The Current Summer 2021

SUMMER 2021

221 W. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48933 Phone: 517.203.0123 Fax: 517.203.3334 Publisher Tiffany Dowling Account Managers Megan Fleming Liz Reno-Hayes Melissa DeMott John Tripolsky Senior Editors Kate Birdsall Mary Gajda Graphic Designer Grace Houdek Project Coordinator Shelby Smith Editorial Assistants Mitch Carr, Lacie Kunselman Writers Aleaha Reneé, Alec Parr, C Rose Widmann, Lucy VanRegenmorter, Mai Vang, Peter Morrison, Shelby Smith Editors Jenna Merony, Jennifer Bell, Lacie Kunselman, Laura Westcott, Lucas Polack, Peyton Fredrickson, Rachel Huculak Social Media Aleaha Reneé, Laura Wetcott

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

By Lacie Kunselman Dear reader, While working on this issue of The Current, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. A year of working at a distance, wearing masks, logging into Zoom calls, struggling to pay bills, searching for jobs that don’t exist, fighting social justice battles, filing for unemployment, advocating for change and feeling like it will never come ... the past year brought an unceasing wave of horror for everyone, and the resulting pain has far outlasted any stowed-up optimism.

At The Current, we push ourselves to dig deep into these issues, which cannot be done properly without a steep emotional investment. Caring takes a lot of energy, and after a year (or maybe a lifetime) of caring and speaking up and not seeing the progress we’d hoped for, continuing felt impossible.

Our staff had reached its breaking point. We still cared so deeply about so much, but how nice would it be to pretend those things don’t exist? To escape from this messy world that seems to grow messier by the minute? It would be so easy to give up, choosing not to hope and accepting the fate of a world that will stay messy.

But then we thought of you. Our readers. People who care, just like we do, and who are feeling just as tired as we are.

So it’s for you, dear reader, that we have dug deeper than ever before to find new sources of motivation. You were that motivation, giving us new hope and allowing us to resist the temptation of apathy and settling. Your support enables us to tell the stories that matter to us, and it is a privilege that we could not overlook. We write these stories for you, and we hope that even as they remind you all of the messiness of the world, they inspire you, too.

These are not happy stories about happy things, but they are stories of hope. To our dearest readers, who gave us the hope we needed to write this issue, thank you for finding hope in The Current.

Stay critical.

But stay hopeful.

Lacie Kunselman Lacie Kunselman is a second-year student pursuing a double major in professional writing and public relations. She aspires to one day be managing editor for a magazine or a PR executive at a sustainable fashion or lifestyle brand. Her less-academic pursuits include beach volleyball, macrame and thrift shopping.

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Give us a call at 517.203.3333 or email at mary@m3group.biz The Current is published seasonally by M3 Group, Lansing, MI. All rights reserved. © 2021 M3 Group No part of this magazine may be reproduced whole or in part without the expressed consent of the publisher.

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CON TEN TS 08

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Me, Myself and I(vy)

Sight Unseen

Identity Politics

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How houseplants are becoming the new roommates

The social and institutional struggles of the invisibly disabled

Exploring the many nuances of racial imposter syndrome

Cracking the Code

The oppressive roots and reality of code-switching

“I’m so OCD!” and Other Phrases to Purge from Casual Conversation

MSU’s Working Class

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A mid-Michigan beacon for the queer community falls to hard times

Breeding empathy or apathy?

The employment endeavours of friends and peers

Creating Something From Nothing

Spiral-ing Out

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When birth control does more harm than good

Students build kinship in nontraditional housing

Artists find inspiration amid the pandemic

The Political Psyche

The biological blueprint of bias

Dying to Go All the Way

Cover Photo of Maxi Padding by Maxi Padding

Meme Culture

MSU’s Co-op Communities

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ME, MYSELF AND I(VY) How houseplants are becoming the new roommates

By Peter Morrison Houseplants add vibrancy to people’s homes and lives. They are living, breathing things that come with few consequences as to whether they survive or not. They’re the perfect roommate, and the best no-stringsattached relationship a person could ask for. But how did the trend of acquiring one’s own indoor jungle come about? How has an innocent hobby gotten darker over time?

And what is the best plant to get for someone whose thumb may not be so green?

Seeing Green People have become plant-obsessed. It’s nearly impossible to meet someone who doesn’t have at least one in their home. The National Gardening Survey, conducted by Texas A&M University, found that nearly 37 million households in the U.S. had some type of indoor plant in 2017—only trailing behind lawn care and flower gardening in terms of hobby popularity.

Retail sales of houseplants topped $1.6 billion that same year. The 1834 demographic alone contributed a

whopping 24% to that figure. Companies such as The Sill and Bloomscape have emerged to capitalize on this booming market, offering plants of all maturities delivered right to people’s front doors.

These businesses have only amplified the demand from those who want to maintain a trendy aesthetic online.

Houseplants largely have social media to thank for their surge in popularity. Whole Instagram pages are devoted to the care and value of houseplants. Some notably successful examples of these lifestyle bloggers are @TheJungleUpstairs and @studioplants on Instagram. These women have transformed their urban abodes into oases indiscernible from the average greenhouse.

Your Plants and You These aspirational lifestyles have prompted many to take interest in their own best interest. Being able to meet the needs of many different species of plants has rewarded the master gardener with improved health and well-being. Several

studies conducted by Environmental Health Perspectives show how a leafy little friend can actually improve people’s lives just by being present.

There are several common species of houseplants that are known to filter the air of the rooms in which they’re placed.

Plants can also help to boost overall mood; just caring for them can be a therapeutic exercise. Keeping plants in the office, whether working from home or not, positively affects productivity as well as job satisfaction. Humans are meant to interact with nature, so it’s expected that a strong relationship exists between the two.

The Japanese practice of “forest bathing” is meant to reconnect humans with their roots. The term was coined in the 1980s and encourages people to get out into nature and just observe their surroundings. It serves as an escape from crowded pavement and obnoxious notifications. Along with connecting to nature comes a unique gift that is often forgotten: silence.

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with pests, adequate sun exposure and scheduled fertilizing.

Good species for a novice plant parent come with a wide variety of attractive properties. One of the most popular (and hardest to kill) beginner plants is the Dracaena trifasciata, otherwise known as a snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue.

These robust beauties can withstand long periods with no water and little exposure to light while still filtering out airborne toxins.

The trickiest part is making sure that the soil drains easily to avoid rotting.

Another fan favorite that’s more than happy to act as a set of training wheels is the pothos, sometimes affectionately known as devil’s ivy. Much like the snake plant, pothos can thrive under less-than-ideal conditions, toughing it out through poor light exposure and soil quality. A mature pothos can become truly impressive in size when taken care of properly. The beautiful vines of a pothos have no limitations in how long they’re willing to grow and can easily take up an entire wall.

Having greenery in the home can offer brief moments for “forest bathing.” This is especially important during a time when spaces meant to be getaways are needed now more than ever. Not having to fret about the possibility of exposure to the coronavirus (or any other dangers, for that matter) gives even more of a reason to explore the wonders of houseplants.

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Putting Down Roots Not all plants are created equal, though.

While the benefits of keeping some greenery at home are valuable, the necessary maintenance isn’t as easy as it may look. Plants can be tricky to keep alive due to a variety of needs like ensuring correct pot size, using the right soil, dealing

Acquiring any plant as a newcomer is really exciting at first. Having it survive longer than the first month feels like a triumph on its own.

And finding the perfect placement is a talent that only gets easier with time. But there comes a point where the ordinary just isn’t very satisfying. That’s where things start to get hazy.

A Few Bad Seeds Plants are meant to be a fun and healthy hobby appreciated by people around the world. However, some highly sought-after plants may not be widely available. But

for those willing to pay, nothing is stopping them from acquiring these rarities. Certain mutations, color variations and species of plants have been able to fetch thousands of dollars for online sellers.

The monstera (or Swiss cheese plant) is a staple in greenhouses across the country, known for its dramatic beauty and size. At the time of this writing, one seller on Etsy listed a monstera for nearly $16,000! So, what made this one so special? A rare mutation occurred where the green of the leaves was replaced by a white and pale pink color combination. This mutation in particular is highly sought-after and makes the plant extremely valuable.

the original plant. These pieces are most commonly placed into water until they form roots of their own. With rare plants increasing in demand, the price for just one cutting is on the rise as well. A different seller on Etsy put a price tag of nearly $200 on a monstera cutting with the same genetic mutation as the whole plant, which was selling for 80 times the price.

The cutting being offered was described in the listing as a “wet stick.” For cuttings with a lack of roots (or any promise of roots), the potential to have a rare plant is still worth the price to some.

While the plant that the cutting was taken from could have easily been sold in its entirety for

much more, there’s profit to be made in every last leaf. And some just aren’t going to pass it up.

There’s a lot to be said about the popularity of houseplants. There are plenty of places to start; it’s just a matter of inspiration. And while the practices surrounding them aren’t always entirely organic, the message behind them is.

They’re air-purifying, endorphin-releasing, all-natural works of art — just add water and a lot of love.

Peter Morrison is a senior majoring in interdisciplinary humanities with concentrations in hospitality business, Spanish and professional writing. In his spare time he enjoys learning about and tending to his plants.

While the plant is stunning, the price definitely causes some sticker shock.

This example is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to less-than-wholesome plant dealings. With the rise in houseplant popularity came the naivete of a budding generation of enthusiasts. Those who had much more experience thought to take advantage of a group who didn’t know any better.

Ordinarily, the average person isn’t able to shell out the money for a plant that costs as much as a used Toyota. Still, for some, the allure of bragging rights for a coveted belonging lingers. Luckily, there happens to be a way to get in on the action. Sellers who aren’t ready to part with their entire plant may offer cuttings for propagation at “reasonable” prices.

Cuttings are pieces of a plant’s stem or leaves that are used to grow a clone of

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SIGHT UNSEEN The social and institutional struggles of the invisibly disabled

By Shelby Smith Your friends are planning a night out at the movies. You have to make sure you eat something before you go so you don’t get too hungry before the popcorn. Better switch those contacts for your blue-light lenses. Bring a plastic bag in case your friend’s driving makes you sick on the way. Pack your nausea medication, too. Get there early so you can get seats in the back …

Seeing a movie is a production all its own for someone with chronic migraines that can be triggered at the drop of a whole slew of hats. When plans are made, you are left to wonder and worry if you’ll be able to fit into them, or if you’ll be the one who ruins the fun. Or maybe it’s best not to go at all and avoid that possibility. But what if they think you’re making excuses ...

This is the daily mental gymnastics of invisibly disabled folks.

Generally, when people think of disability, they don’t consider ones they cannot see but rather conjure images of wheelchairs and handicapped-accessible parking spots. This association of disability with something that can be seen by others is wildly pervasive in 08 SUMMER 2021

American culture. According to Forbes, of the 42 million disabled Americans, a whopping 96% of those conditions are unseen, lurking beneath the surface of a seemingly healthy body.

The World Health Organization defines disability as reference to “the interaction between individuals with a health condition (e.g., cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and depression) and personal and environmental factors (e.g., negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings, and limited social supports).”

No truly good or comprehensive definition of disability exists, as any one fails to approach the multiplicity of what disability means in practice. Disability activists now advocate for examining multiple models of disability, particularly medical and social, which are vital in “conceptualizing and providing a framework for understanding society’s perceptions and actions toward individual differences in ability,” according to the University of Oregon’s Accessible Education Center.

The medical model views disability as something that is located in the body by a doctor and then treated. As if it is something

to be “fixed.” The medical model has been historically relied upon to alienate and dehumanize disabled people. The social model of disability, however, asserts that disability is created by a society not adequately built to suit the needs of multiple bodies and minds.

“As a Black woman, I’m used to society not being built for me. When I got diagnosed with my chronic illnesses, it became even more obvious,” said Charlotte Bachelor, a professional and public writing major and digital humanities minor at Michigan State University.

She lives with bipolar 1, chronic fatigue syndrome and postural tachycardia syndrome.

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong mental health condition that “causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression),” according to the Mayo Clinic.

“My freshman year, I checked myself into a mental institute and did an intensive outpatient program for weeks, and we found out I had bipolar 1. So, I had to completely step away from MSU because I was severely depressed,” said Bachelor. “My mom at first,

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and rightfully so, did not trust me to be alone without attempting to kill or harm myself.

“That was a lot, but once I got on the right meds with the right therapist, things started to get better for me.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, chronic fatigue syndrome is “a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that lasts for at least six months and can’t be fully explained by an underlying medical condition.” Physical and mental exertion exacerbate the fatigue, which is not improved by sleep or rest. The Mayo Clinic asserts that postural tachycardia syndrome is often a symptom for those with CFS. According to pediatric psychologist Dr. Sherilyn W. Driscoll, “patients diagnosed with POTS may experience decreased

school attendance, withdrawal from extracurricular activities, decreased academic performance” as well as other symptoms such as depression and anxiety.

Bachelor has faced such hurdles, particularly for a period in the early stages of her diagnosis.

“We were going from doctor to doctor for tests and bloodwork to rule out what wasn’t wrong. My family doctor pulled my mom aside to tell her he didn’t think I should go back to school because of the chance of me having an episode and collapsing,” said Bachelor.

