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Interested in helping create the monthly Pine Press? VPE Onyx is looking for help!

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Transcription Aides

Work on the Pine Press can be counted towards office labor Scan me for interest form

Meet your new Staff!!

Jordan Lindsay

I am a white, queer, trans non-binary (they/them), polyamorous, disabled, facilitator, organizer, coach, abolitionist and creative with fifteen years of organizing experience ranging in fields from environmental, to food, and labor justice. I’ve been coaching other social justice organizers since 2014, and got certified with my associate certified coach credentials in 2021. The world I'm dedicated to building is anti-racist, queer, life sustaining, and a magnet for collective liberation. In this world, land is returned to indigenous people and sovereignty of tribes is respected. There are no prisons or jails or detention centers or police. Everyone's needs are met.

I lived in New Community from 2013- 2014 and then an unofficial housing co-op operating out of a rental on Lansing’s east side called Waffle House from 20142017. I currently live on Lansing’s east side and I’m on the Farm Stewardship Council with Magnolia Ave. Farm Collective. I love to play music and sing, make art, be in the woods, and look for rocks, especially at Lake Superior. I’m looking forward to supporting culture building with the Spartan Housing Cooperative so that we can experience collective liberation in our present, while building into the future.

Hey folks!

My name is Rowan- Maybe you ’ ve run into me at the office lately. Maybe I countersigned your contract! For the past few months, I’ve been spending a lot of time learning the ins and outs of what Marty does all day, and now that he’s off to law school, I’m here making sure it all still happens! I was already pretty familiar with how the SHC operates from my two recentish AmeriCorps positions, but good golly is there more going on behind the scenes than I thought! Marty left some pretty big shoes to fill- consistent with my other projects, what I’m actually doing here is figuring out systems and processes so we can have member services staff with jobs that are a little more manageable in the long run, so we can have a big, strong, healthy co-op with members and staff that are well supported I’m doing this while also trying my best to make sure things keep being taken care of- so I appreciate your patience, especially during these busier months to come! We may take on some more temporary staff like Jordan to distribute this workload a little better, but that’s still in the works Expect to hear from someone else like this soon!

IF you ’ ve ever needed to ask Marty for something, you ’ ve emailed him at msc@spartan.coop. Please continue to do that! I have my own email address, which you may have used before, but managing that inbox is an entire job in itself- and it’s easier when everything is in one place! Also note that I’m not working full-time right now, and I work best from home, so I may not be in the office if you drop by without an appointment! Calling the office phone line will continue to operate as normal, and all of the staff working at the office can take credit card payments, so don’t hesitate to drop by for all of the regular things you’re used to dropping by the office for!

I ﬁrst lived in a coop when I moved to Escher Cooperative House in Ann Arbor in Fall of 2019, while studying Industrial Engineering, and I’ve been cooperating ever since! My particular expertise is in ﬁguring out how to do something a hundred times without screwing it up or it taking forever, but I’m also passionate about member education and civic engagement! In Lansing, where I live, I do some zoning advocacy stuff and also I’m the president of the Michigan Community Land Cooperative ! When I’m not doing contract signings or entering room picks (Still need some of those!) I like to hang out with my cat, Sam, play mandolin, and go on walks around my city.

I’m excited to be back working with y ’all!!

In Cooperation, Rowan Price

Report, June 2025}

Membership

House Occupancy Levels

◆ There were 14 tour cards submitted in June. Most houses are almost full, with room to grow in Phoenix, Orion, and New Comm. Make sure your membership officer is advertising your house to avoid a financial deficit in your house in the fall! If you need additional help filling up your house, contact VPM AJ Schicht.

Democracy Governance

➔ Asante Project

◆ The Spartan Housing Cooperative, the Allen Neighborhood Center, and the Refugee Development Center want to organize to rent out a space within the Allen Place complex. This was approved originally during the 03/28/2022 board meeting, in which, since then, ANC secured $1 5 million in state and government funding for this project. This is located next to the Eastside Lansing Food Co-op oﬀ of Kalamazoo St. The Allen Neighborhood Center comprises the food co-op, ELFCO, a community garden, a kitchen, and their farmer’s market. The Refugee Development Center supports immigrants and low-income folks coming to Michigan They provide language interpretation services, English language learning services, naturalization resources, crisis intervention, and ﬁnancial assistance to members referred to their program.

