T U ES DAY, O CTO B E R 13, 2026 STAT E N EWS.CO M
Michigan State’s Independent Voice
HOUSING GUIDE
Accessibility or affordability? One opinion staff writer reflects on her time choosing between high rent costs for housing closer to campus or paying less but having to travel longer distances. PAGE 5
FALL 2026
Bats in your residence hall? With the amount of doors and windows present in MSU residence halls, it’s no surprise that wildlife like bats wander into these spaces. Here’s what to know if you find a creature in your space. PAGE 7
RA’s face long application wait times B:10.25" T:10" S:9.75"
Months of uncertainty to become an RA can be daunting. Still, students who step into the position say through it all, the role is worth it. PAGE 8
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UPPERCLASSMEN’S GUIDE TO FINDING OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING
Off campus housing on Ann Street just north of Albert Avenue hosts Michigan State students in East Lansing, Mich., on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. Photo by Cooper Schwartz.
By Tye Piotruchowski tpiotruchowski@statenews.com As October begins, upperclassmen deadlines for off-campus housing ap pl ic at io n s i s ap p r o ac h i n g quickly — a process that may seem intimidating for someone who doesn’t have much guidance on the subject. Although many underclassmen view it as a stressful situation, those who have gone through it say that there is not much to worry about. Liv ing off-campus isn’t just about a sense of freedom, it’s the social aspect within one’s college life. Students experience living by themselves and learning to take care of themselves without the help of their families. “Fig u r i ng out cook i ng a nd organizing your schedule, going grocery shopping, everything like 4
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that,” journalism junior Paige Murray said. “It’s a big adjustment to make.” The absence of one’s guardian isn’t the only big adjustment these students need to make; they have to get used to meeting their landlord. Your landlord is one of the key people you will meet and connect with when it comes to living off-campus. “Sometimes you guys won’t agree on stuff or if stuff breaks, you then have to text your landlord, and then they’ll get maintenance in here,” Murray said. “It’s just a whole process sometimes, it can be very stressful.” Although experiences with a landlord and living on your own can seem scary, that is not all that comes with off-campus housing. You get to experience a rite of passage with your roommates: Growing as young TU ESDAY, O CTO BER 13, 2026
adults who are experiencing being solo for the first time in their lives. “I love having my own room,” Murray said. “I love my roommate, I ’ ve ro omed w it h he r si nce freshman year, but I love having my own room.” Additionally, Murray said the space that comes with off-campus housing is a plus — especially when choosing a house over an apartment. “I can have like 20 people over, whereas when I was living in the dorms, I could only sit like five people in there comfor tably,” Murray said. Some students may struggle to find the place that is perfect for their college experience. Looking at different places to lease while also making sure the reviews and utilities are good can feel overwhelming. Journalism junior Alise Genter said her decision to sign a lease for an
apartment over a house came down to an analysis of costs and benefits. “I actually talked with my mom a lot about it,” Genter said. “She helped me with the application process as well as making a pros and cons list of all the places we went to.” The process of applying for offcampus housing does not take place until October — 10 months before move-in — but students can begin researching and touring homes before that. Zoology junior A dd i s on Ho dd i not t at te s te d to t he competitive nat ure of the housing hunt. “ T he mo s t d i f f ic u lt t h i ng that I think I experienced with the whole process was just the rejection,” Hoddinott said. “You could find a place that you really li ked and apply t hrough t he companies only to get rejected.”
Many students look for ward to off-campus housing because of the excitement that comes with it. Yet, there can be some downsides that come with living further from campus. “Our campus is so big, and I don’t have a car,” Hoddinott said. “If my friends who have cars aren’t around, it can be difficult to make my way around the campus.” Finding time to research offcampus housing while managing homework, classes and work can become stressful for students. Murray, Genter and Hoddinott advised those seeking housing to apply early and to reach out to as many places as possible. “Take a deep breath, it is very stressful,” Murray said. “I know I was very overwhelmed with all of it, but in the end, you won’t end up homeless.”