“What are the chances I’m walking home from class one night, or I’m on the bus, or I’m in my dorm alone and fall and there’s no one there to help me? So, we decided I wouldn’t go back to school until we figured out what had happened. That was really heartbreaking for me because school is my pride and joy.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention synthesizes the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health’s assertion that disability has three dimensions: 1. Impairment to some bodily function or structure, or mental functioning. For example, loss of hearing, memory loss or loss of a limb.

2. Limited ability to complete some activities, including difficulty reading, walking, focusing and more.

3. Restricted participation in everyday endeavors like taking care of self and home, working and enjoying time with friends.

Bachelor tackles these dimensions on a daily basis. “You constantly have to be thinking one step ahead of yourself. Like what if I get there, and I have to go up a bunch of stairs,

Charlotte Bachelor 10 SUMMER 2021

then I’m gonna be tired or be sick for 10 minutes? It’s a struggle.”

Bachelor’s conditions are largely invisible in that one isn’t likely to know she’s disabled unless she shares the information. There is a poignant vulnerability involved with disclosing such information given the rich history of discrimination, hate and stigma surrounding disability; this goes tenfold for Black women.

“When considering disabilities, we also have to think of other contributing factors and intersectionality, especially race and gender, because those also play a role in how disabled people are treated.”

“It’s a matter of, do I say I have a disability?

This is dangerous because of the way the public doesn’t understand disability as a spectrum that affects more people than those with mobility concerns, and my disability is related to my mental health. I graduate next December and am very aware that there is no RCPD in the real world when you go to work for someone,” said Bachelor, referring to MSU’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities. The RCPD provides accommodations and services to disabled students and employees.

The RCPD works with students, faculty and staff to maximize “ability and opportunity” at MSU. According to its website, the RCPD defines disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as sitting, sleeping, or concentrating. Disabilities may be acquired at any time and are an aspect of life and diversity.”

“I have had RCPD accommodations since my freshman year at MSU, and honestly, it’s made my college experience so much better. My

disability coordinator is very understanding of the changing status of my condition and all my professors have been understanding of my accommodations,” said Bachelor.

To seek accommodations through the RCPD, visit www.rcpd.msu.edu/get-started. The first step is to “formally identify as a student or employee with a physical, sensory, cognitive or psychological disability” via its online portal. Then, request an appointment with an RCPD ability access specialist. Notably, these appointments will not be made until the RCPD receives “sufficient documentation” for the disability.

In order to seek help from a resource with the word disability in the name, one must first reconcile with that identity. Since disability is steeped in stigma, it can be hard for individuals to make that identification. Similarly, there is no clear line of being “disabled enough” to need support, so some people who could benefit from such services choose not to use them. It’s also a deeply personal choice.

Mitch Carr is a first-year graduate student at MSU. In high school, due to a traumatic sports injury, he had a full knee replacement and now lives with chronic pain.

“I never sought accommodation from the university. It’s just my knee, so it doesn’t really affect my mental capacity, even though I guess it could. It’s just a pain that I’m learning to live with. I feel like [by getting RCPD accommodations] I would be taking away resources for someone who needs it more.”

Yet another hurdle to this situation is the nebulous ways in which disability is defined or accepted by the powers that be. Also, resources such as

the RCPD can require diagnosis, or “sufficient documentation,” which can be an incredibly time consuming and financially draining privilege not accessible to all disabled folks.

IBS, and she also doesn’t get accomodations from the RCPD, though her experience is likely to qualify for accommodations as a chronic health disability.

Take irritable bowel syndrome, for instance.

IBS as a long-term, chronic condition that “affects the large intestine. Signs and symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation or both,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

“I never felt there was much that they could do to help me,” said Merony.

Jenna Merony is a MSU senior majoring in professional and public writing and English with a concentration in creative writing. She has

It’s vital to note the aforementioned powers that be, or the American government, gives people with IBS a notoriously hard time getting Social Security benefits for the condition alone. It’s hailed as being extremely difficult, but not impossible, to get such benefits even though IBS is frequently THECURRENTMSU.COM 11

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associated with poor quality of life, as “people with IBS miss three times as many days from work as do those without bowel symptoms,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

This is particularly abhorrent considering the general state of adequate, paid sick leave in American workplaces. If people with IBS can’t get disability benefits from the government, they must work to survive. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American working in the private sector gets seven sick days a year. To earn one additional sick day a year, it will likely take 20 years of work at the same company, another American average.

Furthermore, living with IBS commonly leads to depression or anxiety, which can, in turn, worsen IBS symptoms. It is not at all uncommon for disability to scaffold like this. As a result of a world entirely ill-equipped to meet their basic needs, disabled folks are more likely to report poorer health overall as well as less access to sufficient care, according to the CDC. So, it is no wonder at all that disability often multiplies for individuals.

It is in no way static or determined, and it bleeds from one area to the next if not adequately addressed. And that is not an easy thing to do.

The barriers here are infinite, from disbelieving doctors, an utter lack of empathy and a sometimes entirely untenable path to diagnosis, the very thing necessary for most avenues of help.

The truth of it is that accessibility is inaccessible. It absolutely cannot be neglected that an ever-present barrier not only to diagnosis but to adequate care is prejudice.

And, when it comes to health care, implicit bias kills.

A health care provider with implicit bias may attribute qualities to members of a given group unconsciously and as a result of stereotyping. These biases are dangerous and actively keep those who live in marginalized bodies from diagnosis and adequate care.

It’s no wonder disabled folks feel less than encouraged to seek help. Asking for help puts one in a vulnerable position, and all too often that can make for a shameful experience. The association of shame with chronic conditions is pervasive. According to Psychology Today, “shame comes from the internalization of this cultural belief that we are somehow at fault for getting ill and for continuing to be ill. Looking and acting differently than ‘the norm’ can also be a shame trigger.”

Living with IBS creates a lose-lose situation when it comes to norms for Merony as she can either be outside the “norm” by experiencing IBS symptoms and eating what others do or by being on a restricted diet.

“I always have to choose the restaurant to make sure I can eat something, or I have to make my own meal and bring it to a place they choose. People look at me funny sometimes when I pull out food at a restaurant, but they don’t know everything on the menu will cause me to blow up like a balloon and be uncomfortable for the next day or two,” said Merony. “Having IBS makes me worried about dating or making new friends because I’ll have to explain why I choose to eat a salad or bring my own meal to their house.”

In her article “‘We Don’t Have a Box’: Understanding Hidden Disability Identity Utilizing Narrative Research Methodology,”

Mitch Carr Aimee Burke Valeras defines hidden disability as “one unapparent to outside observers.” Valeras discusses how such hidden disabilities “def[y] the outward social construction of disability.” The article notes invisibly disabled folks are granted certain anonymity in exchange for a separate set of challenges, “including learning strategic self-disclosure and impression management; when to disclose and make disability visible and when to ‘pass’ and give society the impression of ‘ablebodiedness.’

“The choice, to be or not to be disabled, has important implications for the way we conceptualize disability, and the concept of identity as a whole.”

Of course, what Valeras understands is that this choice is mere illusion so far as disability. One choice lies in how you present yourself to others, and this is no small thing. More often than not it THECURRENTMSU.COM 13

comes with a great deal of anxiety and maybe even imposter syndrome, which is exceedingly common among the invisibly disabled.

The value placed on the “norm” is astronomical in the U.S. and damages not only the disability community but so many other marginalized groups including people of color, the queer community and more — pretty much anyone who is not a white, cisgender, heterosexual, Christian man. Each of those communities, too, have gatekeeping of their own, whether it be external or internal.

Do I like boys too much to be bisexual? Am I really disabled if I only have a debilitating migraine half the days out of the month? Am I too good in school to really have ADHD that bad? This is the internal monologue of one who fears claiming any suffering will offend those who have suffered more, and ostracization from the community will only be further cemented.

It isn’t just others who assert that disability is the fault of the individual. Sometimes, this can be an internalized thought process for illnesses and chronic pain that can be triggered or caused by some action.

cure or normalization of the individual,” according to the University of Oregon, while the social model considered the remedy to be “a change in the interaction between the individual and society.” In the case of IBS, such changes could include more conscious menus and food offerings in public spots.

“It is a choice on my end to feel the pain or be smart about what I eat. It isn’t the most exciting or easiest life to live, but I do what I can,” said Merony.

In this struggle with guilt and shame about her condition, Merony is far from alone.

“I never thought of myself as disabled before this winter. The doctor always warned me I would have really bad arthritis and couldn’t do certain things because of my injury,” said Carr. “I went skiing and had a really intense fall, and now I have really severe chronic pain because I ignored my doctor when I knew I shouldn’t have, because I thought I had the ability to.

“I don’t see it as a disability since I can do so much with my body physically; however, when those stomach problems do come on, I feel angry and alone. There isn’t really a place or space for people with IBS to come together and talk or help each other out,” said Merony. “When thinking about the disability community, I don’t label myself as within it.”

“Since then, I feel like I’m still trying to navigate if this is really a disability. It wasn’t really until that fall and then experiencing pain every day while walking that I acknowledged my struggles as disabling,” said Carr. “Even now, I wrote a positionality paper for a class and I wrote abled-bodied because that’s what I’m used to. And I still consider myself mostly-abled, but my experiences this winter are changing my perspective on living with my artificial knee.”

The medical model of disability asserts, to the detriment of diabled people, that “the remedy for disability-related problems is

Valeras explores the weight of identifying as disabled since the word is usually either embraced or repelled “as a self-characteristic.”

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Jenna Merony For invisibly disabled people, they must decide each day, with each interaction, which identity to exhibit. They are in a constant negotiation of “when, where, why and how to disclose and adopt the disability identity” or to “pass” as able-bodied.

No matter the choice, “these decisions have reverberating implications for one’s whole self-concept and social relationships.”

This feeling of disbelonging in the disability community only piles onto the isolation inherently associated with chronic pain.

According to the Invisible Disabilities Association, “a huge part of illness is isolation.

Oftentimes the overwhelming nature of chronic illness and pain drives even friends and family members away.” As such, it can be difficult not to feel the need to do more than is good in order to avoid being cast off by loved ones for lack of involvement. It can be a daunting challenge to navigate personal well-being alongside social standing.

“This experience was very frightening and isolating. I hated not knowing what was really wrong with me and it caused me to get anxiety towards food and eating because I didn’t want to hurt,” said Merony. “It was isolating. I thought I was alone in all of this.

Especially because I have a twin sister who didn’t have any of these problems, which made me feel even more like a freak at the time. I feared I would never be normal again or feel like my old confident self.”

Carr experiences similar isolation when his knee keeps him from joining in how he wants to.

“I have to remove myself from certain things.

I can’t do the seasonal outdoor things all my friends like to do. So I have had to just accept my role as a bystander, and like, the comicrelief friend who just hangs out instead of being engaged in the activity with everyone,” said Carr. An added layer to Carr’s dynamic is that he went from having visible indications of his pain, like crutches following his surgery, to not having a visible indication but just as much pain.

“I feel like my friends try to understand and be empathetic, but I also feel like they look at

me and don’t understand why I can’t join in or that I’m not making it up. They’re great friends, though, and the intent behind their actions is different from how I internalize them because it’s a shameful experience.”

There also exists the ever-present threat of not being believed. Talk about disheartening.

“Some people say it’s all in my head, which is insulting because they don’t see how big I get when I bloat, or understand how uncomfortable it is, so they don’t have the right to say that,” said Merony.

Despite the alienation forced on disabled communities globally, WHO regards disability as “part of being human,” for “almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life. Over one billion people — about 15% of the global population — live with some form of disability and this number is increasing.”

This is especially sharp in the age of COVID-19, which is leaving an alarming number of people with significant, longterm health conditions. Disability becomes more pervasive by the day as long-term complications from COVID-19 have been noted to affect the cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, dermatologic, neurological and psychiatric systems, according to the CDC. Valeras’s article details the accounts of many invisibly disabled individuals, much like Bachelor, Carr and Merony, who embody a multitude of flexible identities. Valeras posits the term “bi-ability” to describe how those with hidden disabilities “travers[e] the borderlands between binary categories of identity.”

Invisibly disabled folks, due to the nature of the ill-equipped world, learn to become chameleons. According to Valeras, they live “on the edge of social, cultural and political lines and are adapting to the situation in which they find themselves at any given moment learning to emphasize or deemphasize various aspects of identity, depending on the pressures of the social context.”

These tightropes are anything but easy to navigate, made ever more complicated by the games one’s own mind can play about such things. Carr lives in this struggle but is not without optimism.

“Shame is an intense emotion that makes you believe you are flawed and therefore invalid.

Through vulnerabilities we can build courage and limit the validations of others. Courage begins with validating ourselves.”

And this is the seemingly impossible task facing invisibly disabled folks. Our world can all too often be shrouded in struggle, stigma and shame when we are made to feel as if our body or our brain is inadequate — or perhaps both. We face a world jumping at every opportunity to invalidate us and our experiences. And this world, we know, is slow to change. Until it does, on we trudge.

Shelby Smith is an invisibly disabled writer.

