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Michigan State’s Independent Voice

CHANGE MAKERS See how the East Lansing community is being shaped by these influential people Pages 6-7, 12

DANTONIO RETIRES Michigan State’s record-breaking football coach steps down after 13 years Read more on pages 8-9 and online at statenews.com T H U R S DAY, F E B RUARY 6, 2020

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Vol. 110 | No. 20

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

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The State News

EDITORIAL

MSU, financially commit to halting climate change The State News Editorial Board feedback@statenews.com

Islands are disappearing.

Australia has experienced record wildfires. Rising sea levels are rapidly changing city landscapes on California’s coast. Climate change is the greatest threat humanity faces.

Without sustained action, anthropogenic — or human-caused — emissions are projected to worsen the impacts of poverty, escalate the spread of diseases and reduce global biodiversity because of ocean acidification, natural disasters and deforestation. This will disrupt natural ecosystems that sustain human life — and that’s an optimistic assessment.

The Association of Big Ten Students — a collection of the student governments that represent Big Ten universities — understand this bleak reality and have called for their respective universities to divest from the fossil fuel industry.

Absolutely, Michigan State should reorient its investment portfolio from fracking, mining and oil produc-

“Michigan State should reorient its investment portfolio from fracking, mining and oil production.”

The State News Editorial Board tion. It could remove a risky investment and save MSU money — the University of California at Berkeley has divested for this reason.

But there has to be more than that. Michigan State should set a date for committing to 100% renewable energy and lay out an updated Energy Transition Plan.

Their Energy Transition Plan in 2012 said the university would fully transition to 40% renewable energy with a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the 2030 fiscal year.

There’s no excuse for Michigan State’s lack of commitment to 100% renewable energy. There’s a model the university can use that was created across

the street in East Lansing City Hall.

Divestment alone can only do so much. It doesn’t change the expected return on investment for other shareholders nor does it influence a company’s profitability.

Addressing climate change requires an economy-wide transition. We shouldn’t be narrow in our demands.

A sole focus on the stock market could potentially miss the mark on the largescale transition required to achieve an emissions-free, carbon-neutral world — if we are to attain it.

The State News Editorial Board is composed of Editor-in-Chief Madison O’Connor, Managing Editor Mila Murray, Copy Chief Alan Hettinger, Campus Editor Evan Jones, City Editor Haley Sinclair, Sports Editor Chase Michaelson, Photo Editor Annie Barker, Multimedia Editor Tessa Osborne, Social Media and Engagement Editor Wolfgang Ruth, Staff Representative Maddie Monroe and Diversity and Inclusion Representative Chandra Fleming.

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In 2019, our employees donated nearly $250,000 to our charity partners and volunteered over 3,500 hours in the communities we serve.

Together, we are building dreams and supporting positive change in our communities.

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CAMP U S

Big Ten students call for fossil fuel divestment

By Wendy Guzman wguzman@statenews.com After an association of student body presidents unanimously passed a resolution demanding all Big Ten institutions freeze their investments in the fossil fuel industry on Jan. 25, climate action activists and Michigan State are looking at what this potential loss of investment could mean for the future of the university.

The resolution was voted on at the annual Association of Big Ten Students, or ABTS, conference in Indiana. According to the resolution, “Big 10 institutions who have committed to carbon neutrality… cannot truly be carbon neutral while investing billions in the fossil fuel industry.” It calls for the Big Ten student body presidents to call on the administration of their institutions to work toward research and fossil fuel divestment.

ABTS defines freezing fossil fuel investments as “No investments in any company with proven carbon reserves. No investments in any company that explores for, extracts, processes, refines, or transmits coal, oil, and gas. No investments in any utilities that burn fossil fuels to produce electricity.”

The Associated Students of Michigan State University, or ASMSU, said in a statement they are not specifically working on this initiative themselves.

“ASMSU has not taken a formal stance,” ASMSU President Mario Kakos said. “We have not really worked with student groups in

Pictured is the inside of the T.B. Simon Power Plant on Feb. 14, 2019 at East Lansing. The T.B. Simon Power Plant is the main energy provider for Michigan State Universities main campus. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

terms of divesting fossil fuels. However, that vote was more of supporting and empowering the other Big Ten schools.”

Regardless, MSU activist groups see this as a step in the right direction.

“The Big Ten resolution is a strong step for showing that students are moving in this direction,” MSU Sunrise member and leader of MSU Divestment Initiative Jake Nessel said.