{Management Report, June 2025}

With this project, there will be 10 units right above the Allen Place building with a shared living space, living room, dining room, kitchen, and laundry. The SHC partnered with the RDC to lease this space from ANC for an amount per month not negotiated yet, where ANC will be responsible for building maintenance, the SHC for internal maintenance and managing member contracts and occupants, and the RDC will continue providing services to those in need. Currently, this co-op’s working name is Asante, which will likely be changed after member residents move in.

But Why?

There is a critical growing need to help meet goals for young adult refugees migrating to the Greater Lansing area, seeking aﬀordable housing in a supportive, shared living environment. We have feasible ﬁnancial resources and the capacity to handle a project of this scale. Lastly, we’re supporting other businesses and cooperatives by directly helping our community, which furthers our strive for our cooperative principles of cooperatives amongst cooperatives & concern for community.

➔ Monitoring Schedule Change

◆ The board enforces policy governance in a policy schedule to review upcoming ends and executive limitation policies. The Executive Team1 proposed a new monitoring report schedule to better align with the board’s recess and for when audits speciﬁcally occur. Previously, per our old monitoring report schedule, reports regarding budgets were scheduled during a time that didn’t align with our audit reconciliation process.

➔ Income Veriﬁcation Screening

◆ You may see changes to the application process this upcoming fall. According to our Bylaws, the SHC is a low-income housing provider. We require no more than 24% of our members to be upper-middle class and no less than 20% to be lower-middle class. Some of our houses receiving grant funding will have more speciﬁc requirements, like Hedrick, Bowie, Phoenix, Apollo, New Comm., and the upcoming Asante co-op. However, it will be applied to all members to make the process more standardized.

Income and Expense

➔ May Books2

2 These numbers are the ballpark where our bank accounts lay. DO NOT take them as fact until the audit for this month and year is reconciled

{Management Report, June 2025}

Routine Maintenance (incl. Inspections, Hedrick’s Boiler, PHX bathroom, new Apollo fridge) ~$11,677

Programs (incl. 5K contribution and board training) ~$5,656

Overhead (incl Staff payroll, EC stipend, CC fees, office furniture, office rent, and software bills) $46,637

Facilities

Current Capital Improvements

➔ Regent St. Properties

◆ Recently, the electric wiring has been updated! Currently, the siding is next to get replaced on both houses We’re waiting to hear back from the contractors for their manufacturing of the siding panels. Next up, the stairways and porches need to be looked at as per the City of Lansing!

➔ Beal Roof Repair

◆ A leak was discovered in Beal’s roof over the past year and has consistently been worked on. The maintenance team is conﬁdent that it has been resolved.

➔ Harambee Roof Replacement

◆ Harambee needed a new roof replacement! Contractors will begin work in July.

Work Orders3

{Management Report, June 2025}

➔ There were 26 maintenance requests submitted in May, with Phoenix, Bowie, and Orion having the most submitted. Commonly reported issues have originated primarily from drain and pipe clogging issues, water heater problems, door troubles, and speciﬁc requests. Make sure to encourage your facilities oﬃcers to do their preventative maintenance tasks to keep your house in the best possible condition.

Property Development Grants

➔ $3,959 is still left in the grant budget from this previous ﬁscal year for any house to apply for a project! Word is that Phoenix, Harambee, and Hedrick want to submit a PD grant. If you’re interested, make sure to submit those proposals to the facilities committee!

Events

Pride!

➔ Pride was hosted and orchestrated by VPM AJ Schicht in Downtown East Lansing on June 14th from 4p-9p. It was enjoyed by our members and other residents of East Lansing while the sun was out, local shop and business tents were lined down Albert St. for residents to shop, drag performers were taking the stage for their lipsync battles with high spirits to celebrate and express their passion, drag story time, and other activities like the queer reality project for folks of the community to tell their story and experiences of being queer.

4 These pictures are courtesy of Cameron Warren Photography

Report, June 2025}

Sober Beach Day

➔ Sober beach day was unfortunately rescheduled due to severe thunderstorms on June 27th The new date will be July 11th from 4:30p-9p Come soak up the sun and cool oﬀ at Lake Lansing with fellow coopers! The event will include snacks and refreshments to fuel and stay cool under the sun.