While battling chronic migraines and inattentive ADHD, she experiences senses of isolation, selfblame for her conditions and a strong feeling of not belonging within, and sometimes without, the disability community. She has a B.A. in English and professional and public writing. She is currently pursuing a certificate to teach high school English so she can enthuse about grammar (and empathy) to the next generation.

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Lexie Salzar 16 SUMMER 2021

IDENTITY POLITICS Exploring the nuances of racial imposter syndrome

By Mai Vang WHAT IS RACIAL IMPOSTER SYNDROME? Racial imposter syndrome is the feeling of self doubt when one’s internal racial identity doesn’t match others’ perception of their racial identity, or the feeling when a multiracial/mixed person doesn’t believe they belong to any part of their racial identity. The feeling of being at home is often lost because individuals’ lived experiences are more unique and complex than their monoracial counterparts or those with a more homogeneous culture. This makes it hard for an individual to connect and engage with the communities with which they identify.

Cultural dissonance is the sense of discord, disharmony, confusion or conflict experienced by people in the midst of change in their cultural environment. It plays a heavy role in how one experiences racial imposter syndrome, because when one goes through cultural change, it is often unexpected and cannot be understood. Cultural dissonance can be seen in action on a daily basis. For example, the values of one culture clashing with the values of another. Typical clashes usually involve traditions and ethics.

Sometimes it can even include things relating to one’s outer physical identity such as fashion, entertainment and speech.

Racial imposter syndrome is a rather complicated feeling and experience, and it isn’t static. Sometimes, individuals can find somewhere they feel connected. The next they may feel entirely alone with no one to turn to. Racial imposter syndrome can affect all aspects of one’s identity, such as the way an individual looks, speaks or acts, and results in feelings of fakeness or invalidity.

FAILURE TO ASSOCIATE Genetics, beliefs, personalities and identities are all at work within the individual. Taking cultural differences into account, finding the balance between two cultures is rather difficult. Often, the cultures clash with each other. The ideas and views don’t mesh well, especially between cultures in the East and cultures in the West.

Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood as a Chinese American, Bryants Wu’s most prominent memory of struggling with balancing both aspects of two cultures are from middle school to junior year of high school. During that time, he felt embarrassed to speak his native language in public and in front of other students out of fear that he would get made fun of. “Because of this, my understanding of the language diminished rapidly due to me only using it to communicate at home,” said Wu. Those were the times he viewed himself as trying to

become more “American” to fit in better with the kids in school.

This, however, isn’t the case for everyone who identifies with two or more cultures, as some are able to find the balance between both.

Jacob Haywood’s experience of being half white and half Korean has been a mostly positive one. Growing up in an American community inside South Korea showed Haywood both sides of his culture from an early age. However, he has faced struggles in learning what it meant to be multicultural.

“Speaking English at my international high school, then going off campus and immediately being immersed in the Korean culture of Seoul was a unique experience that I believe most multicultural people like myself have not had. So I would consider myself blessed to be able to connect both of these sides of my identity from a young age,” Haywood said. From having to remember twice as many holidays in his household to switching languages depending on which parent he is speaking to have been things he had to learn to deal with.

Another example of failing to associate is exemplified by words such as banana, coconut, Oreo or apple. These are all terms used to call someone who is supposedly whitewashed because they do not fit the “ideal THECURRENTMSU.COM 17

Wu standard” of how their own community expects them to be in terms of looks and speech. If the individual speaks or acts “too white,” then they are sometimes mocked or made fun of. This makes the individual feel lesser. They’ll receive comments saying, “You’re not Black enough,” or “Are you sure you’re Asian?”

BEING RACIALLY MIXED It’s believed that people of mixed race will try various means to find acceptance in their communities. They may take an interest in studying and appreciating the culture of one of their races out of a fear of being labeled by others as an outsider or a fake.

One of Lexie Salazar’s biggest challenges she faced growing up was only knowing one side of her ethnic identity. Her immediate environment growing up had a huge influence 18 SUMMER 2021

on this. Growing up as someone who was half white and half Filipino in a predominantly white school and home, the only time she engaged with her Filipino culture was when visiting her lolo (grandpa) and lola (grandma).

She knew almost nothing about Filipino culture growing up. That was what led her to feel she wasn’t really in touch with the Filipino side of her identity, and Salazar struggled with researching it later on in her life.

When a racially mixed person joins a space reserved for monoracial people, their identity can come off as performative. The idea that interracial person have to be one or the other can make it feel as though they don’t belong. It can also cause them to feel the need to act a certain way around a particular group of people simply because of the way they are perceived.

While diversity is becoming more accepted in Korean culture, especially in the city of Seoul, there is still a very clear separation between native, full Koreans and those who are not fully Korean. Despite living in South Korea his entire life, it was impossible for Haywood to be fully integrated. A good example Haywood provides is his experience with the taxi system in Korea.

This would be his secondary method of transportation, second to the subway system, but it consistently proved difficult for him to catch taxis at busy hours because of the way he looked. Taxi drivers normally pass foreigners due to the awkward language barrier and the stereotype that foreigners are violent and belligerent.

Despite being Korean, Haywood was labelled within seconds and treated differently in his mother country simply because he didn’t look Korean.

TACKLING LANGUAGE BARRIERS Children of immigrant parents grow up speaking mainly English in America, and because of this, a lot of them neglected their mother language. For many, the only time they were able to speak their language was at home or around family members. Often, they would be scared to speak their mother tongue at school out of fear of getting bullied by their peers.

They dissociate themselves away from their cultures out of self-hate at an early age and this dissociation causes them to feel lesser about themselves and their identity.

Jacob Haywood The language barrier experienced between Wu and his extended family is great. He finds it much more difficult to fully express himself to them while also not being able to completely understand what they are saying. This barrier has significantly distanced Wu from older family members, thus creating somewhat of an emotional disconnect. On top of that, it has made Wu feel disappointed in himself for not trying harder to overcome the barrier. Due to this, he tries to immerse more with others who can speak his language to gain more confidence and experience in speech.

“When thinking of how the language barrier has affected myself and my own views of belonging, the language barrier surprisingly

has not made me feel like I do not belong anywhere. I find solace in my cousins and other family members within my generation who often struggle with similar situations, so that has been able to somewhat help my need to belong in a family setting,” said Wu. Entering college, Salazar felt she didn’t fit in with the Asian community at school, not only because she didn’t stereotypically fit the image of someone who was Filipino, but also because she couldn’t speak Tagalog. Sometimes Salazar feels generally distant from the community, especially when many people assume that she’s solely white because she’s white-passing.

Salazar feels like the side of her Filipino heritage has been completely invalidated.

However, that doesn’t make her feel distant from the Filipino heritage and culture as an individual. “I felt like, because I was not exposed to all these aspects of Filipino culture growing up, and that it didn’t heavily affect my life in comparison to others, it didn’t feel like I was truly Asian, and I’ve oftentimes felt like I don’t really fit in with the community at MSU,” said Salazar.

On top of that, if the individual is not fluent in the spoken language or if they do not have the same accent, then they become the outcast of the community. For Salazar, not being able to speak Tagalog was something that didn’t bother her until college, because her grandparents could speak English, and THECURRENTMSU.COM 19

her father managed well with only having to speak English to them. It felt like the language was something she didn’t need to learn.

FORCING NARRATIVES In attempt to run away from their heritage, people of many cultures would feel the need to withdraw and whitewash themselves to fit in at school. They would disregard the harmful and negative stereotypes that affect them, and turn it into a joke to entertain their white peers. For example, the representation of Asians in American media recycles a handful of cliches, such as the generic Asian kid in high school shows whose only purpose was to be the nerdy, shy sidekick with no storyline. They excelled at math and they

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played the violin. Many Asian Americans resented this one-dimensional representation because they felt as if they needed to fit these stereotypes in order to be considered a “true and real” Asian.

Longing for the company of those with Asian heritage that Haywood grew up with, he sought a predominantly Asian crowd at Michigan State University. It was here that he experienced negative words toward himself and his combined heritage, questioning his position in the Asian community as someone who does not have Asian physical traits.

This further escalated as Haywood grew to become a leading figure in an Asian-interest organization on campus.

“I was in the marching band in my early years at MSU, and I was met with nothing but acceptance and a welcoming attitude from its predominantly Caucasian, socially progressive crowd,” said Haywood.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of people have welcomed him in spite of his experiences and helped him transition to this country, so he never felt the need to prove his identity to those who were less than welcoming.

THE FEELING OF NOT BELONGING SOMEWHERE Growing up in a predominately white suburban area, it is definitely hard to fit in and find a place to belong. Being in an environment where one is not familiar with

much of their background, even just by looking different, inevitably can lead one down a path of feeling alone and not really having a set friend group.

For Wu, he could never relate to his friends and their family trips to their beach houses in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and other things like recreational sports. He was never outcast directly, but the combination of not having much in common with the kids in his school district along with differing backgrounds made it difficult for him to find a group of friends to fit in with. Wu was a floater, for lack of a better term, and he never really had a set group of friends to always go back to. His friendships were made out of convenience rather than genuine connection.

Oftentimes, Salazar felt as if she didn’t really fit with the Filipino or Asian community at school. She chalks this up to not looking or acting Filipino enough to others, even if it’s valid to her or her family. A majority of the time, people try to figure out what race or

ethnicity Salazar is solely based on her outer appearance. “A lot of the times I get told I look like I’m only white or even get told that I look Latina,” said Salazar. Like many others, Salazar’s skin tone can change drastically based on the amount of sun she receives. She gets tan in the summer and becomes paler in the winter.

It can be discouraging to someone when they are told that they don’t look like their identity, as if everyone is supposed to look a certain way when they’re of a certain race. It makes someone feel like they don’t belong because they don’t conform to a certain standard of looking a certain way or a certain standard of the amount of their culture. “I understand I do not fit the ideal standard of both of my heritages, but I cannot change these facts, nor do I want to,” said Haywood.

Haywood always had a loving support group, even if that meant his support group was 7,000 miles away in Korea. “My experiences may be vastly different from those similar to myself, but I do not believe I was ever an outcast,” said Haywood. He has friends who understand him and care for him despite who he is and his experiences.

He still has negative experiences from time to time, and he acknowledges that he probably always will because of his identity as half white and half Korean, but Haywood’s support group has always found a way to make him feel welcomed.

Conclusion The inconsistencies in the social construction of race are evident when mixed-race people find themselves in the in-between spaces of culture, identity and belonging. Just because

someone doesn’t live up to the expectations of their culture and society doesn’t make them any less of who they are. If an individual identifies with a certain culture or race by default, then their existence itself is valid enough.

Not knowing their mother tongue or not being able to fully connect with both sides of their culture doesn’t invalidate their own identity. In a world with 7 billion people, everyone is bound to be different. There are bound to be identities that fall outside traditional understandings of race and identity. The only person who gets to define how they identify is the person themselves.

They are enough, and they do not need to justify their existence to anyone.

Nonetheless, there are many people who have felt and experienced racial imposter syndrome. Being able to find a support group that understands the struggles of not looking a certain way, speaking a certain language or following a certain tradition of a culture is what helps make these individuals feel more safe and comfortable in their own skin. For someone to know that they are not the only ones struggling to connect to their race or culture can be comforting.

Mai Vang is a senior under the College of Arts & Letters majoring in professional and public writing. Her main focus is digital content creating and many of her creations are heavily inspired by Studio Ghibli. In her free time, she likes to experiment with video and photo editing in hopes to be more flexible with her skills.

Jacob Haywood THECURRENTMSU.COM 21

CRACKING THE CODE The oppressive roots and reality of code—switching

By Aleaha Reneé To everyone who began reading this article because they thought it has something to do with information technology, you are unfortunately in the wrong place. Codeswitching has nothing to do with keypads, locks or binary code but does, however, deal with the discrimination and prejudice that is encoded in America’s DNA. According to “The Costs of Code-Switching,” an article published by Harvard Business Review, the art of code-switching “… involves adjusting one’s style of speech, appearance,

behavior and expression in ways that will optimize the comfort of others in exchange for fair treatment, quality service and employment opportunities.” Many minority groups find themselves code-switching on a regular basis, at times compromising their pride in their culture and people.

When it comes to the Black community, codeswitching involves shifting one’s speech pattern from African American Vernacular English to “proper” English. For example, in Ebonics, the phrase “you’re better than me” doesn’t

actually mean the sender believes the receiver is superior to them; it means they believe that person to be naïve or a pushover. Someone who is fluent in code-switching might choose to say, “I don’t think the outcome of that situation was in your favor.”

Senior finance major Jada Carter can’t recall when she learned to code-switch; it was always just part of her life. “Growing up, I knew what [code-switching] was from seeing my mom do it,” she said. “I feel like, in the Black community, we are taught to

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learn how to code-switch for other people to feel comfortable around us and for us to be accepted in other cultures.”

One prominent example of code-switching made national headlines when former President Barack Obama visited the 2012 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball locker room.

Many people noticed the stark difference between how the president greeted a white assistant coach from the way he greeted NBA basketball player Kevin Durant. On one hand, Obama greeted the assistant coach with a traditional handshake and then Durant with what can only be described as a “bro hug.” Obama’s decision to not dapp up the assistant coach can also be considered a form of code-switching.