“And now we need to really keep the pressure on the administration to show that they have an opportunity to do the same, and to show that this is a path that we can take for a more livable future.”

According to MSU Chief Investment Officer Philip Zecher, the university currently invests $3 billion, primarily through funds. They occasionally hire managers to buy stocks, bonds

or contracts but do not directly invest, he said.

“We really want MSU to not only divest their money from fossil fuel companies, but also invest that money into renewable energy,” Nessel said. “And so I think that an important part of that is looking into options of how we can create a more sustainable university ... perhaps investing in solar energy, for example.”

Zecher said these numbers come from a cer-

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“We really wanted to enact change ... change can be made wherever you are.”

Jake Nessel MSU Sunrise member and leader of MSU Divestment Initiative

tain point in time, and since these funds are quickly changing, the number is not always accurately measurable, and depends on what is meant by “fossil fuel.”

Nessel said he has been able to see how fossil fuel investments can ultimately hurt the well-being of people firsthand. He spent time in Detroit working at a camp called Summer in the City as well as Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign for Governor.

“I was spending a lot of time in Detroit" Nessel said. “I started to really see the impact of asthma on kids and the impact of industrial pollution from companies, like Marathon in particular, in southwest Detroit.”

According to the 2019 report, the university invested about $103 million in Marathon.

Zecher described how continuing to invest in these companies, but working with them toward more sustainable investments is more convenient for the university — rather than cutting these investments and spending more money on alternative companies.

He said the university has sold off some of these fossil fuel-related investments, but not because of the divestment campaign, because it was right for the university.

“So we’ve already diminished that asset class,” Zecher said. “But that’s not because of the divestment, push ... really an investment decision because ... the risk-reward in that asset class isn’t really paying for itself — the risk isn’t paying for what we earned by being in those.”

The resolution, however, calls for these changes to be made to support what is being impacted by climate change.

“As students, as taxpayers, and as citizens of the world whose frontline communities are already being impacted by climate change and whose future is in peril, we feel an obligation and a right to demand our universities are not complicit in the harms of fossil fuel investment and lead the nation and the world towards a better future,” the resolution stated.

Currently, MSU is the only Big Ten school on the Top 50 Green Colleges, ranked by the Princeton Review, at number 19.

Nessel said they are currently working with other schools, including the University of Michigan’s divestment campaign, in order to go beyond the state and continue to the whole Big Ten. “I'm completely sympathetic to the issues of climate change,” Zecher said. “We need to find alternatives. We need to find alternatives fast. ... Converting from coal, getting rid of that, putting in the solar array, switching the production and the power plant to ener-

Pictured is the inside of the T.B. Simon Power Plant on Feb. 14, 2019 at East Lansing. The T.B. Simon Power Plant is the main energy provider for Michigan State University’s main campus. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

gy conservation.”

Nessel and the MSU divestment campaign are continuing to promote fossil fuel divestment and hope for more student contributions.

They will be hosting a rally at the Hannah Administration Building on Feb. 14 at 4 p.m.

“We really wanted to enact change, and we figured that change can be made wherever you are,” Nessel said. “So in our case, we’re working at Michigan State because we want to create a better future for other students and the generations that will follow us.”

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CHANGEMAKERS

CHANGEMAKERS: WILL KOPACHIK

By Emily Bevard ebevard@statenews.com

Photo by Annie Barker

CHELSIE BOODOO

By Hannah Brock hbrock@statenews.com Chelsie Boodoo has been inspired by science since she was a child. Her father owned a computer shop where she learned about technology, which intersected with her mother's involvement in community service. Now, Boodoo is a biomedical engineering Ph.D. student at Michigan State who founded The Sci-Files — a talk show on Impact 89 FM, MSU’s student radio — and MSU SciComm.

Boodoo said she came up with the idea for MSU SciComm after attending a conference in 2018 about science communication. Because MSU didn't have a group focused on this subject, she said she decided to start one herself.

Boodoo is also interested in art, and even paid her way through her senior year of undergrad as a henna artist. MSU SciComm became a way for Boodoo to combine her passion for science with her passion for art, in addition to being a way for her to bring this idea to her community.

MSU SciComm gives scientists the opportunity to present their ideas in an artistic way, even if they don’t have artistic skills. The group has organized an art exhibition, a live science art show and science art activities for kids at the Abrams Planetarium on MSU’s campus.