SHC Clubs

➔ Want to join a smaller community within the co-ops with like-minded people who share similar interests? Scan the QR code below, or if online, click this link for an interest form!

{Management Report, June 2025}

Co-op Movement

Cooperation Among Cooperatives

➔ MCLC Board Rep James Gleespen

◆ The loan from LEAF for purchasing Atlantis (GRACC house) has been approved pending ﬁnishing up and receiving approval for the contractual documents. They've also been working on the purchase documents between GRACC/MCLC and determining the details of the relationship between the two orgs.

➔ ELFCO Board President Holly-Jo Sparks

◆ ELFCO sales remain steady but below target budget rates. Several members in our organization have taken an interest in bulk-buying from the co-op, which may simplify the process of grocery shopping while centralizing purchases. This also would be a fruitful partnership and in line with our cooperative principle of cooperatives amongst cooperatives.

Cooperatively,

Bec Melaku ☆

Bec Melaku, Corporate Secretary

Sounds of the SHC

What’s been on your mind recently?

-AnythingbyCOBRAH-JD,Orion -StainedbyBrittanyBroski-Angie,Vesta -AgamemnonbyAtlas-Gabriel,Hedrick

-TheAvalanches-Daniel,Bower -It’sPizzaTimefromPowerTower-Caleb,Bower -KeepItUndercoverbyZendaya-Jack,Bower

-NeverWantThisToChangebyLilyMeloaand JameyJohnson-Clay,Phoenix

-JournalofArdencyEPbyClassActressSammie,Phoenix -StarsbyHum-Eric,Howland

-YouandIandGardenofEdenbyLady Gaga-Avie,Phoenix -CanCanbyNLCK-Nick,Orion

e-Cowboysarefrequentlysecretlyfondof achotherbyOrvillePeck-Logan,RaftHill -LizardbySamia-Lydia,Howland

-LifelightfromSuperSmashBros-Chloe, Bower -LoveifbyFerdous-Bec,Bower

-TakeaSexyPictureofMebyCMAT-Abby, Orion -ManeaterbyHallandOates-Caleb,Vesta

-DemolitionLoversbyMCR-Ezra,Vesta -StandardbySidneyPhillips-Liz,Phoenix -UpsideDownbyJackJohnson-Elliot,Phoenix

-EyeonthebatbyPalehound,Glowonby Turnstile-Fish,Bowie -SoDamnFuckedUpbyJuicyJ-Shelby,Beal

-TheBugCollectorbyHaleyHeynderickx-River,All Nations -I’mLosingMyEdgebyLCDSoundsystem-Rachael, Vesta

T-I/Me/MyselfbyWillWood,TrampolinebySHAED, -heMindElectricbyMiracleMusical-Lydia,Phoenix ThisLandisYourLandbyWoodieGuthrie-Amaya, Hedrick

SPARTAN HOUSING COOPERATIVE

SOBER BEACH SOBER BEACH

FRIDAY, JULY 11TH

STARTS AT 4:30 PM @ LAKE LANSING

SWIMMING, GAMES, MUSIC, A MEAL AND COMMUNITY BONDING.

BRING A DISH IF YOU CAN!

ALL AGES WELCOME!

FOOD PROVIDED: TURKEY HOT DOGS/VEGGIE DOGS, CHIPS, AND CORN ON THE COB.

Co-op Crushes

According to the PP survey, these are the members that people are crushing on the most in the SHC

Clay, Phoenix

Hey, the name is Clay, pronouns are them/they I'm currently in my Date Everything era; which is less about being a polyamorous-queer™ and more about an obsession with a dating sim where you flirt with household objects. Years of conflict resolution experience so I can help us through any problems and document our status on the relationship anarchy smorgasbord. So if you like walks, impromptu dance parties, and crying over cartoons: I'm your co-op crush.

Hey I’m Angie! When I’m not helping wildlife or riding my motorcycle, I can be found falling down the stairs at parties. I love the 70s and not just for the psychedelics, but they do play a big role. Do you think you can tame this tiger? *rawr*

Angie, Vesta

Co-op Crushes

According to the PP survey, these are the members that people are crushing on the most in the SHC

Austen, Bowie

HI GAYS!! I’m Austen, slaying the boots down haus mamas at Bowussy 25/8. I enjoy high brow art exchange, cutlery procuration, cross dressing, and scavenging for guff goods. Tall, damn near clear, and pretty, this bachelor is looking for late night cuddles with an all you can eat buffet. Step on up and see if you can sink (it in) this one, after you take him for a dip in the hot tub.