“I feel like because we have to codeswitch, we are not being our true selves,”

said Michigan State University senior and packaging major Larnye Greene. “We can’t talk how we normally talk or express ourselves how we really want to. We code-switch so that we can make ourselves seem acceptable to society, when that is not who we really are or what our culture really is.” Greene views code-switching as professionally beneficial but limiting, seeing that it is something the Black community has been forced to adopt throughout American history.

More often than not, code-switching occurs in professional spaces. This can include a place of work, while on the phone with banks or even conversing with neighbors. Individuals usually choose to code-switch in order to separate themselves from negative stereotypes that surround their race or culture. “It makes me sound smarter and it makes other people comfortable,” Carter said. “When I talk normal,

I feel like people don’t take me as seriously.”

Much like her sentiment implies, codeswitching typically involves making those outside a particular culture or group feel more comfortable, even though the individual who must code-switch is not. It can be a very harmful practice, especially when coupled with discrimination. Many people are refused jobs due to their lack of code-switching proficiency. From a young age, many Black children are taught to change the way they talk when speaking with police in order to potentially save their lives. While codeswitching may be beneficial to individuals who hear it, it has long-lasting negative effects on the individuals who utilize it.

In 2019, Harvard Business Review completed a study that researched the complexities of code-switching. The study found that Black employees who hoped to advance in

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CENSORED corporate spaces were more likely to avoid conversing with colleagues about their culture.

They also were more likely to actively distance themselves from stereotypes about their race than individuals who were content with their position in the company. Additionally, “Black employees who perceived that they ‘fit’ in their organization also reported downplaying their race and promoting shared interests with dominant-group members.”

professional setting and around other racial backgrounds, but I know that being myself and saying certain things can be confusing to others,” Carter said. To add insult to injury, the HBR study also found that the process of constantly having to code-switch in the workplace leads to higher chances of burnout among Black employees.

Overall, this research showed that, on top of their duties to the company, Black employees made the hard decision to forfeit a portion of their pride for their race and culture in order to be seen as a valued member within their organization. The worst part is that many Black individuals in professional workspaces know the situation is less than ideal, but feel they have no other choice.

Where can we go from here?

It would be naive to think the phenomenon of code-switching can be eradicated in one day, but there are things we as a society can do to make things better. First, we must recognize that diversity and inclusion are two very different things. Diversity simply consists of allowing everyone to have a seat at the table, while inclusion — which is definitely more difficult — involves making sure everyone’s true voice is not only heard at that table, but respected.

“I feel conflicted to code-switch because I [would] rather just be myself when I am in a

When it comes to code-switching, inclusion can involve anything from actively

participating in open dialogues that work to dispel the stereotypes surrounding minority groups in the workplace, to respectfully asking questions to understand how this phenomenon may have affected someone you know. “Code-switching happens to a lot of other minority groups, too,” Carter said when asked what she thought people should know about this topic. “Everyone should be afforded the space to be their authentic self and shouldn’t be judged by how they articulate words.”

Aleaha Reneé is a senior marketing major with a passion for magazine journalism. She currently authors a column titled The Face Of, established with the primary focus of encouraging selfactualization within individuals. One day, Reneé will ultimately become editor-in-chief of a magazine. When she is not writing or editing, you can find her surrounded by her dearest friends, painting, reading, binge watching “New Girl” for the billionth time or mentoring Spartan underclassmen. Follow her on Instagram or Twitter @aleaha_renee

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“I’M SO OCD!” AND OTHER PHRASES TO PURGE FROM CASUAL CONVERSATION

By Lucy VanRegenmorter It happens. You’re having lunch with a friend and notice a stray blonde hair on her black shirt. It’s driving you crazy. You just have to take it off. Sorry, my OCD was going crazy! you say, wiping it away. You laugh. But you’ve never actually been diagnosed with OCD — because you don’t have it.

Phrases like these have become commonplace in daily conversation. I’m going to have a panic attack! when the McDonald’s ice-cream machine is broken and you have to choose something else.

I’m going to kill myself, when you get a 90% on a test instead of a perfect score. I’m so bipolar! when you have a fluke mood swing.

These phrases, while usually delivered out of ignorance not malice, can be offensive and insulting to those who suffer from these conditions. OCD, depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, among others, can be debilitating and even life threatening. They are chronic conditions — not just feeling a little organized, a little sad or a little worried.

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OCD: Obsessive compulsive disorder is possibly one of the most misunderstood and, ironically, most talked-about mental illnesses.

Shows and movies portray OCD sufferers as “neat freaks” who need to keep their desks and bedrooms spotless. While these can be legitimate symptoms of OCD, many sufferers experience much more severe compulsive behaviors, which can be time-consuming and debilitating.

Aside from, yes, the obsessive urge to be clean and germ-free, obsessive compulsive disorder can also look like repetitive counting, the need to repeat mundane activities until it feels “right,” repeating actions with both hands to create “symmetry”, and obsessive thoughts about safety and danger. For some OCD sufferers, this can make it take hours to complete basic daily tasks such as showering, making food, cleaning and locking everything up before bed. So while liking to keep your space clean can be a sign of OCD, getting

diagnosed goes much deeper and requires the expertise of a psychiatrist.

Depression: As disheartening as it is to miss a friend’s birthday party this weekend because you promised your grandma you’d help her shovel her driveway instead, it probably doesn’t mean you’re depressed. Or, if you are, it is probably not because of your driveway dilemma. Depression, like other mental illnesses, is debilitating and, sadly, can claim the lives of its sufferers.

So while you might be bummed that Taco Bell took the crunch wrap off the menu, your neighbor, who has been clinically diagnosed with depression, can’t get out of bed to brush his or her teeth.

Depression, while affected by external factors, stems primarily from internal abnormalities in the brain. According to Harvard Health Publishing, depression is often seen in people

with smaller hippocampuses, a region of the brain that affects learning and memory. It is not uncommon for people with depression to have thoughts of suicide, which unfortunately, is one of the most casually talked-about — and joked about — tragedies.

Gabrielle Hoffman, a 20-year-old woman who lost a friend to suicide, said it is not something to be taken lightly. “A lot of people are like, Oh my word I dropped my slushie, I’m gonna kill myself. It’s not like they’re saying, Oh I’m in a depressive episode, I’m suicidal. It’s not that; it’s literally over the smallest inconvenience in their life.”

Anxiety: Although possible, it is very rare that not being able to find the right outfit for girls’ night out is giving you a “panic attack.” Panic attacks are scientifically defined by the Mayo Clinic as a panicked feeling like you’re “losing control, having a heart attack or even dying.” Panic attacks can also include sweating, trembling, nausea, chest pain, numbness or tingling and a sense of unreality or detachment. Panic attacks can take a long time to recover from, and those with anxiety may even refrain from certain places, people or situations after a panic attack for fear of having another one.

Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar disorder is another commonly misunderstood and misrepresented mental illness. Characterized in the media as “mood swings” or “changing attitudes from one day to the next,” bipolar disorder is actually much more long term. Bipolar sufferers experience long periods of a depressive state, ranging from weeks to months. People with bipolar

1 disorder fluctuate between periods of depressive states and periods of leveled emotions. People with bipolar 2 disorder fluctuate between periods of depressive states and manic episodes, episodes of feeling indestructible, which often results in selfsabotaging or reckless behavior. Both types of bipolar disorder are extremely unsettling to the sufferer, and go much deeper than “having a mood swing.”

autistic by telling me that you’re awkward sometimes, or that you can’t pick up social cues sometimes. It’s denser than that. It’s kind of horrifying and traumatic not being able to completely read people’s emotions. There’s situations where you can think somebody cares about you or that somebody’s your friend, and it’s the complete opposite. You completely doubt your perception of what’s real after that.”

In the same way, when someone says they are “manic” after making a spontaneous decision, such as getting a piercing or breaking up with their boyfriend suddenly, they are likely not experiencing mania; rather, it is a one-off event. Mania is characterized by sustained periods of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, intense energy, racing thoughts, and other extreme and exaggerated behaviors.

While suddenly deciding to get your ears pierced could be an extreme behavior, it isn’t really “manic.”

Martin also noticed how certain artists such as J. Cole will use the word “autistic” in their music in a way that is offensive to those who actually have the condition. In Drake’s song “Jodeci Freestyle,” which features J. Cole, Cole says, “I’m artistic, you n***** is autistic, r******d.” After receiving complaints, the line was later removed. However, the line captured the way the words “autistic” and “r******d” are used inappropriately in society today.

Autism: Unfortunately, the term “autism” has become a synonym for “stupid” in some circles and even in popular media. Devin Martin, a Michigan State University student with autism, shares his disappointment with those who use the word autism in a derogatory way. “It kinda pisses me off when people use it colloquially, just because I think it’s disrespectful towards the suffering that each person who has it goes through,” he said. He also said people self-diagnosing themselves with the condition hurts more than it helps.

“I hate the idea that like, oh, you have to make me feel comfortable about being

“I don’t think it’s that people are too sensitive now; it’s that people have been so insensitive for so long, that there’s an expectation of microaggressions,” said Martin. “And until we get to a point where we’re progressive enough that we don’t continually say offensive things that perpetuate negative stereotypes or degrade the experiences of somebody with a mental illness, that’s how it’s gonna be for a while.”

Lucy VanRegenmorter is a junior studying journalism and photojournalism. She is a staff reporter for The State News and strives to tell the stories that are often overlooked. She also enjoys writing blog posts and print articles for VIM magazine, a club she is very thankful to be a part of. When she is not writing, VanRegenmorter enjoys taking photos, reading and listening to podcasts.

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28 SUMMER 2021

MSU’S WORKING CLASS The employment endeavours of friends and peers

By Alec Parr March 2020 marked the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on Michigan State University. Over a year later, COVID19’s collateral has far outscaled what anyone thought possible. With over half a million pandemic victims and nearly 40 million out of work, the country is reeling from this devastating moment in history. And the impacts are being felt right here on Michigan State University’s campus.

The calamitous consequences of unemployment came as quickly as the virus’s proliferation. This was evident in East Lansing as MSU employees began getting laid off in early May, starting at only 91 positions.

But as the virus grew monstrously, so did its consequences. University employees got hit as 526 MSU workers were furloughed as of June, with three-fourths of these positions being in MSU’s Residential and Hospitality Services department.

The damage only continued. The State News continued to keep up with the collateral, reporting in late September that MSU’s Residential and Hospitality Services had notified another 700 employees of their immediate furlough. Meanwhile, university executives suffered as little as a temporary 2% pay cut.

With these furloughs set to last from one to six months, university employees were left

scrambling. An anonymous level III MSU employee followed this exact timeline and witnessed its consequences firsthand. “I lost my job in March, about a week after classes were disbanded,” they said. “Communication was a bit insane with higher-ups being on furlough. I’ve been unemployed since.”

While this person was only a student employee at Sparty’s, even their supervisors began to face job loss and relocation. Some overqualified staff members were able to return to lesser positions based on the university’s employee hierarchy. But for those at the bottom, the personal damage was irreparable as they could no longer afford basic living costs.

“MSU doesn’t pay unemployment insurance on students, so I was ineligible for regular unemployment, even after submitting proof of my employment and loss of employment,” this source said. “I had to wait for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to start, and even then I couldn’t receive it when I started classes again.”

With their jobs terminated for the foreseeable future, debt-laden students had to find alternative means of earning cash.

This abrupt change left workers scattered.

Jobs began to shrink, the economy began to crumble and the result left MSU employees to make ends meet by any means necessary.

“I started my own business selling paintings because I couldn’t pay my bills,” the source said. “But now that classes have started, I don’t have time to paint, so I’m just living off the remnants of my PUA that ended in December and taking handouts from my family.”

As students began losing their jobs in droves, PUA became an essential backup plan for students concerned with tuition, rent, groceries and more. Makayla Merony was a student supervisor of event access control staff at MSU’s Breslin Student Events Center until she lost her job in mid-March. Her experience was an incredibly stressful one, resulting in fluctuating employment and a lack of answers for her staff.

“I would never wish this on my worst enemy,” Merony said.

“It was really stressful; not knowing if I was going to be able to afford my groceries for the week or pay my rent stressed me out a lot,” Merony said. “Getting help from financial aid through school and through PUA was helpful, but it’s something that I know I will have to pay back in the future, so it’s frustrating.”

Since the rest of the country is facing a similar job crisis, programs like PUA pose their own set of issues. Millions of Americans have been trying for unemployment assistance since THECURRENTMSU.COM 29

some grace out to its troubled employees.

The source was also able to return to work at Sparty’s “for a couple weeks at a time to clean places on campus.” A similar policy was applied to other student workers.

Merony was eventually able to return to her job as well. Her dynamic at the Breslin Center had changed dramatically as her hours became “limited and scattered.” “I was only able to bring back 10 of my 50 staff, which was hard, but those 10 had been promoted and worked hard for their positions,” Merony said. “Sadly, those workers still had to get other part-time jobs because the Breslin could not promise them a full paycheck every other week.”