OPINION
COMMENTARY: TAKE YOUR PICK, ACCESSIBILITY OR AFFORDABILITY?
Photo illustration by Cooper Schwartz.
By Isabell Ku iku@statenews.com My commute to campus last year felt like something out of an action thriller: Alarm set a mere hour before I was meant to leave, I sped through my morning routine and started the hilly 3-mile bike ride to class. I resolved that this year would be different. Dread sunk low in my stomach as I embarked on the complicated process of researching, bidding and roommate hunting. I was faced with one of the most frustrating dilemmas: Finding housing in East Lansing. How do I find housing that isn’t too expensive but close enough to campus? Students are forced to make a tradeoff between accessibility or affordability: High rent costs for accommodation closer to campus or paying less but having to travel longer distances. According to an East Lansing Housing Market Analysis from March of 2026, over half of renters were paying more than $1,000 a month. Furthermore, the median cost of rent increased from $856 to $1,122 between 2009 and 2023. The most expensive of these housing options are the ones closest to campus. You could live right on Grand River Avenue for the low, low price of an entire month worth of wages! On the other hand, you could rent an apartment that costs half as much but requires a 10 minute drive to campus, which presents its own problems since gas prices have been on an upward trend in the last year. Even if you do drive to campus, you have to be lucky to find an available parking spot, which might end up costing you more out of pocket. For example, with current parking rates, you might spend $4 every day for two classes. That racks up a $20 parking bill each week. If you have to do that 15 weeks a semester, you’re looking at a total of $300.
Sure, you could buy a parking pass, but the cheapest one is for Lot 89 for $107, which sells out every year. Lot 89 is right on Mount Hope Road, which means you must take a second mode of transportation to get from there to the center of campus. It’s like a bad coupon deal. You might save a little under $200, but you pay with your precious time instead. Others might argue that you can invest in a bike since registration with MSU Parking Services is free, but what is one meant to do in the winter when sidewalks are icy and the windchill is below zero? Sure, you could take a bus. In fact, taking the bus should have been the obvious solution to my too-long bike ride. What most people don’t know is that these buses are not always on time. Packed to the brim like sardines, the buses are bogged down by an extra influx of commuters due to the cold weather, often causing them to rumble past. I’ve watched my former roommates trudge back to our apartment in misery after the bus had completely skipped our stop. Not only had they wasted time they didn’t have and would be late to class, they also had to resort to driving with the hope they would be able to claim a parking spot. This year, I live far closer to campus; comparatively speaking, I’m paying a little over $100 more dollars for rent this year without utilities or wifi included. Sure, I might have saved myself a grueling 40 minute bike ride and the humiliation of walking into class looking like a damp lobster, but I’ve traded that for a sad-looking bank account instead. The current state of East Lansing housing and parking is simply unsustainable. Something must change. Steps must be taken to ease the financial burden on students. The choice shouldn’t lie between accessibility or affordability.
We should be seeing an increase in student parking lots, not further cuts. Perhaps the revenue Parking & Code Enforcement collects can contribute to creating more student parking structures. What’s more is bus drivers should be paid sufficiently so buses can run more efficiently and frequently. Public transportation must be funded and supported. At the end of the day, while rent control is
currently prohibited under Michigan law, I believe the struggles students face today should be a wake up call for the greater East Lansing area to fight harder for a repeal. Students shouldn’t have to choose between two losing options. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice accessibility for affordability, and we shouldn’t be resigned to paying a kidney to afford an apartment near campus.
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Students express mixed feelings on university reimbursement for outage conditions
Photo illustration by Cooper Schwartz.
