Bennett and Webb’s view of the 2020 election is not universally shared among conservatives at MSU. Criminal justice sophomore Caity Martin is the president of the MSU Chapter of Turning Point USA, a conservative group on campus which Martin describes as anti-socialisist. Martin said she believes voter fraud was happening “across the country” and it was enough to turn the results of the election. As for what caused the day’s events, physics sophomore Connor O’Neal, a contributor to The Morning Watch, a conservative publication on campus, said it was mob mentality. He thinks there were agitators in the crowd telling people to keep moving forward. Bennett said the presence of Proud Boys, The Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters confirmed this. These hate groups are part of the modern paramilitary white power movement. In a presidential debate, Trump infamously told the Proud Boys to “Stand back and Standby.” Bennett called Trump an “instigator of passion” but stops short of saying he directly is responsible for the events of that day. “Just like any other politician does is show up to protests,” Bennett said. “He did his job. He got people there to be loud and vocal because that’s what he wanted … He did not say, ‘Go storm the Capitol. Go punch a cop.’” Webb, however, blames the events of Jan. 6, 2021 on the toxicity of the political climate. “You can go back to 2000,” Webb said. “People started casting doubts in that election. I think that both sides see that there is no way they can ever lose again. So, when they do (lose), they have to chalk it up as not that they ran bad candidates, but the fact that they were cheated out of an election, and I think it’s much easier to say you were cheated out of an election than to actually own up and say that you lost.” Webb does not think Trump’s rhetoric about how he lost the election and that the election was stolen from him was the driving factor for what happened at the Capitol. He said it was “not helpful” but not the main reason. Social relations and policy senior Jack Wheatley, who has done extensive research into the recent history of white supremacist activity at MSU, said Jan. 6, 2021 was a culmination of what the conservative movement has been pushing for a long time. Wheatley argued that only denouncing Jan. 6, 2021 as a singular bad moment in American history by these conservative groups is not a legitimate stance against the actions of that day. He said it refuses to denounce the rhetorical and ideological sentiments that led to the Capitol being stormed, and so they continue to harbor the fear and disinformation that led to the violence seen that day. “When it comes to how those groups may view Jan. 6, it will be almost like this outward disavow, or outward condemnation of one event that they can easily say that they are not in support of,” Wheatley said. “But the
sentiments behind all of that? The idea of anti-intellectualism, anti-democracy … That sentiment still holds strong and will continue to grow.” Bennett said there are some students in College Republicans who believe the election was stolen. These students, he said, are still important to have a dialogue with. The College Republicans need to have wiggle room for their members’ beliefs, Bennett said, even if it is about Jan. 6 and whether the election was stolen. Webb said he thinks every student in JMCC recognizes the election of Joe Biden was fair and legitimate. But, for JMCC to take an official stance about Jan. 6, 2021 or the Stop the Steal movement, Webb thinks it is not their place to officially weigh in on divisive political issues within the conservative movement, fearing it would isolate conservatives without that stance. “At the end of the day, a lot of these people come to JMCC looking for like-minded people,” Webb said. “There’s not a lot of conservatives … People can have their own opinions on whatever they want. As long as they’re not hateful and un-democratic, then I don’t really think it’s the club’s stance to mitigate their discourse.” As for the future of the Republican Party, Bennett said the idea of a Trump reelection bid in 2024 is a bad one. Webb said he would not like the idea either, but ultimately would vote for whomever the Republican nominee is. Both Bennett and Webb point to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as their ideal candidate in 2024. DeSantis has never said one way or another if he believed Joe Biden fairly won the election, but Florida’s state legislature has been one of the 17 states that have taken action to make it harder for their citizens to vote. In December 2021, DeSantis proposed an “Election Crimes Police,” which would enforce and investigate cases of election fraud. DeSantis has done this in the name of “election integrity.” Wheatley, however, does not believe there is much the American conservative movement can do to detach itself from sentiments of antidemocracy unless it abandons tenets of the Republican Party. Webb said he hopes that the day does not define the conservative movement and believes what happened is not a good representation of it. “I do think to a certain extent, those were Republicans at the end of the day,” Webb said. “I struggle to name them conservatives because I don’t think conservatives would do that, but they were Trump supporters who were representatives of right-wing politics. And to an extent, yes I do think that will be a stain or at least a talking point of a small section of conservative politics.”