Makayla Merony the pandemic’s dawn. With so many people requiring compensation, the government’s system of restitution is unable to meet its requirements. This issue will only continue as millions more across America could lose the PUA’s essential support, making the case of MSU employees a nationwide anecdote.

“I didn’t get a stimulus check because I have to be dependent to get health insurance from my parents, then I didn’t qualify for UIA, then lost PUA because I went back to school,” one source said. Even students with financial aid from MSU are struggling since 30 SUMMER 2021

scholarships cannot be used to put food on the table.

Both of these student examples show firsthand accounts of the difficulties facing employees at MSU. While the university provided little monetary assistance for its employees, services like the MSU Employee Assistance Program offered consolidation for those who struggled mentally and financially.

But it wasn’t enough to offset these terrible financial hardships.

Little was done by MSU to support these student workers through their employment trials. The source who was a former Sparty’s employee received sparse help from their employer.

Specifically, the source shared that MSU “sent out a list of jobs we could try applying for — all of them were $4-5 less than I’d been paid and would not accommodate classes.”

MSU also offered some assistance across the board through statements such as layoff resources, panel discussions, options for a career change in higher education and more.

While these resources placate the university’s requirement to address the issue, they do little to actually uplift workers. All while President Samuel’s statements did little to address the furloughs or even explain them.

While this reconciliation was less than adequate, the university was able to extend

Part of Merony’s most frustrating and difficult moments during her trials at

the Breslin Center were because of her employment instability. She was happy to return to work during basketball season and for COVID-19 testing. But the spurts of employment and unemployment left her wondering about her plans for graduate school and not being able to afford necessities. Despite these complications, Merony has allowed these endeavors to help her grow as a person. She hopes that students next year will be able to work at the Breslin Center without having to worry about financial hardships.

“I definitely felt a sense of urgency because I have everyday costs, and not being able to

pay them is very stressful and frustrating. But I knew that I was not the only other person going through this,” Merony said. “Some other people had it a lot worse than me, so I was also humbled by the process.”

With MSU holding $3 billion in endowment funds, more questions begin to arise as minimum-wage MSU employees wrestle with what’s next. Now students can only hope the future doesn’t yield the same consequences.

But should students have to look for solidarity when losing a job? The stories of Merony and the other anonymous source are only a sample of what hundreds of university employees faced over the past year. Job loss, perplexion, unemployment and short-term reemployment — their timeline and its multiple obstacles beg so many questions. What can be done? Should there be blame? Will these MSU workers recover?

Alec Parr is a junior studying professional and public writing. He works as a writing and communications intern at the College of Arts & Letters and acted as an editor for MSU’s VIM Magazine. When he is not at school or at work, Parr enjoys playing guitar, listening to all kinds of music and spending time with his housemates at Bower, one of MSU’s student cooperative homes.

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CREATING SOMETHING FROM NOTHING Artists find inspiration amid the pandemic

By C. Rose Widmann In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world as we know it to a halt.

With performances, galleries, museums, festivals and local businesses closed, the industry of the arts seemingly disappeared overnight. In April 2020, when overall unemployment was at its highest, over twothirds of the entire entertainment industry was unemployed, according to NPR. It seemed like the arts would be lost, but then something incredible began to happen: Bit by bit, the arts worked their way back into the spotlight.

It started with short Zoom performances, where celebrities and local artists alike provided recorded entertainment during shelter-in-place orders. Broadway casts from “Hamilton” and “Aladdin” united on Zoom to perform hit songs from their musicals while other professional performers took to platforms like TikTok and YouTube to record content to lighten people’s quarantines.

“Hamilton” dropped on Disney+ in 2020, making the hit musical accessible to people from their couches. The demand for digital entertainment has been higher than ever,

which has impacted the entertainment industry in a wide variety of ways. Both current students and alumni of Michigan State University were interviewed on how the pandemic affected their employment and creative pursuits.

The MSU Department of Theatre has remained active during the pandemic, putting on a virtual season through the 2020-21 school year. Other performing arts groups on campus, such as Roial Players and Second Stage Productions, also moved into the virtual realm to accommodate state and campus health directives. Community theaters around Michigan are also moving into the digital realm to continue a sense of normalcy throughout the pandemic. MSU alumni and current students alike have dug deep into their creative cores to weather the pandemic, creating new opportunities for themselves to stay afloat until the world returns to normal.

Maxie Froelicher (they/them/theirs), a 2018 MSU graduate, moved home to Midland, Michigan, post-graduation to save money and plan their next move. Then the pandemic struck, and plans went out the window. To stay creative, Froelicher participated in

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come to fruition,” Thomas said. “I’ve staged a private reading, a public stage reading and a more polished version with Women’s Theatre Festival and am having it performed as an audio drama in March.”

Evan Phillips “Shakespeare & Chill” from March-December 2020 with the Midland Center for the Arts, which featured a weekly read of an abridged Shakespeare play that was then recorded and streamed online.

“I’ve done quite a bit since graduation but it’s all been volunteer work,” Froelicher said.

“Around here, work is mostly volunteer even in ‘normal’ times. I’m stuck at McDonald’s for the time being, but I’m hoping to be able to somehow move to a bigger city that has paid opportunities.”

Even alumni who are located in bigger cities are making changes to stay afloat. Camille Thomas, a working actress in New York City and alumna of MSU Department of Theatre, has been using digital platforms to stage her own one-woman show, “yOU CaN TAke ouT a PArEnT pLUs lOaN,” a project that has been in the works since her sophomore year at MSU. “It’s really rewarding to see this project

The digital landscape of the pandemic has connected her with opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to be a part of due to distance. Thomas devised and performed in “Who’s There” at the New Ohio Theatre in New York, a collaboration piece between artists in the U.S., Singapore and Malaysia.

She is also in a collaborative class between Broadway Advocacy Coalition and Columbia University called Theatre of Change where artists, activists and law students look at “Artivism” and prison abolition. Artivism is a term coined in the late 1990s that refers to using art as activism, something that has gained momentum with the Black Lives Matter movement and the rise of social media as a necessity for artists.

Thomas isn’t the only MSU Theatre Department graduate creating digitally during the pandemic. Evan Phillips is living in Atlanta, pursuing a career in theater, film, television and voice-over. His experience during the pandemic has been marked by digital creation. “I was originally pursuing a career in graphic design before changing my major to theater, but I never thought I would ever have to use my computer skills again when I decided to work towards a career in acting.”

Phillips said.

The transition to online mediums for performance posed a large challenge for the industry, according to Phillips. “It seemed like a lot of theaters were having difficulties

Camille Thomas with adjusting to platforms that were built for communication rather than performance.

But those limitations had this side effect of making artists have to think outside of the box to turn those obstacles with Zoom into a more immersive and digitally enhanced theatrical experience that isn’t often seen live on stage.”

Phillips has been working on bringing sensory-friendly shows for neurodiverse audiences to digital platforms so that children on the spectrum can engage with theatre.

“I was really inspired by all the creative workarounds that directors and artists were coming up with for their digital productions,” Phillips said. “I would like to take all of the lessons I learned from performing online and use them for the development of more theatrical productions that could really benefit those who wish to engage socially through theatre again but aren’t able to due to the current safety guidelines.”

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Soda Pop Shop Virtual Performance Ryan Duda, who graduated from MSU Department of Theatre in 2018 with Phillips, returned to MSU to pursue an M.A. in arts and cultural management. “One of the main reasons I came back to school was because I would have the chance to work on developing a musical written specifically for young audiences with autism. I’m proud to say we developed a virtual version of the musical ‘Soda Pop Shop’ and will be performing it throughout the spring,” Duda said.

“Soda Pop Shop” is a sensory-friendly theatrical experience for neurodiverse audiences, the second of its kind devised at MSU. The first project,“FARM! A Musical Experience,” was performed locally in 2017 and toured to special education programs in 2018 and 2019. Now, the “Soda Pop Shop” recording can be viewed for free on the MSU Department of Theatre website and YouTube.

Sensory-friendly theater is vital for accessibility in the arts and classroom enrichment for neurodiverse children. Projects like “FARM!” 34 SUMMER 2021

and “Soda Pop Shop” are based on the pioneering multisensory, participatory models

by Oily Cart and Trusty Sidekick, performance organizations dedicated to creating sensoryfriendly arts experiences.

Even in the face of progress, the digital landscape has highlighted the need for institutional changes to accessibility in schooling. “Is school the same? No. Do I think learning online is the right thing to do?

Yes,” said Duda, who has become more aware of the gaps in accessible education while in grad school and creating digital content. “I do think this giant shift has helped us realize inequities in the educational system that have always existed but now are too big to ignore. My hope is that once we return to a sense of normalcy, many of the changes made to make learning more accessible and graceful stay.”

Duda also spoke about graduate school during a pandemic, and several other alumni

Isabella Stenz echoed his sentiments, citing the digital grad school experience as “insanely busy” and “rewarding, but so exhausting.”

“Grad school during a pandemic is ...

Well, no one has experienced something as complex as this before,” Duda said. “I started after everything moved virtual, so I am only basing my differences off of my undergraduate experience. It is nothing short of inspiring how educators have pivoted so quickly to serve their students virtually, and they deserve a million times more praise than they get. Students deserve praise and grace too because many are learning in ways that they never have before, while facing unique, personal challenges brought by the pandemic.”

Educating in new ways isn’t limited to just schools and universities; it’s also meant that extracurricular resources have to adapt to the digital sphere. Recognizing a need for enriching digital curriculum, a group of MSU

College of Arts & Letters graduates banded together early on in the pandemic to create OnLive, a production company for children’s theater workshops on Zoom. The goal was to create content to entertain kids in lockdown, giving them digital space to create and express themselves.

Creator Emily Clark said, “OnLive Theatre is something I dreamed up when I got furloughed.

It changed my spring and summer in the best way, and I’m grateful for being a part of it with Taylor and Isabella.” Taylor McPhail, who runs the production company By/For Productions LLC, wrote the script for the project, and then Clark, McPhail and fellow alumna Isabella Stenz helped teach the workshops.

“We ended up holding workshops on improv, playwriting, acting and more! It was great to work with kids and get to create something despite not being able to be together in person,” said Stenz, who is

currently in graduate studies at University of South Carolina, pursuing a Master of Arts in teaching for theater education. “It was also a great way for us to get teaching and directing experience.” She also spoke on returning to theater for the first time since the pandemic began; she will be acting in UofSC’s production of “You On The Moors Now” by Jaclyn Backhaus. Stenz says she is “nervous but excited” to return to the stage for limitedseating performances.

“It was very different,” Way said. “We were so far apart but still needed to connect to each other for the play, and then with filming, we had to combine film and theatre acting techniques.” Way is pursuing a master’s in drama therapy at New York University, something that she said has been difficult because of the increased hours online. But the digital landscape has also given her opportunities that might not normally be possible due to distance.

Courtney Way, another MSU Theatre alumna, has already been back onstage for a production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde in October 2020.

Actors rehearsed over Zoom, then rehearsed for a week in person before moving to the main stage for dress rehearsals and filming so that the play could be released for digital viewing. Actors wore clear mouth shields, and the entire production was staged to observe 6-foot distancing between all participants.

Alongside another member of her cohort, Way is tackling the issue of licensing for drama therapy, which is only a recognized license in a few states. Therapists wanting to work in other states need to pursue additional licensing in order to practice, which is a costly barrier to tackle.

Way is also an advocate for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing artists and has been able to present at conferences over Zoom that might

Courtney Way in “The Importance of Being Earnest” THECURRENTMSU.COM 35

not otherwise be possible. Additionally, she is educating members of MSU Theatre on d/ Deaf and HoH culture for upcoming projects via Zoom, an opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces at MSU while also furthering education on accessibility. While digital communication does present a significant barrier for accessibility, Way is hopeful the pandemic will create opportunity rather than hinder it.

In an effort to inspire creativity and opportunity, MSU’s College of Arts & Letters gave out 12 microgrants to student creative projects in 2020 with another round of grants happening in 2021. The Dean’s Arts Advisory Council selected projects that addressed both the pandemic and the ongoing fight for social justice with the Black Lives Matter movement, which were all displayed in a virtual exhibit

last fall. Winners received $500 to fund their projects, which ranged from podcasts and musical projects to film, music and studio art. “[We] were curious about all the career artists during the pandemic,” said grant winner Jason Dernay, a B.F.A. acting major at MSU. “We wanted to know about their struggles, accomplishments, innovations and advice for other artists. We created ‘The Art of Adaptation’ to give artists a chance to tell their stories [in podcast form].”

Dernay and project partner Nate Davis, also an acting major at MSU, recorded 10 episodes of the podcast with the grant award, giving artists space to speak about how their creative pursuits have had to adapt to the pandemic’s ever-changing landscape. “The collaborative nature of it made me hopeful for the future of art,” Davis said. “Guests we interviewed brought their own great ideas about creativity during a pandemic.”

Creativity during hardship was a common theme among the projects.“Without creativity, imagine the lack of invention in the world; we would never evolve as a society,” said seniors Devin McKinney and Donte Smith, also grant winners.

McKinney, a media and information major, and Smith, a film studies major, will be creating a film project that addresses the effect of the pandemic on community and use of social media.