By Abigail Hosler ahosler@statenews.com In the wake of the campuswide power outage that left Michigan State University students with almost a week of freezing cold showers, glitchy WiFi and online courses, psychology sophomore London Smith felt there was more the university should be doing for students. Smith took to Change.org on Oct. 2 wrote a petition, asking for reimbursement from the university for the living conditions students had to deal with following the outage. “Living without reliable heat and hot water was more than an inconvenience; it’s a risk to health and safety,” Smith wrote. The petition includes an exact change amount Smith calculated each student should receive based on their living accommodations to be registered into their Spartan Cash account or as credit towards spring semester’s tuition. If the exact change amounts were not feasible for the university, the petition asked for
$500 flat per student. “It was a joke at first,” Smith said. “I talked to my sister about the situation and then I talked to a family friend also, and everybody was telling me the same thing that I said to my roommate about how we should get reimbursed.” With encouragement from those around her and thinking back to how she felt unable to take a hot shower or warm up at night because temperatures were so low without heating, Smith thought there was something she could do. After the petition was posted on social media Smith said there were multiple people who shared experiences having to throw away all their food or coming down with a cold from the frigid showers. W hi le Sm it h’s pet it ion was collecting signatures, the universit y announced that on-campus students will receive $25 in Spartan Cash as compensation for the power outage, according to an email sent on Oct 2. However, students
have mixed feelings on whether this is enough, while many are happy the university gave anything in the first place. “$25 in Spartan cash is the minimum I think,” zoology freshman Trevor Orndorff said. “They definitely could have done more, but they’re not going to do more. But at least they did something, I guess.” Neuroscience sophomore Kayleigh Knapke agrees that the Spartan Cash is better and acknowledges there were so many inconveniences for students. But she said as she was not as personally affected by the outage because she lives in East Neighborhood and got all her amenities back first, she doesn’t have as much perspective. The Spartan Cash “gesture of thanks” for students’ patience during the restoration process has drawbacks especially for freshmen who have not yet learned how to navigate their Spartan Cash balance. Pre-vet freshman Aniyah Daniels agrees the university could have given more, but also
doesn’t know how to use her Spartan Cash. “I don’t have Spartan Cash because it’s not a part of my plan, so I never knew how to use it,” Daniels said, “and then they sent that out, so now I have to figure it out.” Smith agrees that the $25 is not nearly enough compensation for what students went through but she is on the fence about continuing her petition. She has debated speaking with the board of trustees because she doesn’t think the university would do anything else. “I could honestly ask the public, ‘do you guys feel like there should be more money that you should receive and go from there?’ But I’m kind of in the middle about it, honestly,” said Smith. “I feel like something could have been done so it didn’t happen in the first place, and so that’s where I’m like, ‘this is not okay.’” Smith’s petition is currently still active on Change.org and is about 100 signatures away from her 500 signature goal.
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NEWS
BATS IN YOUR RESIDENCE HALL? HERE’S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW By Katherine Baligian kbaligian@statenews.com
Michigan State University’s Mayo Hall in East Lansing, Mich., on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. Photo by Cooper Schwartz.
W hen communication leadership and strategy junior Mar y Huttman received a notification telling her floor not to go out into the hallway, she had no idea why. The reason was the last thing she expected: A bat had gotten loose in Yakeley Hall. Huttman, who is from Florida, said she didn’t know much about bats beyond getting a rabies shot if they got into her dorm. The Yakeley bat was later caught and placed in a “takeout container” by a staff member from MSU Infrastructure and Planning Facilities. But Huttman’s dormitory encounter with the fanged creature isn’t the first instance of its kind, nor would it be the last. Bats often sneak into open
windows and doors in Michigan State’s residence halls during their nightly flights. Dealing with these surprise guests can be intimidating for students who are unfamiliar with this type of problem and may leave one unsure of what to do in the heat of the moment. The steps to dealing with a bat in a residence hall, according to IPF Spokesperson Erica Venton, are to stay calm, step back and seek help. “They’re going to freak out if you freak out, so just slowly remove yourself from the room and then alert someone,” Venton said. IPF staff are available any time of day to handle these winged intruders. To aid them in capturing the bat, Venton recommends shutting it in the hallway or the room and leaving it in there until help arrives.