Two truths and a Lie: I can’t swim

Once had a hookup that ONLY licked my nipples

Charged with vehicular manslaughter

Kalum, Phoenix

Hey what’s up, I’m Kalum from Phoenix! A few things about me: I’m 23, a Capricorn, the biggest Lady Gaga fan you may ever meet, and I’ve got a cat son named Brownie who I would absolutely commit murder for. I’m currently in my hedonism arc, cause its summer, time to be grimy, and you literally only live once... I think...

I love music and dancing and generally having a good time, so if you ever need to find me TRUST, I will be front row going as hard as humanly possible at the nearest DJ set.

The Age Old Question: Are socks and sandals

an acceptable combo?

The SHC seems to think so

HistoryofCo-opsAsWeKnowThem

AsweapproachInternationalDayofCooperatives,weareremindedof wherewecomefromasanorganization,andwhereour cooperative culture comes from.Co-opsaredefinedasanorganizationwithequalownershipamong members,whichhasrootsinEurope.Thefirstknownconsumercooperativewas establishedin1769asthe Fenwick Weavers’ Society,whichasyoucouldimagine wasacooperativeofWeaversinFenwick,England.

CooperativeswerenotidentifiedasCo-opsuntil1844,whenthe Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers wasestablished,whichoutlinedabusinessmodel whichgaveequalownershiptoitsworkersandactedasamodelforwhatwould becomethecooperativemovement.Astheindustrialrevolutiontookoffinmuchof EuropeandAmerica,automationandthelowpay,exploitation,andoverworking oflaborersbecameapressingissue,astheworld’seconomyshiftedfrom agricultureovertofactoryworkers

TheverbiageofCooperativesandestablishmentofagreaterCo-op movementcameinresponsetothepressingissuesoftheindustrialrevolution;in 1895,theInternationalCo-operativeAlliance(ICA)establishedamodelwhich spreadthroughoutmuchofEurope,Africa,CanadaandAmerica.

IntheturnoftheCentury,moredefinitetypesofcoopsbeganpoppingup, includingAgricultural,electrical,women’sCo-ops,andeventuallyhousing Cooperatives ThefirstrecordedhousingCoophappenedaroundtheturnofthe 19th century,butwerehighlysegregatedandtailoredtohighincomeindividuals whowishedtonotabidebystrictcode. Moreaffordablehousingcooperatives sprouteduppastthegreatdepression,howevertheywerestillverydiscriminatory untilthepassingofthe. Federal Civil Rights Act of1968whichprohibited discrimination.

In1939,HedrickwasthefirstHousingCo-opestablishedinEastLansing, andfollowedalongrunofalooseorganizationofcooperativehousesuntil1971, whentheSpartanHousingCooperativewasofficiallyestablished.

SHC River Trail Litter Cleanup

July 26 1pm th

South clippert St Parking Lot

Meet Green Team Leadership

$100 to the house with most attendance

Snacks and drinks provided

RSVP in order to get a free shirt!!

Looking for volunteers with waders as well!!

If You Could Start Any Rumor About Your Own House, What Would It Be?

That we have the best weed-JD, Orion Vesta sacrifices members of the lacrosse house after every meeting-Angie, vesta

Kale’s favorite movie is CLick (2006)!!!Avie, Phoenix

There is a lifesize cardboard cutout of myself hidden in a secret location in the Phoenix Haus Attic-Jake, Phoenix

We have a goon roomGabriel, hedrick

Corey and Trixie are secretly dating guysDaniel, Bower

everyone at phoenix has charlie horsessammie, phoenix

house orgyCaleb, bower

that bower bloodfest was staged because we wanted attentionjack, bower

There’s evidence of a long-dead cult in our secret rooms-Logan, raft Hill

There are..um.. ((gay))Chloe, Bower

That we have monthly house sex nightsBec, Bower

Vesta actually has a secret Labyrinth beneath itEzra, Vesta

We pay our house debts with black market trade of black tar heroin that actually is just black mold scrapped from the inside of the wallsNick, Orion