“Involving myself in the arts is liberation,” said sophomore Sarah Whitaker, whose multimedia sound project aims to push the boundaries of comfort regarding the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Daniel James

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While many of the projects relate communal experiences, some grant winners chose to

speak on the individual mindset and overall mental health during isolation, which has been a struggle for creative minds during the pandemic. Jake Gerard-Price performed a contemporary dance piece that encapsulated the feelings of isolation and confinement that early shelter-in-place orders brought.

Some artists have had to think outside the box and expand their toolboxes during the pandemic. Many have taken on things they didn’t expect during the pandemic, from starting their own businesses to year-long service assignments or multiple part-time jobs outside of their industry.

every point, but one of the hardest parts of being digital is not working with other artists in person.” Peltz cited the lack of work during the pandemic as the reason for going into business for herself. She chose to run a production company so that she could also create work for other artists who weren’t working.

“I want to encourage and remind people that exploration is still possible when confined in your place of living,” Gerard-Price said about his piece “Fractures & Folds.” Several other works addressed mental health in isolation, which has been at the forefront of many people’s minds during the long months of quarantining.

Michala Peltz, a 2020 graduate of MSU Department of Theatre, decided to go into business with her sister. They run a digital production company called Digitalblue-ish that just wrapped filming on its first webseries. “It’s been a good experience, but hard too. The pandemic has given me the time and motivation to get this project going. We’re making sure we get to create the art we want but also that we are doing it in a safe way,” Peltz said.

Heather Mahoney, another graduate of MSU Department of Theatre, took on a year-long assignment with AmeriCorps as a college adviser, allowing her to exercise skills learned in her second degree in social policy. The assignment with AmeriCorps has allowed her to move to the region where she wanted to pursue performing. It is financially beneficial while waiting out the pandemic, but the feeling of hopelessness is still hard to contend with.

MSU Department of Theatre alum Daniel James addressed mental health and the creative mind in his recent album “Self Talk,” which is available to stream on Spotify. “The isolation was helpful for a lot of reasons; it gave me time to sit with each of the tracks and expand on them when I felt like something was missing.” James wrote, mixed and produced the entire album in his home during isolation, relying on himself and close friends for feedback on the songs.

“We wrote Zoom and FaceTime calls into our scripts to make sure we were following COVID-19 protocols and staying safe at

“As an artist, the pandemic has been draining,” Mahoney said. “Ideas resulting in follow-through on projects [have] been a rarity as motivation is at an all time low. As

Many of the songs include sections of James talking to himself (and the audience) in a positive way with a background of calming electronic beats. “As artists, I think we all suffer from a certain amount of negative self talk. We constantly tell ourselves things like, Why try when other people are doing so much better than I am?” James said. His goal with the album is to talk listeners toward a more positive headspace in the midst of chaos. Music is a creative passion for him at the moment, but there’s always room for expansion in the future.

Christopher Michael in “Footloose” THECURRENTMSU.COM 37

an artist in college, I was always wishing I had more time to work on acting, comedy or other artistic projects, but now that time is abundant but overshadowed with one crisis after another, motivation to use that time has been difficult to come by.”

However, Mahoney’s experience gives her perspective on helping students who are in the same boat. “What has been rewarding about the service position is that while I am struggling with motivating myself, my students are struggling with motivation just as much, if not more. In my position, I am able to provide some outside motivation for these students.”

Other artists turned to multiple part-time pursuits or jobs available outside of their main industry to stay afloat. MSU Theatre alumni and professional performer Christopher Michael has worked at coffee shops, malls, as an Uber Eats driver and in undergrad research positions during the pandemic.

He also does freelance photography and substitutes in for local dance instructors, always on the move to support himself.

“My weeks are jam-packed, but I’d rather be nonstop on the go and busy rather than sitting at home,” Michael said. He’s currently living in Naples, Florida, and is interning at the Gulfshore Playhouse. He’s also preparing to return to the stage in a production of “Footloose!” that’s rehearsing entirely outdoors with actors masked up and maintaining distance where possible. “I think the pandemic has reminded people of simple measures to keep themselves healthy that they should have been doing all along: washing/ sanitizing hands frequently, staying home if you’re sick.” Michael remains optimistic about theatre’s return in the coming months.

Sara McKinley, an MSU alumna living in Los Angeles, is training dogs professionally to pay her bills. She moved to L.A. to work in film and television but found that the pandemic brought an end to the abundance of paying gigs and opportunities to network.

Her current job is professional dog training, which has potential for future employment in the film industry. Working a steady 40-hour job has allowed her to budget for acting classes and supplies for self-taping auditions.

“The unfortunate thing about working 40 hours a week is that I can’t justify taking time off to do any unpaid projects with how expensive rent and cost of living is out here, so I’ve been limiting my submissions to paid gigs,” McKinley said.

Acting jobs are scarce, especially without an agent, so McKinley’s goal for the near future is to submit to several agents that are accepting new clients, hoping to get her foot in the door. L.A. has changed a lot during the pandemic, but there are some opportunities for normalcy still. “I have one class that’s in person, which is almost unheard of right now in L.A.,” McKinley said. “The owner of the studio is a director who is currently working in the industry, so he was able to get our classroom ‘Safe Set’ certified so we could film our scenes in person. It’s very, very strict right now for all film projects.”

In the meantime, performing arts will continue to operate under unusual circumstances. Many artists have turned to TikTok to create content, though oftentimes limited by algorithms, community guidelines and the one-minute recording limit. Drag queen, Maxi Padding (she/they), also an MSU Theatre alumna, blossomed during the pandemic and has found her space on TikTok despite its limitations.

“I’ve always wanted to be a performing artist,” Padding said. “My original goal was to become an actor, but I had a lot of trouble finding my place as a non-binary person in the theatre community. The drag community is by no means perfect when it comes to inclusion, but it’s so much more celebrated to really reach outside the box when it comes to expression.”

Padding’s TikTok account, @themaxipadding, has over 52,500 followers and features a variety of content, including a popular

For the most part, she is optimistic about theatre and film’s return in the near future.

“I think once we are able to be in large crowds again, things will eventually go back to normal. I can’t say how quickly, depending on how much money was lost in the industry, but I definitely have hope that things can get back to how they were at least to a degree.”

Sara McKinley 38 SUMMER 2021

series of randomly-generated drag looks inspired by a similar trend. “I hadn’t seen a drag version, so I inventoried my whole drag collection from wigs to clothes to shoes. For the video, I create a look, selecting each piece by using a random number generator.

Those videos definitely get the best response, other than my one viral video, and, like I said, I think people enjoy being taken along for the journey and then seeing if the result is any good or just ridiculous.”

When asked about the challenges of the app, Padding said videos getting reported for content violations has been a major problem, getting to the point where one of her live streams was cut short and her live privileges revoked. After a process of appealing the violation, they were restored, but because the algorithm puts content all over the app, it’s hard to control videos getting spam-reported. Being shadow-banned or getting content removed is a common complaint among users, especially creators falling on the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

But Padding will continue to use the platform to practice her skills while she waits for the performing arts to return full-force. “The pandemic has completely obliterated the nightlife industry, especially for someone like me who was just getting started in February of 2020,” she said. “I’m super proud of the growing that I’ve managed to do as a queen during the pandemic, I’m grateful for the few performance opportunities I’ve had and the following I’ve gained.”

TikTok is becoming a staple in the arts world, with projects even holding auditions on the platform. “I had to duet the individual TikTok for my role to audition! It was fascinating.

All the subsequent work has been done over

Maxi Padding Zoom though,” said MSU Theatre alumna Katelyn Christine. “It’s for an entirely online production, so I weirdly feel like auditioning with TikTok wasn’t inaccurate to what the production will end up being.”

Christine lives in New York City as a professional actor, but the pandemic has afforded her the opportunity to record her

EP, “Katelyn Christine,” available to stream on Spotify. “It was definitely a challenge. I wrote everything myself, and not being able to collaborate with others was stressful. I spent many hours recording a small piece of something and sending it to my best friend to get her opinion. But on the flip side, it was really freeing to have so much time to devote to my art, more than I’ve ever had consecutively.”

THECURRENTMSU.COM 39

about but never threw her full weight behind. The change in plans brought her more time for her music and a career she didn’t expect.

Another source, who asked to remain anonymous, is facing a similar change in perspective. “Finding a job in theater was already very difficult and stressful, even before the pandemic,” they said. “I commend people greatly who have been able to perform and create things during shutdown, but performing over Zoom just isn’t something I could do. So I’ve been feeling really lost and unsure about my career since I don’t know when I could perform again.

“Basically the one thing that’s kept me creating throughout the pandemic has been doing makeup. I’m considering shifting my career path to go to school for makeup for TV and film, which I never would have thought about if the pandemic didn’t happen.

Doing makeup professionally has always been something I’ve thought about casually, but never thought I would pursue since I’ve always thought of myself as a performer. I never would have started pursuing a new career path if the world was normal.”

Katelyn Christine

Having time to create is something that another musically inclined alumna of MSU Theatre is thankful for. Maeyson Menzel has been taking the time to work on her original musical content, and with the time the pandemic has afforded, she has been able to speed up her process. She’s also turned to social media to promote her content: Her TikTok account @maeysonjoy features some 40 SUMMER 2021

incredible voice work, from original songs to insane vocal riffs and runs.

Menzel’s plan post-graduation was to move to L.A. and begin working, but the pandemic forced a change of plans. While waiting out the pandemic, she said she impulsively decided to pursue graduate studies for clinical mental health counseling, something she’s been passionate

Their experience with isolation during the pandemic led to a complete change in plans and a new direction to go in once the pandemic is over. Change is a natural result of experience, and can be even more pronounced during a global disaster. Creative minds search for inspiration during dark times. Even those minds resigned to a major or career outside the arts.

Sarah Dietrich graduated from MSU in May with her M.S. in entomology, but she uses creative projects to keep her hands

busy. Some of her projects include restoring furniture and household items, crocheting and sewing masks. “Being able to work with my hands has been so good for my mental health,” Dietrich said.

Jenna Phillips, a recent MSU graduate who majored in advertising, started her own business selling paintings on Etsy, Instagram and Facebook after being laid off of her job in a restaurant last year. Her shop ReamDesignsCo features brightly colored abstract portraits and figures, projects that Phillips initially started to balance her own mental health but then evolved into a steady job. “I would say the most fulfilling thing about starting my own business during quarantine has been a sense of control in my life. I feel like everyone has been struggling with the unknown and being able to wake up to a positive purpose has been rewarding,” Phillips said.

full time and acting on the side. No time like the present. Blessing in disguise for sure!” Kuch said. Her work can be found at sarahlynnefineart.com.

The combined experiences of these creative minds show that while the pandemic has taken its toll on everyone, it has also presented incredible opportunities to create and make an impact. Whether it’s creating new opportunities for children and neurodivergent audiences, connecting with artists across the world or pursuing personal projects with newfound time, artists have proven their resiliency in the face of the pandemic. The

stories shared all speak to the need to create, the need to stay connected to one’s passions.

It’s incredible how the art world collectively learned to create something out of nothing in order to thrive.

C. Rose Widmann (they/them) is a fifth-year senior pursuing B.A.s in English and theater with multiple minors. This is their first semester with The Current, but they have been a contributor for HerCampusMSU since May 2020. Widmann was most recently published in Otherwise Engaged: A Literature and Arts Journal.

When not writing fan fiction or fantasy novels, Widmann is competing for both the MSU club fencing and gymnastics teams. Insta: @C.rosewidmann

Amber Anderson, an MSU alumna going to law school at the University of Michigan, started her Etsy shop KatsMewsings because of a surprise demand for her products after she showed them on social media. “I’d still be making [art] regardless because I love doing it,” Anderson said, “but it’s nice that I can share it with other people.”

Sarah Kuch, an alumna of MSU Theatre, also started her own art business. It began with painting to de-stress during the early days of the pandemic; then it expanded as she learned techniques from YouTube and practiced her art.

She creates beachscapes and pet portraits and has enjoyed seeing her business grow.

“I’ve always thought, why not do it all? So that’s exactly what I’m striving for. Painting

Sarah Kuch THECURRENTMSU.COM 41

42 SUMMER 2021

SPIRAL-ING OUT A mid-Michigan beacon for the queer community falls to hard times

By Peter Morrison Picture this — you’re 18, and it’s your first semester of college. The leaves are changing color, campus is bustling with excited partygoers and you’re out on your own for the first time ever. As a young gay person, you’re trying to reinvent yourself as a cooler, more collected version of yourself. Curating your identity is as important to you as iced coffee and passing your first chem exam.

This is the perfect opportunity to showcase the new you, and the timing couldn’t be better. Getting dressed to the nines and going out with your friends brings an entirely new sense of excitement. You’ll be around people who you can confidently presume think like you. Your guard can actually be let down to experience a new sense of freedom that you’ll remember for some time to come.

There are a million ways to become a new you; it’s just a matter of choosing where to start. You change your hair, wardrobe and attitude. Kylie Minogue’s entire discography on repeat is the anthem for walking to and from class. Your confidence has never been higher, yet something remains to be desired.