If worried about contracting rabies or having to receive a rabies shot, Venton said cases among Michigan bats are few and far between. On top of that, rabies shots are only needed if someone has been physically touched by the bat, or if it was found after the person had been sleeping in the same room that the bat was located in. Alert the IPF member of any contact that occurred and they will quarantine and test the bat for signs of disease, handing it over to a wildlife center if necessary. Any wildlife on campus is prone to appearing inside a building, yet there are preparations that are made for keeping both students and wildlife safe. “Nature makes its way into our indoor spaces and we have stuff on hand to help them get back into their outdoor living environments,” Venton said.
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LONG APPLICATION WAIT TIMES COMPLICATE HOUSING FOR RESIDENTIAL STUDENT LEADERS
Illustration by Rowan Brennan.
By Jaiden Myler jmyler@statenews.com The role of a residential student leader is a tough one; monitoring and caring for young adults as young adults themselves is not for the faint of heart. That’s why Michigan State University spends many months deciding who is fit to be the backbones of dorm life. While the university reviews applications, the months of uncertainty can be stressful f or pr o s p e c t i ve r e s ide nt a s s i s t a nt s and intercultural aides. MSU graduate Jade McGuffey served as an RA during her junior and senior years after applying in the fall of her sophomore year. McGuffey said being an RA was “worth” the extra time and work, despite the uncertain waiting period between sending in her application and receiving a job offer. Many sophomores hoping to rent a house sign their leases by late October; those looking for apartments sign them by January. That is, “If you want to stand on your toes and be ahead of the game,” as McGuffey put it. Prospective RAs don’t know their application 8
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status until February or March, months after either application deadline. McGuffey and her roommate wanted to rent an apartment together. Hopeful of her RA placement, she held off on signing a lease despite the growing time crunch. In January, McGuffey received an email asking if she’d like to be put on an alternate list. Wanting to have housing security for herself and her roommate, she nearly declined the offer. However, a good friend of McGuffey told her to “just say yes,” so she accepted the alternate position. She was not very confident she’d get it. In mid-February, McGuffey received a phone call offering her the RA position. “I was elated to have received the offer, but by then, I had signed a lease for an apartment just a week earlier because I thought I wasn’t going to hear back,” McGuffey said. Despite the lease being signed and the $200 security deposit that was already paid, McGuffey took the offer with zero hesitancy because of her dream of becoming an RA, and RHA staff helped her move into her new dorm within three days.
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“They were incredibly efficient and helpful and kind,” McGuffey said. Now, faced with the time-consuming task of backing out of her lease, McGuffey and her parents spent hours trying to find a subleaser who would be a good fit for her former roommate. She also had to pay $50 to back out of the lease. “I spent hours upon hours upon hours looking for a subleaser,” McGuffey said. “Being in a situation where I have to get out of a contractually bound agreement — that was just a new experience for me that I had to navigate.” Urban planning senior Kalyn Woznicki, who transferred to MSU from the University of Michigan-Flint, knew she wanted to be an RA as soon as she got to MSU despite the long and uncertain process. “Just because of the financial support, I felt it would take a lot of financial stress off of me,” Woznicki said. Residential student leaders receive free housing and dining plans as compensation. Woznicki had friends that wanted her to sign a lease, but she turned them down in favor of
the potential RA position. She was unclear on whether she could cancel a lease once signing. She applied for her both the ICA and RA positions, since they were similar processes. She was denied the ICA position, but got an alternate position for RA and accepted. “I had already committed basically to living in the dorms my senior year,” Woznicki said. “That was the only way I could have that flexibility of whether or not I got the position.” It wasn’t until May that she got a text from an ICA supervisor that someone had dropped out and a spot for her had opened up. She accepted the new position happily. Despite the rollercoaster, Woznicki cherishes her time as an ICA. She said it’s been a great help to her not just financially, but as an opportunity to build leadership skills. McGuffey echoed a similar sentiment. When asked if the months of uncertainty and money lost was worth it, McGuffey said, “Though it can be stressful or even intimidating at times, it is manageable so long as you have a plan B in line. It just takes work, communication and effort to make things happen.”