Seances held in the attic every full moon-River, All Nations

Eli is in a ratatouille situation but the rat makes him do choresliz, Phoenix

We’ve never experienced casualties during beer dartsLydia, Howland Vesta and orion are connected by a secret underground tunnelCaleb, Vesta

There is a sealed secret room hidden somewhere during renovations; something is in it-Lydia, Phoenix That we’re the hottestAmaya, Hedrick

One of our members has fucked Pitbull (DáLe)Fish, Bowie

Orion is hauntedAbby, Orion

We have A reaaaalllly clean living room and bathroomsRachael,Vesta

We all, And I mean all, have humongous wieners (true)Shelby, Beal

CAUGHTREDHANDED VPM A.J. Schicht VPM A.J. Schicht

WHILE ON THE ANNUAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE RETREAT, CURRENT VICE PRESIDENT OF MEMBERSHIP, AJ SCHICHT WAS SPOTTED DRINKING A SUSPICIOUS YELLOW LIQUID FROM A GLASS. THE VP REFUSES TO MAKE ANY COMMENT ON THE COMPROMISING APPEARANCE OF HIS BEVARAGE, EVEN TO CLEAR UP ANY MISINFORMATION

PP Survey: If you could add an entire new room or living space to your house, what would it be used for?

Music/ grow set up - JD, Orion

I would add one of the cool balcony’s that Orion and Beal have. That way we could all be balcony brothers and have little balcony parties - Angie, Vesta

Game room! W/ a pool table - Gabe, Hedrick

Either rebuild our sunroom or a bigger kitchen - River, Harambee

We desperately need a "Lost and found" room, everyone leaves their stuff out - Daniel, Bower

A little bike storage room would be nice. - Jake, Phoenix

Gaming - Caleb, Bower

it’d be an unmarked safe room with an animatronic bunny suit inside - Jack, Bower

There are only three possible options library, photo lounge, boom boom room - Clay, Phoenix

home theater - Sammie, Phoenix

PP Survey: If you could add an entire new room or living space to your house, what would it be used for?

Sunroom or finally turning the attic to our summoning roomEric, Howland

A GYM A NEW GYM - Avie, Phoenix

Wine cellar for making more wine >:3 - Logan, Raft Hill

A ball pit - Ezra, Vesta

SAUNA - Emma, Bowie

Ball pit. - Divya, Orion

Indoor pool and hot tub�� - Lydia, Howland

Rats - a rubber room filled with rats - Chloe, Bower

Our house is due for a new living space. A room exclusively for DnD would be nice with speakers for ambient music and lighting. Sometimes It's distracting going into the dining room, and then our players take another 30 minutes to re lock in.

- Bec, Bower

I would add a sunroom porch to Ohaus! Both for plants and hotboxing >:) - Abby, Orion

PP Survey: If you could add an entire new room or living space to your house, what would it be used for?

Terrariums - Caleb, Vesta

Gym - Fish, Bowie

Walled in porch! just talking to others - River, All Nations

I think I’d like a more open living room like at Vesta. It would be good for parties - Ethan, Orion

It would be a Paddio with a few soft arm chairs, a coffee table, a couch on the far side, and a side table between the arm chairs, and a few plants. Primarily for a good spot to read and hang out with peeps - Nick, Orion

Huuuuuuge balcony/porch for more hanging out space. It would be covered so we could chill out there during all seasons. - Rachael. Vesta

Money room. Room full of money. - Shelby, Beal

stim room with a trampoline - Liz, Phoenix

Realistically, an exercise area - Lydia, Phoenix

if you know you you, thank you Kiley for the suggestion. - Amaya, Hedrick

Bower Bread Bower Bread Bower Bread

You may have seen sexy pictures of delicious bread from Bower House. One of the house chores at Bower is to bake bread every Sunday to reduce grocery costs and increase homemade food products. I wanted to share my recipe with the other houses because it is SUPER cheap and easy, and tastes delicious. The recipe is pretty time consuming (plan for it to take all day), but if you do it right you will have some of the tastiest white bread you have ever eaten!

Ingredients

● 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)

● ⅔ cup white sugar

● 1 ½ tbsp active dry yeast

● ¼ cup vegetable oil

● 1 ½ tsp salt

● 6 cups all purpose, or bread flour

This recipe makes 2 loaves!!