Being able to let loose around an inclusive community and express oneself is important in the actualization of queerness. Queer people often struggle with feeling isolated from others who they consider to be alike. For many, going to a gay club is the first public appearance they make as a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.

You’ve got a shiny new self-image, but you still feel lost in the crowd. Frat basements aren’t exactly places to flaunt flamboyancy, and the thought of handing a fake ID to a bouncer leaves your stomach in knots.

Then comes Spiral, an eccentric dance club welcoming to the 18-and-over crowd. Home sweet home.

With every coming generation louder and prouder than the one before, it’s important to have spaces that comfortably allow for self-discovery. But spaces that provide this are becoming harder and harder to find throughout the country. Spiral in particular was one of the few that served the queer community of mid-Michigan.

Once a beacon for the local LGBTQ+ community, Spiral is no more. While there’s been no official confirmation from management, inactive social media as well as a real estate listing for the property point to a grim reality. With so many people associating positive memories with such an iconic spot, it’s discouraging to see it fall through the cracks. What does Spiral’s closing mean for the future of queerness in Michigan? And why should it matter?

Spiral was a place that touched the lives of all ages, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations. There were definite periods in time where the bar was predominantly popular with varying groups within the LGBTQ+ community.

It provided an unequivocally important physical space to all, and it showed as its popularity shifted over time.

Spiral brought another important aspect to the Lansing community: drag.

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Drag, an age-old artform, is an expression of queerness and blurs the lines between gender.

Drag is especially important to trans people as it offers moments of comfort and, on occasion, can be their actualization of identity.

Historically, drag has been defined as someone who wears clothing, wigs, padding and makeup to exaggerate typically feminine features.

These performers, known as drag queens, often lip-sync and dance to popular songs to energize their audience. It’s been a staple in entertainment in the LGBTQ+ community and has made its way into mainstream culture through TV shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula.”

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The club’s closure could mean the death of the budding drag scene in Lansing. Aaron Nash, a former Michigan State University student, said that “like any other form of art, it deserves to be seen and appreciated by the masses.” The club importantly offered a space for small-time queens to perform without being overshadowed by better known acts from more popular platforms.

Spiral’s closing is an example of a harsh truth: Gay bars aren’t all that profitable. They serve a very niche clientele and rely heavily on attractions to bring in crowds to stay open.

Having themed nights or special day-of-theweek discounts help to keep the lights on, but

it’s still not enough. Many clubs like Spiral can no longer rely on offering up an exclusive space for the community without going under.

Some clubs in metropolitan areas where population isn’t an issue have also struggled to survive. The main reason behind this is the assimilation of the queer community into the mainstream crowd. Spaces meant exclusively for the expression and discovery of something that was once seen as taboo are becoming less important. This isn’t to say that they have become unnecessary.

Bars and clubs that catered to the LGBTQ+ community were once seen as bastians of sin

and illegal activity by law enforcement. The history behind these spaces goes back to the summer of 1969 with the famous Stonewall Riots. Police officers were conducting a raid on one such bar in New York City named the Stonewall Inn. As one patron was being arrested and brutalized by the police, the disgruntled group of patrons decided to rebel against the oppressive force.

Following the unrest, a spark ignited a movement to protect so many who were marginalized. Born was the human rights campaign to aid in the fight toward equality. The following year, the first pride parade happened in the same area as the Stonewall Inn. These historic moments paved the way for both Spiral and the modern queer community to become what they are today.

Nash fondly recalled his time spent at Spiral on the weekends. “It was somewhere I got to be gay again,” he said. “A lot of my friends were straight, and it felt like I didn’t have anywhere I could really be myself.” While he frequented the club with his straight friends, he never felt inhibited due to the ratio of queer people to those who weren’t.

With the absence of somewhere so important, what’s left to fill the void? While other bars in other college towns do offer nights where queerness overruns the building, they can be out of reach for many.

And who’s to say how to best market a space that’s so important?

NECTO, a popular club located in downtown Ann Arbor, is known to have the most polarizing atmosphere and attractions

for the community in Michigan. Having never struggled to gather crowds from near and far, there has been little concern for the fate of such a prominent space. However, there is concern about what new challenges will face the venue once the pandemic allows for crowded spaces to open up again.

A major concern is clubs like NECTO being even less accessible. With the scarcity of LGBTQ+-friendly spaces already, the ones that do survive will become a mecca for a good night out. With this, deciding whether or not going the distance is worth it could become a huge headache. The spike in traffic could also mean an increase in cover

charges, making the experience more of a premium than it already was.

Regardless of the physical space itself, the vibes curated through a sense of community and belonging are what’s important.

These establishments have a foundational importance in the freedoms enjoyed by many today, and that will never be forgotten.

Peter Morrison is a senior majoring in interdisciplinary humanities with concentrations in hospitality business, Spanish, and professional writing. In his spare time he enjoys learning about and tending to his plants.

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OPINION: MEME CULTURE Breeding empathy or apathy?

By Mai Vang In the digital age of social media, meme culture has become prominent throughout the past years. It is widely used as a form of communication and expression. Memes are one of those media trends that will never go away because they are constantly changing as new things occur. In a rhetorical sense, memes are continuously relevant as they appeal to a large audience in all sorts of ways, no matter the generation or who the individual is.

Memes are also able to capture things in a more casual manner. Many people find it easier to grieve or face a difficult challenge through humor. When friends or classmates are talking about a funny situation or a gossip-worthy topic, the best way of communicating may be to send a meme or use a meme-related quote or phrase.

Trending memes can also bring awareness to the things that are happening at the

moment, even if it’s in a joking manner. But if everyone continues to consume and process information through humor, then maybe internet memes aren’t as productive as they seem to be, since they have the power to assign bias for or against certain things, individuals or communities.

In many online communities, memes have brought a sense of unity as members of the community are able to share something in common on a larger scale. Many people find comfort in the humorous content and don’t feel as lonely. Knowing that there is a group of people who can understand certain problems or struggles is reassuring and gives an individual a sense of security. This is how a community is formed and how a safe space is created for individuals to be as open as they need to be. There are also numerous artists and content creators who can practice their skills and help contribute to the spread of memes within the community.

While memes are a great source of entertainment, making jokes out of a sensitive topic can be harmful and is counterproductive to addressing the seriousness of a topic. It can desensitize a current issue that is negatively affecting an individual, group or community. Sometimes the memes can even take away attention from the problem and shift its focus onto the joke instead.

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In recent years, memes have grown much more toxic to the point where it can be damaging to kids and teens who regularly look at memes. Many people claim to use humor as a coping mechanism, but in reality, are they becoming numb to their unresolved trauma? Finding something funny when it is actually messed up is not normal and shouldn’t be normalized.

Meme culture is also largely composed of self-deprecating jokes. Making jokes about one’s self worth or another’s struggles can result in a lack of empathy for others.

Sometimes it even dismisses the struggles someone has gone through in their lifetime.

As human beings, everyone should be a little more sensitive and have more empathy.

However, with the constant use of dark humor, it appears everyone is becoming more indifferent and insensitive towards certain things, even their own mental health or feelings.

Memes can also contribute to the spread of misinformation as some memes can go as far as purposefully targeting people of certain ethnicities just to generate “funny” content. There could be a tweet on Twitter claiming that a celebrity committed tax fraud.

To the original poster of the tweet, this is just a “meme.” It’s on the internet for laughs because of the inside joke that everyone is scared of committing tax fraud when filing

their taxes or rich people always somehow getting away with not accurately filing their taxes. However, this joke is technically considered defamation.

People of color will say their own racial slurs to each other as an inside joke. However, doing so does hold a significant meaning.

To POC, this is an act of rising above the oppression they have endured. It is them taking back their power and control in their identity. Even though these racial slurs are said to each other as a joke or in a casual manner as a symbol of power in one’s identity, is it really okay to use the racial slurs to one another?

An example of this is Asian Americans mocking their own immigrant parents’ accents to each other or to their non-Asian peers for fun. Though they are aware of the racism and xenophobia immigrants have experienced in America, they still turn the “Asian accent” into a laughing stock for the people surrounding them. Sometimes, they would even do it to seek validation from their white acquaintances.

“It’s OK to laugh; it’s funny!”

Even though individuals know and understand the context behind the dark joke, is it really okay to laugh at it? Is there a better way to process the struggles of an individual without turning it into a joke? It has come to a point where problematic memes are beginning to be a normal thing to see online.

Meme culture cultivates and enforces group thinking, or deindividualization, and within many online communities, this leads to the bandwagon effect. The bandwagon effect

is the psychological phenomenon where people mimic others, regardless of what they think or believe. The bandwagon is the tendency to acquire a particular style, behaviour or attitude because everyone else is doing it. All beliefs and ideas are overridden by the urge to imitate. This is when certain internet memes are influential to a large number of people and contribute to making toxic behaviors normal.

Members of the community tend to follow a popular trend simply because it’s a trend.

This does not mean that whatever is being mimicked is correct or necessarily good. A joke should be funny, have a punchline and shouldn’t feel like an attack. However, with meme culture and its dominance all over the internet, the lines have been blurred between what is acceptable and what is not.

More people are starting to think that making jokes at the expense of others is OK, but it is not. Many people disregard their own feelings or what others feel. There really isn’t a fine line between what is funny and what shouldn’t be joked about; the distinction is clear. People are aware of the harms behind their words, but with meme culture turning almost everything into a joke, problematic behaviors are not taken as seriously.

There has also been the addition of derogatory slang such as “simp” and “snowflake” that contributes to the growing culture of apathy. Shaming someone for the way they feel towards someone is harmful.

In a way, this is a form of gaslighting, psychologically manipulating a person or a group by making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment.

Then again, it is hard to read through context on the internet to know what someone is really saying or the real message behind their words. Someone could make a post about their mental illness and others would chime in saying “mood.” People should be having more productive conversations about what matters to them instead of using it to contribute to meme culture.

Without a doubt, meme culture is full of entertaining content that brings a shared sense of joy between community members across the internet. However, people should start questioning if they are truly using humor as a coping mechanism or if they are using it to make themselves numb to their problems.

Is meme culture contributing to the lack of confrontation surrounding issues that affect an individual or a group of people?

Mai Vang is a senior under the College of Arts & Letters majoring in professional and public writing. Her main focus is digital content creating and many of her creations are heavily inspired by Studio Ghibli. In her free time, she likes to experiment with video and photo editing in hopes to be more flexible with her skills.

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THE POLITICAL PSYCHE The biological blueprint of bias

By Aleaha Reneé Whether an individual’s favorite color is red or blue, or they prefer donkeys or elephants, the way they lean politically has everything to do with their psychological makeup. Why, then, are people so wrapped up in associating themselves with one of these two groups?

Furthermore, because one’s political leaning has to do with their individual psychology, is anyone completely liberal or conservative in everything they do?

A November 2020 study completed by PLOS One, a peer-reviewed scientific journal backed by the Public Library of Science, offered very telling conclusions related to this issue. The study, “Moral ‘Foundations’ as the Product of Motivated Social Cognition,” confirmed previous research that claimed conservatives and liberals are motivated by different things.

are psychologically wired to resist change.

On the other hand, the need for cognitive closure, or the innate need to remove ambiguity and draw finite conclusions, was positively associated in “individualizing” moral intuitions, or liberalism, while system justification was negatively correlated to this ideal. In short, while liberals’ psychological need for fairness leads them to support more progressive programs, while conservatives’ need for stability is best shown through justifying the status quo and supporting more traditional government programs.

individual’s psychological makeup. An individual’s need to reduce uncertainty and threat directly impacts whether they tend to lean liberal or conservative.

Overall, the study concluded that moral intuitions are heavily influenced by an

So, if it all comes down to psychology, does that mean everyone is predestined

According to Psychology Today, “conservatives see the world as a more threatening place that necessitates a strong military defense against foreign threats. Brain research also found that their limbic systems are more active in processing fear.” On the contrary, “liberals were more open to diverse peoples (xenophilic) and more open to new experiences more broadly.”

The study explains that liberals are motivated by fairness and harm avoidance — topics associated with empathy — while conservatives are usually motivated by in-group loyalty and deference or respect for authority.

Additionally, this study found that the need to reduce uncertainty and threat were positively correlated with “binding” moral intuitions, or conservatism. Furthermore, system justification, or the tendency to defend the status quo, was positively correlated with conservatism. Conservatives

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to be completely liberal or completely conservative? Not at all.

According to Psychology Today, many people shift on the political spectrum when it comes to political or social issues as various external environmental disparities occur. For instance, when a nation’s economy is doing well, individuals are inclined to become fiscally liberal. This could include choosing to spend more time and money to assist the less fortunate. On the other hand, when a nation is experiencing an economic downturn, several individuals, regardless of their political affiliation, tend to lean more fiscally conservative (e.g., expressing the need for trade deficits).

In extreme economic crises like the Great Depression, much of the population chooses not to shift beliefs but instead become more vocal about their political ideologies, which in turn causes more conflict and political unrest than usual. America saw this phenomenon happen with the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Unemployment was at an all-time high, the American economy was suffering and heightened political unrest began to brew

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due to the anticipation of the upcoming presidential election. This unrest finally reached its boiling point when the news of national tragedy broke — the death of George Floyd.