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S PORTS
Marcus Bingham Jr. struggles to find his footing after bout with COVID-19 By Jared Ramsey jramsey@statenews.com Michigan State men’s basketball senior center Marcus Bingham Jr. knows his performance has taken a dip over the last three weeks. He can see the difference between his presence on the floor from his dominant start to the season to his sluggish, uninspired performances as of late. What changed for Michigan State’s starting senior center? He was one of four MSU players to test positive for COVID-19 the week after Christmas and missed the game against High Point. Bingham said he has not felt like himself and is dealing with fatigue since coming back from being sick. “I went back with my coach DJ (Stephens), we watched some of the games early in the year and compared them to the one that was most recent,” Bingham said. “And I feel like COVID did mess me up a little bit, but as an upperclassman, I gotta overcome that and be better for this team.” In Michigan State’s home games against Minnesota and Northwestern, Bingham played a season-low 17 and 12 minutes, respectively. In his first four games back, Bingham averaged 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and two blocks in 17.8 minutes per game, according to KenPom. Conversely, in the 11 games before testing positive, Bingham averaged 11.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in 23.7 minutes per game, according to KenPom. Bingham said when going back and looking at game film, he can see the stark difference between his energy level and performance from earlier in the season to now. “It looks way different on tape,” Bingham said. “As always, when you’re out there playing, you don’t really think of some of the stuff that you’re
doing wrong that the coaches see, and then when you see it on film, it just gives you a better thought about it. So, watching film after the game was good for me.” Bingham’s absence as being the dominant interior force over the last three weeks has coincided with the dip in performance for MSU as a whole. MSU squeaked out four victories in that stretch before finally falling to Northwestern in a painful two-point loss that Michigan State men’s basketball Head Coach Tom Izzo said was bound to happen sooner rather than later. Izzo knows the effort that Bingham has brought since returning from COVID-19 is not good enough and is actively challenging Bingham during practices and games to return to his once-unstoppable level. Izzo conceded that Bingham might have been more negatively affected by the virus than his teammates that tested positive, but added he must get back to the level he was playing at earlier in the season for this Michigan State team to realize its full potential in Big Ten play. “We did talk about the difference since he’s had COVID and when he wasn’t, and he just doesn’t seem to have his energy back,” Izzo said. “So, that was one thing that we all agreed on, including him, and give him the benefit of the doubt on that to a certain extent.” However, Izzo added that the benefit of the doubt only extends so far and Bingham must get back to being the player he was in November and December if he wants to continue to play extensive minutes come March. “He’s gotta play like he was playing early in the year — blocking every shot, getting rebounds — doing the things he was doing,” Izzo said. “So, we gotta coach better, a couple guys gotta play better.” Bingham’s performance at home against
Senior center Marcus Bingham Jr. shoots a mid-range jumper during the Spartans’ 71-69 win against Minnesota on Jan. 12. Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez
Northwestern was his worst to date, where he put up two points, two rebounds, two blocks and three turnovers in just 12 minutes. It was the second consecutive game that Izzo chose to bench Bingham for large stretches in each half because he was not happy with the effort Bingham was exhibiting on the court. The benching in the first half happened almost immediately after the tip because Bingham was walking up and down the court in the opening minutes. He was replaced by junior center Julius Marble II as the starter for the second half and only played for four minutes before being benched again. Bingham returned to the court with 0.7 seconds remaining. Michigan State trailed by two and was set to inbound the ball beneath Northwestern’s basket. Junior forward Malik Hall threw a lob to Bingham on the inbounds and he was fouled in the air, sending him to the line for a one-and-one with a chance to send the game to overtime. Bingham’s first free throw clanged loudly off the back iron and fell into Northwestern’s hands, signaling the end to a disaster for MSU that re-
sulted in its first loss in the Big Ten this season. Bingham stood at the line with his head hung as the final buzzer rang throughout Breslin Center, knowing he could not overcome his performance and help the team when they needed him most. The bad performance, capped off by the missed free throw, prompted Bingham to tweet an apology to MSU fans after the game with a promise to improve moving forward. “I wanted to make it so bad,” Bingham said. “And when you miss, it kind of deflates you a little bit. But I wanted to show love to the fans and tell them I’m going to be better and I’ll see ‘em in April.” Bingham said the bad performance lit a fire under him to come out and make a statement for the rest of the season going forward. That fire found a subtle spark as Bingham looked like he was more of himself against Wisconsin on Jan. 21. He scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds, but only played 13 minutes and did not see the court for the final 10 minutes of action in his teams’ stunning upset victory. “I think, as a person, it fires me up a lot to go out there and play hard for my team,” Bingham said.
50 years old, also pose a safety concern for some visitors. “They aren’t safe with the cracks,” Mills said. Additional fundraising efforts by the Patriarche Park Pickleball Association will supplement the Sport Court Renovation Project with additional features such as fencing around individual courts, upgraded court surfaces and a storage shed equipped with an automated external defibrillator and other
medical supplies. If the Pickleball Association’s fundraising goal of $50,000 is met by Feb. 28, a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Foundation will match the funds to provide a total of $100,000 of funding for the project. Mills hopes the renovations to Patriarche Park will ultimately “provide something that is a safe place for people to be outside and be active.”
Patriarche Park renovations bolstered by local pickleball group By Finn Hopkins fhopkins@statenews.com East Lansing’s Patriarche Park is getting an upgrade. The park will undergo major renovations this summer, including the addition of 10 new pickleball courts, a tennis court and a basketball court. Drinking fountains, picnic tables and walkways will also be renovated, Wendy Longpre, assistant director of the East Lansing Parks and Recreation department, said. Patriarche Park’s convenient location makes it one of the most widely used parks in the East Lansing area with an estimated 32,000 people visiting the park annually, Longpre said. The project, labeled the “Sport Court Renovation Project at Patriarche Park,” is being funded through a combination of sources including a grant from the Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund, funds from the Parks and Recreation portion of the East Lansing Income Tax Fund and through a fundraising campaign led by the Patriarche Park Pickleball Association, Longpre said.
For members of the Pickleball Association, these renovations provide an exciting opportunity to develop the sport they love. Sue Mills, fundraising chair for the project, said she hopes the project will help grow the sport in the community. Mills, 81, began playing pickleball after having played tennis since she was 14. “We see more young people starting to play,” Mills said. “We hope now with these additional courts … that we’ll be able to offer lessons to kids and others to get more and more people involved in the sport.” For Mills, pickleball has taken on new significance since the COVID-19 pandemic. “Particularly during these days of COVID when you want to be outside, you want to be physically active,” she said. “It’s a great way to meet people and it’s a lot of fun and it’s good exercise.” In their current state, the pickleball courts can’t meet the needs of the community. During open play, there aren’t enough courts to satisfy the number of people who want to play, Mills said. The courts, which are over
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