Directions

1. Stir to dissolve sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Once sugar is dissolved, gently stir in the yeast. Let the mixture sit to allow the yeast to proof about 5-10 minutes. It should look like a creamy foam has formed on top of the

water. If the water is too cold, or if you are working on a cold surface, it will take longer for the yeast to activate, if at all!!

2. Add oil and salt to the bowl, then stir in the flour one cup at a time. The dough is going to get super thick towards the end of the flour, and you may need to use your hands to fully combine

3. Empty the bowl onto a lightly floured clean counter and knead the dough by hand. The dough should look smooth when it is done, I am usually at it for a while, more kneading is not going to hurt anything

4. Clean your mixing bowl, and pour a few tablespoons of oil in. Add the dough ball and flip around to make sure it is fully lubed up before covering the bowl with a damp cloth and allowing it to sit for 1-1.5 hours. If you are working in a cold environment, or if you want the dough to be extra fluffy, preheat your oven to the lowest setting. Once it hits 100 degrees, turn the oven off, and set the uncovered bowl in the oven to rise, just make sure you leave the oven open a crack

5. Once the dough has at least doubled in size, punch it in the center to release some air. Knead the dough for a couple minutes and divide in half. You can shape into loaves, do a braid, or just set it in a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Allow the dough to rise another 30 minutes, until it is peaking over the edge of the pan a bit or doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

6. Bake the loaves until golden brown for about 30 minutes. This isn't necessary, but I like to rub butter on the tops when they come out of the oven for a lil extra flavor. Make sure to let the loaves cool completely before slicing!!

Trans-fem support group

Trans-masc support group

Nonbinary support group

Queer Lansing AA

Neurodivergent and queer support group

Gender affirmation project financial and logistical support for legal name/gender changes

QTBIPOC community space

Lansing syringe access popups

Check

Orangutans

Thelargest arboreal mammal

Theonlygreat ape nativetoAsia

Themost stylish redhairedanimal

Through the BOS website, you can “adopt” an Orangutan and get periodic pictures and updates on their progress

They face extinction, but there are people who commit their time to save them!

Organizations like the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation help rehabilitate orphaned orangutans, and teach them skills they need to survive in the wild.

CARE CLOSETDRIVE

FAME is seeking support filling their care closet for students in need, and education committee is holding a donation to help out. Donations can be dropped off at the SHC office, or Bower House for collection

THE HOUSE WITH THE LARGEST NUMBER OF DONATIONS BY JULY 31 WILL WIN A NESTING CAPYBARA PLUSHIE

Items Needed:

shelf stable food and snackslaundry pods - toothpaste -

deodorant - shampoo - conditionerbody wash - shaving needs - toilet paper - disinfectant wipesdisinfectant spray

Top 5 Hiking Trails in Michigan (According to Onyx)

Summer is here, which means it’s time to get outdoors! Personally, I love hiking and plan multiple backpacking trips every year. Because of this, I have experienced a decent amount of the major hiking trails in Michigan. Hiking trips could be a great house bonding event over the summer So, I’ve created a tier list of the top hiking trails you should check out Remember Michigan has plenty of national forests, so there are locations not included on this list to check out as well These are just the trails that I have enjoyed trips on the most Pictured rocks is definitely the best spot in Michigan, but I haven’t gotten a chance to visit so it will not appear on this list.

1 Manistee River Loop: This trail is around 11 miles along the upper banks of the manistee river valley between Tippy Dam and Hodenpyl Dam. The trail is relatively level and a good beginner hike If you want a longer trip, there is a 23 mile loop created by crossing a suspension bridge to reach the North Country Trail on the West side of the river. Camping on the Manistee river trail is first come first serve at designated sites, while dispersed camping is allowed anywhere on the NCT as long as Manistee National Forest guidelines are followed The Red Bridge MRT trailhead is a 2.5 hour drive from East Lansing.