America saw a great flow of support from individuals motivated by empathy who demanded change, but also much resistance from individuals with higher levels of system justification. Both sides were continually and fiercely at odds with one another for months, and many assumed the tension would subside after the results of the election. Unfortunately, they were proven wrong as the events of Jan. 6, 2021 took place.

Fortunately for America, as time passes and the nation and world begin to heal physically, socially and fiscally, according to Psychology Today, less people will wear their political opinions and views on their sleeves. It is important to realize this change will take time due to the stern hold that hate and violence have had on this nation’s history. Hopefully, over time the political divide will begin to soften, and individuals will go back to shifting back and forth on the spectrum more fluidly.

All in all, the decision to be conservative or liberal may very much be more than just a political preference or decision, previously thought to be driven solely by emotion.

Countless studies just like the one mentioned above have proven it to be the result of people’s pre-disposed psychological makeup.

Also we should be aware that for many, their beliefs are a direct result of what they have experienced in life and their access to education and information.

So, even though it is most definitely easier said than done, the next time you are tempted to cuss out Uncle Bob for supporting the 45th president or being an insensitive ass, take some time to consider that the issue may lie far beyond “changing his mind,” and quite actually involve changing the composition of his psyche.

Aleaha Reneé is a senior marketing major with a passion for magazine journalism. She currently authors a column entitled The Face Of, established with the primary focus of encouraging self-actualization within individuals.

One day, Reneé will ultimately become editorin-chief of a magazine. When she is not writing or editing, you can find her surrounded by her dearest friends, painting, reading, binge watching “New Girl” for the billionth time or mentoring Spartan underclassmen. Follow her on Instagram or Twitter @aleaha_renee

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DYING TO GO ALL THE WAY When birth control does more harm than good

By Lucy VanRegenmorter It sounds like a good deal: take a pill every day, have sex, avoid unwanted pregnancies.

For the most part, this is true — birth control pills are 99% effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy. But at what cost?

It should be no secret that birth control has significant negative effects on a woman’s body, with each box containing a warning packet that unfolds like a scroll. Big pharma technically isn’t trying to keep the dangers under wraps, yet the side effects are dangerously under publicized.

Hannah Visser, a 20-year-old Michigan State University student, said she was not made aware of the dangers before starting the pill for acne purposes.

“I had really bad cystic hormonal acne from the age of 12 until age 18 or 19 when I finally got on birth control for it. It cleared up in three months and it hasn’t come back yet,” she said. Although the pill cleared her skin, the side effects have taken a serious toll on her emotions. “I never know if I’m just sad or if it’s just my birth control acting up.”

The contraceptive pill increases a woman’s risk of developing blood clots and should be used with caution, as health risks increase when combined with certain substances. Visser was 52 SUMMER 2021

only made aware of the dangers pertaining to accidental pregnancy. “They did warn me that if I used it with antibiotics it wouldn’t work,” she said. “I remember that warning, but everything else they really didn’t talk about. They kinda just gave it to me and said ‘here ya go have fun.’”

With such easy access to the pill, more young girls, just like Visser, are getting on it for reasons spanning from lighter periods, to clear skin or their first relationship. More than 80% of women will have used oral contraceptives for an average of about five years in their lifetime.

This makes the pill one of, if not the, most popular contraceptive available to women today.

A highly concerning side effect of the birth control pill is high blood pressure, which can lead to blood clots. If untreated, these blood clots can be fatal, especially if they manifest as deep vein thrombosis, stroke, or pulmonary embolism. The spike in blood pressure comes from the heightened levels of estrogen in the pill, and sometimes, drospirenone, hormones that prevent pregnancy.

Women’s chance of blood clots can increase even further based on their family medical history and lifestyle choices. One of the most concerning external factors that increases women’s chances of developing a blood clot

is nicotine use. Nicotine significantly increases blood pressure — this accounts for cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Like the birth control pill, many teens, and even adults, are not aware of the dangers that lie behind vaping. When combined, vaping and the pill become significantly more dangerous than they ever could be on their own.

Merideth Michael, a 21-year-old MSU student, became aware of the dangers on social media platforms like Tiktok since her doctors failed to alert her. Because the information came from social media, she isn’t sure what to believe. “I get a little scared because people say it is really bad for you to suppress your hormones. I don’t know how much of that is misinformation and how much of that is fact; my gynecologist hasn’t told me anything super concerning,” she said.

Her doctors were able, however, to inform her of the surface-level effects. “They didn’t tell me much; they said that it would help me with my acne and that I could experience some weight gain because of water retention and different cravings. It wasn’t anything about like, serious health issues.” Luckily, Michael does not use nicotine or have a family history of blood clots, so this lack of information was less likely to be

life threatening for her. However, it is still good to know in case something were to change as Michael plans to be on the pill for a while.

“It’s cleared my skin and regulated my period,” she said. “I think it’s helped me.”

Aside from physical effects, hormonal birth control — including the pill and other methods like the ring, the shot and more— can have effects on the psyche that are just as dangerous, especially for those who are already prone to anxiety, depression or another psychological condition. When levels of estrogen in the body are changed, hormone levels change as well, and this can create an unstable headspace. When combined with external factors such as school, stress and underlying mental illness, this can create a catastrophe.

completely changed my personality into a very emotional person.”

Mikayla Norton, a 19-year-old student, also took the pill for endometriosis and found that not only did it not resolve her condition, it gave her a myriad of other symptoms.

Hirdes concluded with a clear statement against birth control: “I have never ever had a good experience with birth control; I took it to help with my endometriosis, and it never helped any of my symptoms.”

If you’re on hormonal birth control now, but don’t use nicotine or have a family history of high blood pressure, take a breath. You most

likely are fine. However, if you are on the pill and currently vape or smoke, stop one or the other. If your doctor already told you, great.

If not, you know now. Your life could be on the line.

DISCLAIMER: The Current reminds readers we are in no way a source for medical advice. Always consult your doctor.

Lucy VanRegenmorter is a junior studying journalism and photojournalism. She is a staff reporter for The State News and strives to tell the stories that are often overlooked. She also enjoys writing blog posts and print articles for VIM magazine, a club she is very thankful to be a part of. When she is not writing, VanRegenmorter enjoys taking photos, reading and listening to podcasts.

Brooke Hirdes, a 20-year-old woman, says birth control has not helped her pre-existing conditions. “I’ve definitely noticed that when I started birth control I got more depressed more easily. I take antidepressants and I have to keep upping them because I noticed birth control affected that too,” she said. “Honestly that’s one thing I’ve heard a lot from people too, is that the depression makes them stop taking it, and then they feel better.”

For Hirdes, birth control was not a choice.

She began taking it in her early teens at her doctor’s request to help combat endometriosis and suffered mental and physical side effects as a result. “I’ve taken three pills over the course of four years,” she said. “All of them caused horrendous side effects. The first one gave me intense migraines and heightened PMS symptoms. The second gave me severe anxiety and depressive episodes. The third

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54 SUMMER 2021

MSU’S CO-OP COMMUNITIES

Students build kinship in non-traditional housing

By Alec Parr With a population of over 50,000, Michigan State University’s student body is diverse in its values, experiences and ideals. However, student living only accommodates this diversity through a number of fraternity and sorority houses that sprawl on the outskirts of East Lansing. With these being the only popular option for community living, many students are vexed with seemingly limited options as they search for a home near campus.

Most MSU students end up joining greek life with the goal of meeting new friends and finding a sense of companionship. But these houses are culturally limited, not to

mention the barrage of fees required for membership. So, for those uninterested in ritualistic hazing and semi-formals, or who are just searching for something more affordable, the answer lies elsewhere: MSU’s Student Housing Cooperative.

The SHC is an organization that oversees 15 homes spanning across East Lansing and into Michigan’s capitol. This housing cooperative offers multiple facets of collective living with unique houses named after everything from jazz legends to Grecian myths. But the zany, individualistic mentality of these homes is not limited to house names and norms. Each member of an SHC co-op is both a resident and an owner of their house, which creates a synergistic living environment that affords residents the opportunity to maintain and control their own living space.

This ownership and membership oversight is a unique approach to student living that feels fresh and inviting. The SHC is proud of their independence: “Because we own our own houses, we choose what we pay for rent each month,” their website says. And this is exactly the case. Instead of a member’s rent payment

going towards a landlord’s pocket, these rates are set by members of the SHC and the coops, mimicking the reality and autonomy of homeownership.

This power and self-governance also allows residents to enjoy an element of personal freedom in their living space. Homes within the SHC each hold reputations for certain values and events they hold over the years.

Houses such as Vesta and Phoenix are known for their lively parties while Ferency is based heavily in intersectional feminism. These elements are able to vary so heavily because these homes hold as few as four members or as many as 30. These cultural differences can be drastic, but each house’s uniqueness is just as apparent in its residents.

SHC co-ops are set apart from one another by their unique embrace of culture and community. Zack Sneed, a member of Phoenix house on Oakhill Avenue, said that this dynamic is essential in his home of nearly 29 members. “The feeling of belonging to a community and fostering the relationships and culture within that community is a highlight that I experience every day,” Sneed said.

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Cooperative living in such a big space doesn’t have to result in disorganization, even if houses hold nearly 30 people. Zoe Aho, Phoenix house’s Membership Officer, holds just one of the many positions required to keep the house in order. “Like the name, you will genuinely have a cooperative experience. We have fun, but we also understand that work must be done,” Aho said. “Everything the co-ops do is contributing to a healthy and inclusive environment, which is extremely important.”

A strong community in these homes often yields astonishing results. Members of co-op homes can also pilot renovation projects and other house-centered activities to solidify the

homey experience of SHC living. “I’ve seen members take initiative to renovate the attic, build a greenhouse and paint a few murals,” Aho said. “Phoenix has a culture that allows its members to improve the house at will.”

These efforts go far beyond repainting a room or reorganizing a common space.

Marshall Clabeaux, an Americorps VISTA and Board Member for the SHC, is a member of Rivendell on Lansing’s West Genesee Street. Thanks to his handiwork with lithium ion laptop batteries, Clabeaux was able to pioneer a carbon-neutral effort in his home by installing a 350W solar panel on Rivendell’s roof.

“I appreciate the openness, honesty and friendship of our house,” Clabeaux said. “We often play games, cards, watch movies, talk about life and the craziness of our pandemic times. It is comforting being in a community that cares about each other’s mental, physical and spiritual well-being.”

It is freedom like this that allows SHC homes to thrive. One of Aho’s favorite features of Phoenix is that they “can walk into [their] living room and have a group of friends already there,” and the same is true in some of the smaller homes as well. Clabeaux feels the same way about his home despite it being a third of the size as Phoenix. “Our house’s full capacity is eight bedrooms and currently has 10 people, but it is full of activist spirit and good home cooking,” Clabeaux said.

However, large-community homes such as these have come to face a serious threat. As COVID-19 has run rampant for nearly a year, cooperative living in SHC homes has been forced to adapt. This challenge was faced in these houses with the help of the organization of SHC-wide committees, trust between housemates and in-home legislation designed to keep housemates safe.

“Early on in the year, we formed a Phoenix COVID-subcommittee of several house officers,” Sneed said. “I believe that our COVID measures have been quite successful given that we are a house of 29 people and have had only one instance of an active case in the house during the past year.”

A common practice across the co-ops has been the implementation of community sanitation products for the entire house. This is coupled with a community mindset of safe habits

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COVID-19’s rampage. “Bower’s ‘Special Guest policy’ has limited our members to only bringing one ‘appointed’ guest over to our house in order to minimize the number of people coming and going,” Curtin said.

“We are also putting pressure on members to avoid large gatherings or parties in our established house norms.”

Measures like these have kept SHC homes thriving during the global pandemic, a difficult feat considering the current challenges of communal living spaces.

But isolated in-home events like Bower’s “themed party nights” have allowed the culture and community to thrive in these houses. But life in cooperative living survives under pandemic’s limitations because of the SHC’s ingrained roots of culture and community living.

House parties, miscellaneous committee events and interhouse recreation have been fueling SHC houses for years, and that sense of community is here to stay. There is a strong sense of kinship in each of these houses. If that sameness can withstand a pandemic, then it can withstand anything. For those who are interested, visit the SHC website for more information on how you can join a Student Housing Cooperative at MSU.

Bower for the betterment of all members, such as “encouraging people to wash their hands, not to go out to big parties, wearing masks when [they] come back from breaks and keeping one another updated if [they] have come in contact with COVID” as done in Aho’s house, Phoenix.

during the summer of 2020 to address the COVID-19 crisis and how it would pertain to the house. Rules such as limited guest visits, disinfecting protocols and collective Spartan Spit contributions were instituted to make sure the house was safe for everyone.

Bower, one of the co-ops farther from campus up on Whitehills Drive, regularly met

Megan Curtin, a member at Bower, joined the house in mid-August in the midst of

Alec Parr is a junior studying professional and public writing. He works as a writing and communications intern at the College of Arts & Letters and acted as an editor for MSU’s VIM Magazine. When he is not at school or at work, Parr enjoys playing guitar, listening to all kinds of music and spending time with his housemates at Bower, one of MSU’s student cooperative homes.

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