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STATE NE WS.CO M | T HE STAT E N EWS | WEDN ESDAY, F EB RUA RY 20, 2013 |
STU DE NT GOVE RN M E NT
RHA to hold election
PLAYING TO A DIFFERENT
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The election will take place at the general assembly meeting after each candidate gives a 10-minute speech and answers members’ questions. The general assembly representatives will cast the deciding votes after the questioning period, RHA President Kelcey Gapske said. Although the polls only are open to RHA members, The State News caught up with the candidates to find out what changes MSU students might see next year, pending the decision. — Robert Bondy, The State News
DANYELLE MORROW | THE STATE NEWS
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genomics and molecular genetics junior
My goal is to create an organization that all on-campus students know about and are able to utilize our services and opportunities. My passion for RHA is strong and deep, and if I were elected, I would dedicate as much of my time and energy I could possibly give to RHA.
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DeRade has been the communications coordinator with RHA for the past year. He joined RHA in fall of 2010 as a freshman and has held multiple positions while with RHA , including Spectrum representative, committee on internal affairs chair, food representative and director of health and safety. If elected as RHA president, DeRade hopes to improve RHA’s image and make sure students are aware of the opportunities the group offers.
ENVIRONMENT
MSU IN ENVIANCE’S ‘SUSTAINABLE 16’ CONTEST By Caleb Nordgren nordgren@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■
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Greg Rokisky communication and public relations junior
I plan to focus more on RHA’s external brand and solidifying our internal and external connections. I want to also develop a plan reflecting on which services need to be revamped. Working to gain recognition (for) what RHA as a whole is responsible for doing will be one of my main initiatives.
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Rokisky is the RHA director of movie offices and has been a part of RHA since fall 2011. He started off at RHA as the Shaw Hall president. He helped bring the Great Lakes Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls conference, or GLACURH, to MSU next fall and promoted flexible housing, or gender-neutral housing. Rokisky said he has big plans for RHA if elected — to improve services and work to bring more attention to the organization.
College basketball’s March Madness won’t start for another month, but MSU already is competing for the title of national champion. MSU recently was named one of Enviance’s “Sustainable 16,” part of the Second Annual Environmental March Madness tournament. The tournament is designed to highlight universities’ efforts to become more sustainable on campus and in the classroom. The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize. While the MSU Office of Campus Sustainability will be working on the next stage of the project, the announcement of the “Environmental
ACADE M ICS
THE WRITING CENTER CELEBRATES 20TH YEAR By RuAnne Walworth walwor12@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■
The Writing Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year by hosting 20 events, which began in August 2012 and will continue through May 2013. Since Trixie Smith, director of The Writing Center, joined the department six years ago, it has doubled in locations and staff. Last year, more than 13,500 sessions were completed, not including workshops workers did in the community as well as in classrooms on MSU’s campus, Smith said. The first anniversary celebration featured a cookout, fair and carnival for students and the community, Smith said. With the
Tune Music education junior Stephanie Erspamer practices the trumpet Monday in the basement of the Music Building. Erspamer was practicing for a one-on-one lesson with an instructor, which she said required a lot more practice than bigger classes.
he Residence Halls Association, or RHA, will be holding its presidential election tonight, with the winner leading the 44th session of RHA next year.
Zachary DeRade
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The Writing Center has doubled in locations and staff in the past six years help of supporters, The Writing Center will host more events ranging from an open mic night April 11 to a 1992-throwback birthday party May 10 in honor of the anniversary. Smith said one of the center’s goals is to help students on campus and community members improve their writing skills. Graduate student Jenni Marlow, a consultant in The Writing Center, said the staff is made up of consultants from different departments on campus. The goal is to provide students with specialized assistants who can
provide more information on writing papers for classes outside of the English department. “For us, we say we serve the MSU community,” Smith said. “As a land-grant institution, that means that there is a much broader community that we serve. We try to take that seriously and that’s part of our mission too.” However, there still are students who do not utilize the facilities available in The Writing Center. “I know people who use The Writing Center, but they still failed a paper they had to turn in,” general management sophomore Nick Thayer said. “No matter the work you put into it, in the end it really just depends more on the teacher.”
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“There are more places to recycle than to throw out trash, which is annoying when you have something that’s legitimately trash.” Hanna Reed, psychology sophomore
Eight” on March 22, it wasn’t involved with the initial submission for consideration, said Lauren Olson, the office’s education coordinator. “I have to give all the credit to Karessa Weir,” Olson said. “She entered MSU in the competition on her own.” Weir, who works with the MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program, approached the Office of Campus Sustainability for help with making a video for the next round of the tournament, Olson said, but Weir will remain in control for the
time being. If MSU makes it to the “Environmental Eight,” the next round would be the “Finest Four,” announced April 5 . The winner will be announced on April 8. Weir could not be reached for comment as of press time. At this point, Olson is just glad the office’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. “This is all new to us,” she said. “We’re just happy MSU is being recognized.” Still, environmental economics and policy freshman Karlo Zadro said MSU could be
doing a lot better in terms of sustainability. “They’re giving it a good effort,” Zadro said. “But a big step would be … doing a little bit more in terms of moving off coal.” Biology junior Anthony Machniak said he’s not surprised by MSU’s selection. He saw the school’s commitment to the environment during his time working with MSU Recycling. “I’m not really shocked,” he said. “If only for the sheer numbers.” Psychology sophomore Hanna Reed said the emphasis on things such as recycling at MSU shows around campus. “There are more places to recycle than to throw out trash,” she said, smiling. “Which is annoying when you have something that’s legitimately trash.”