Points of Interest:

● Small waterfall

● Large log bridge creek crossings

● Suspension bridge near Hodenpyl Dam

● Great view of the river from the upper walls of the valley

Picture taken during my last trip on the MRT

2 Jordan River Valley Pathway: This trail is an 18 mile loop in the Jordan River Valley This is easily a two day hike due to the combination of mileage and elevation changes. The trail crosses through a mixture of meadows, marshes, and hardwood forests and is amazing for fall colors. Camping along the trail is only permitted at the Pinney Bridge Campground, which is approximately the halfway point. The trail crosses directly through the campground. Sites are first come first serve registration at the location with a $10 suggested donation to maintain the park. For an easy trip, there is parking near the campground and campers can then spend the day exploring the trails without having to carry equipment The campground includes a vault toilet, water pump, and bear proof trash bins (yes, there are bears here, I have seen them make sure to hang your food outside your tent). I suggest starting at the Deadman’s Hill Overlook to begin the hike with an amazing view of the entire river valley Be warned that Deadman’s hill will either be your first descent into the valley, or the final mile of your trip there is a reason it has that name. Deadman’s Hill is a 2 hour and 50 minute drive from East Lansing.

Pictures from my last trip ft. Daniel

North Manitou Island: Manitou island is 15,000 acres of wilderness accessed by a ferry ride The ferry leaves from the Fish Town Dock in Leeland, and you should plan to get tickets ahead of time as they sell out Camping is allowed anywhere on the island, but fires are only permitted in the fire rings located at the designated camping sites near the dock. The island holds plenty of trails to explore, and remnants of an old settlement featuring an abandoned apple orchard, graveyard, and remnants of old buildings The entire coast of the island has beautiful beaches providing swimming spots, and unlimited access to fresh water. While the island is beautiful, this trip requires plenty of planning and camping knowledge Emergency services are located on the mainland, meaning that it can take them hours or even days to reach the island depending on weather conditions. Be sure to get to the ferry dock ahead of your pick up time, or you could potentially be stuck on the island for up to an extra week In addition, the island is home to Piping Plovers, an endangered bird species, so certain areas are off limits to protect their habitat. The Fish Town Dock in Leland is a 3.5 hour drive from East Lansing.

Note: The chipmunks on this island are insane Last time I went they UNZIPPED my pack and ate all of my granola bars in the 15 minutes that I left my supplies unattended.

4 Potawatomi Trail: Located near Hell, Michigan, this is a 17 4 mile loop in the Pinckney Recreation area. The trail crosses through wetlands and marshes in the area. There is a shortcut in the loop that allows you to cut 3 miles off the trip if 17 is too long The trail is popular with mountain bikers, so hikers should travel clockwise in the loop to avoid collisions. Camping is permitted at the Blind Lake Rustic Campground off of the trail. Camping is only allowed for one night, and the site features fire rings, a water pump, and vault toilets If you finish the hike and need something to do in the area, I suggest checking out the Hell Saloon and gift shop.

5. Nordhouse Dunes: If you are looking for an extremely easy backcountry camping trip, this is the spot for you From the parking lot, it is a 1-1 5 mile hike to the shore of Lake Michigan, depending on what route you take At this location, dispersed camping is allowed anywhere as long as Manistee National Forest Guidelines are followed. You can camp in the woods, or right on the tree line on the beach for a great view of the lake The Nurnberg Trailhead is a 2 hour and 48 minute drive from East Lansing.

● Warning: I am not sure what the conditions of the shoreline are currently, but last summer my trip had issues obtaining water due to a giant deadzone forming along the coast of the dunes. This caused the water to be unfilterable. (Dead fish were floating to the top of the water by the hundreds due to lack of oxygen in the water… it was really gross)

Just In: The SHC are burger lovers

NEED FOOD AID?

Check out the MSU Student Food

Bank or the Eastside Lansing Food

Co-op

MSU STUDENT FOOD BANK

Weekly food pickups

Tues/Weds/Thurs, 9am-5pm

Available to MSU students and others

EASTSIDE LANSING FOOD CO-OP

Daily Hours

Mon-Fri: 10am-7pm Sat: 10am-6pm Sun: 10am-4pm

Local Produce

Prepared foods from local chefs

Accepts EBT as payment

✮CommieColumn✮

Hello Co-opers! I wanted to add a new recurring section to the Pine Press to help show the historical and political connections the SHC has with other cooperative and collectivist movements and ideas. As well as discuss the primary idea continuing to heavily inﬂuence the SHC, that being Socialism! So…

WhaiSocialis?