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SPORTS
MSU AD’S TOP FOCUS FOR FANS: CONCERTS, NEW TRADITIONS AT SPARTAN STADIUM By Jason Benedek jbenedek@statenews.com Michigan State University athletic director Dan Bartholomae wants to give students more reasons to stay at Spartan Stadium, including potential concerts in the next 12 months. Bartholomae said improving the student and fan experience is a top priority in his first year leading MSU athletics. He has already begun gathering feedback from students and plans to use that information to shape changes to the football game day experience. Among those plans are concerts at Spartan Stadium for the first time in more than 15 years. The last major show at MSU was U2 in June 2011. In September 1994, the Rolling Stones performed with Lenny Kravitz at Spartan Stadium. “Next year we’re gonna have a concert. We’re gonna have a concert for the students before the game, so that the whole game day experience is fun from beginning to end,” Bartholomae said. Bartholomae said he wants to renovate the east side of Spartan Stadium, focusing on creating a more energetic environment and expanding premium seating options. A major focus of MSU
Athletics’ $1 billion fundraising campaign, FOR SPARTA, is an overhaul of the stadium’s east end. “What I’d like to see for the stadium is a complete renovation of that east side,” Bartholomae said. “Really some more innovative thinking as it relates to premium products. I think we’ve got a fan base here that likes those products, and frankly, we’ve got a stadium that we need to energize a little bit.” The renovation is part of a larger effort to rethink what Spartan Stadium can offer fans. Bartholomae said the stadium needs to become a place that keeps fans engaged before, during and after the game. Early stages of the project are underway as IM West is set for demolition in spring 2027, while the now-demolished Central Services Building on Spartan Stadium’s east concourse is moved across campus along Service Road. A February 2025 MSU Board of Trustees resolution stated IM West would be converted to green space, though MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said in February MSU has yet to decide how the space will be used after the demolition. Bartholomae said the athletic department still needs to raise funds before putting a full
Michigan State athletic director Dan Bartholomae speaks with The State News during an interview in his office in East Lansing, Mich., on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Cooper Schwartz.
construction plan in place. Between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, 63,616 donors contributed more than $736 million to MSU, a 94% increase in revenue from the year prior, according to MSU. Bartholomae hopes to have a concrete Spartan Stadium construction plan in December. MSU issued a survey to about 800 people, including MSU’s student section leaders, asking for feedback on the experience of MSU football. The survey is intended to help MSU identify what fans enjoy, what frustrates them and where changes could improve the experience. “The fan experience is going to get built around the students for sure,” Bartholomae said. Creating new traditions inside Spartan Stadium is a major focus for Bartholomae, who hopes more shared customs give students more reasons to invest in their football program. Like many schools, MSU students often leave games early. Bartholomae said it’s not unique to East Lansing, but he believes the school can do more to make staying until the fourth quarter worthwhile. “I’d love to see traditions because traditions lead to affinity, which leads to people wanting to stay for the whole game,” Bartholomae said.
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“I don’t know that we’re giving them enough reasons to stay into the fourth quarter.” Bartholomae said short-term changes could come soon, while larger changes will take more time to develop. Bartholomae did not describe any specific changes or traditions to come in the future. Details of the concert could not be shared. Bartholomae said MSU started discussing the idea with its marketing staff, and the university pla wns to work with students to select potential acts. He pointed to Wisconsin’s “Jump Around” tradition as an example of the type of experience he wants MSU to develop. “What’s our jump around? I haven’t seen one yet,” Bartholomae said. He said students are central to the atmosphere at MSU and can influence the experience for the entire fan base. The first changes could come as soon as this season, but Bartholomae said the larger vision will take time to develop. “I think our fans get energized by the students,” Bartholomae said. “I think we sell more tickets if the students are having fun. I think we have more students and we retain more students on this campus if the students are having fun.”
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