Equality between all people - personal autonomy - a strong, supportive community - Free, accessible, high quality education, healthcare, and housingAll of these things are basic ideals that most of us possess. These ideals are also some of the basic pillars of a little philosophy called Socialism

Socialism focuses on solving the contradictions of our capitalist society through a method of analysis called Dialectical Materialism, (I.E. measuring the material conditions of the average person - cost of living, modes of production, infrastructure, etc). The end goal of socialism is to, in the future, develop into a classless, moneyless, stateless society (better known as Communism).

Socialism works to solve the primary contradiction of our society - that being the conﬂict of the two main social classes: those being the Bourgeoisie (Owners) and the Proletariat (Workers). The Bourgeoisie own all of the factories, trade stocks, and sell teslas. The Proletariat, which roughly 98% of the population belongs to, go to work for wages, don’t own any large companies and actually build the tesla and perform the labor that builds society. This relationship is naturally one of exploitation, owner exploiting worker.

To solve this contradiction, Socialism must supersede Capitalism, and give power to the working class. In doing so, transferring the foundations of all social structure - that being economic ownership - into the hands of all workers.

Basically, Socialists want a society that promotes equality and equity among all people; a society where the needs of those people are met - materially and socially; a society where no one is forced into an exploitative relationship; a society that is truly democratic.

Speaking of which, democracy is a vital part of Socialism. Socialism is the expansion of Democracy into the economy, and not just political institutions.

This manifests itself as worker ownership of the means of production (factories, farms, ofﬁces). This means workers would actually have a say in how their workplace functions, who their managers are, whether or not to have a manager, how much wages are, etc.

Under such a system, things like food and housing insecurity would be eradicated. The people would have actual power over their own lives, with the freedom to choose (without coercion) what they want their workplace to look like, where they want to work, what they want to work on, and how they want to work. People would have easy access to quality healthcare, education, healthy food, and opportunities to reconnect with their community. There are so many possibilities with Socialism that just don’t exist with Capitalism.

Ultimately, Capitalism is an oppressive system which has outlived its usefulness. We see its ramiﬁcations every day in the streets, in our homes, and online. But there are better alternatives out there - alternatives that have successfully improved the lives of the people. It’s possible with us, and it is already within our power to organize and ﬁght for our future.

In Solidarity, Nick (Orion)

- Author’s Note: For those in the SHC who are already familiar with Socialist ideas, for the sake of transparency, I am writing this column from the perspective of Marxism-Leninism. And I welcome anyone with Socialist politics (ML, MLM, An-Coms, etc) who wish to offer ideas and/or their own writings for submission in this column! There is a ﬁeld in the survey for voluntary contact info.

Feedback&suggestions

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Bow(s)erHaus

Pinecones

Much love to all our new EC members & staff for coming aboard!! - Ben, NewComm

Pines to Onyx for being amazing and jumping headfirst into this position! your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed! - Angie, Vesta

Thanks to Luna (Apollo) and Chris (Vesta) for getting a shirt from me! You guys now have cool matching shirts ☺ - Daniel, Bower

Anyone who just signs into their streaming account and forgets about it.Jake, Phoenix

Bower for being the best house in the SHC - Caleb, Bower

kale for going bowling every 2 days with me and Avie and clay for zine night - Sammie, Phoenix to kale for teaching Sam and i all about gaga :333 - Avie, Phoenix

Pinecones to Chloe and Leda from Bower: it was great to see y’all at Dawson Haus. Pinecones to Ben from New Community: thank you for letting me use your rototiller, even though it didn’t work - Logan, Phoenix

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Pinecones

Thanks to Blue, for getting me exercise - Emma, Bowie

Pinecones to our new VPF and VPE #bowapowa - Chloe, Bower

James!! He is my rock. - Bec, Bower

I’m just so thankful for the people in my house who cook, organize events, or leave their door open for a conversation - Fish, Bowie

To Clay for buying cookies and making lemonade for the tree removal service guys - Elliot, Phoenix

pinecones to Dante. Beal is super excited to have you and you're awesome - Shelby, Beal

Thank you to whoever cleaned up the dish that was creating the nefarious ass smell in the sink. You are an angel - Gabe, Hedrick

YAY TO ALEC FOR BEING SLAY AT FACILITIES. YAY TO HEDRICK and friends at Miles Davis and Ferency for joining our cookout. YAY YOUSIF FOR BOMB ASS CHICKEN - Amaya, Hedrick