Boodoo is also a co-host of The Sci-Files, which she hosts with her fiancé, Daniel Puentes. On this talk show, they interview students involved in science and cover topics such as education, biology and physics.

The Sci-Files was awarded 6

first place in the 2020 college radio talk show category hosted by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

Currently, Boodoo is preparing for an event at The Grid Arcade & Bar in Lansing, where members of the public will have an opportunity to meet some of those interviewed on The Sci-Files. The event will feature a beer brewed in honor of the black rhino born at Potter Park Zoo on Dec. 24.

"We brewed another beer but it's a stout, and it's a black beer basically because we had an interview about Doppsee — she's the rhino, the black rhino at Potter Park Zoo — and she recently gave birth to a baby calf, a boy," Boodoo said. "And we had an interview with ... doctors and zookeepers and students of MSU Vet Med, and we spoke about Doppsee's pregnancy because it was so rare."

The proceeds of this event will go to the animal health program at Potter Park Zoo. Boodoo said she was inspired to connect science with the community after attending “star parties” at Florida International University.

"People from all over the community could come and look at telescopes," Boodoo said.

Boodoo said her parents met Puentes at one of these events, where he showed them Jupiter and the moon.

"I loved those events because I saw science with the community, and that was not something I saw often, even though I did outreach," Boodoo said. "Whenever you see someone who's older than you really have an appreciation for science, especially when they're not a scientist, that still touches me, in a way."

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Nominated for his efforts in fostering a hands-on science experience for East Lansing High School students, Will Kopachik — a retired Michigan State faculty member and tenured associate professor in MSU’s Department of Integrative Biology — accepted a Crystal Award from the City of East Lansing in 2019.

According to the city’s website, community members are encouraged to nominate “unsung heroes of East Lansing” to be granted this award. Nominations are reviewed by a community selection committee and four participants are selected annually. As stated in the selection criteria, those recipients demonstrate “a passion for and commitment to creating a healthy and vibrant community and serve as an inspiration to others.”

Kopachik was one of three individuals recognized in 2019, due to his dedication to coaching the Science Olympiad team at East Lansing High School, or ELHS, which he founded in 2015.

“It was a big surprise to me,” Kopachik said. “In fact, the people that nominated me kept me in the dark … By some ruse, they took me there (and said) that the award was going to be given to somebody else.”

At the time, Kopachik said his daughter was a student at the high school, interested in learning more about science. After meeting with her biology teacher, John Heinrich, and inquiring as to whether the school hosted a science fair, Heinrich suggested he start his own Science Olympiad team.

For three years prior, Kopachik said he had planned and organized a “Science-palooza” event at MacDonald Middle School, giving students an opportunity to present personal science experiments to an audience of judges.

In previous years, ELHS has placed a strong emphasis on its sports teams, Kopachik said. Because of this fact, one goal of Science Olympiad is to provide opportunities to those who may not be “sports-inclined.”

“In all these different events, they get a chance to learn things which

Photo by Kaishi Chhabra are really current and you can see it build up their interests,” Kopachik said. “It’s personally very fulfilling to see something like that.”

Kopachik said he’s noticed a strong sense of community throughout his years of living in East Lansing “You can go to (any magazine) and they’ll have a list of the top 10, top 25 best places to live in the United States,” Kopachik said. “All of their metrics are based on things like the median family income, how much the houses cost — things which really aren’t as valuable as living in a place which has community where people care about each other.”

TRISH O’BRIEN RILEY Owner of Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub

Photo by Annie Barker

By Matt Dwyer mdwyer@statenews.com For Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub owner Trish O’Brien Riley, giving back to the community and the environment has always been her mission.

When the establishment opened in 1997, Riley said she made it a point to recycle.

“When we took over and bought Dooley’s and started Harper’s, I said, ‘We have to start from the very beginning and just do it,’” Riley said.

Recycling is something she grew up doing. She said she likes doing eco-friendly initiatives in her restaurant because of the significant impact it has on the environment.

“My mom used to make me recycle,” said Riley. “Recycling is just natural for me.”

According to the Harper’s website, the restaurant has achieved

its recycling goal of 116,000 glass and plastic bottles as well as 6,000 cardboard boxes in a given year.

Riley said she is always looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious.

“I have tried to perfect it even more, so I’ll have more receptacles ... and more avenues,” Riley said.

“There are certain things Granger will not pick up from the restaurant, so I am starting another section in our establishment that we will take by truck ourselves once a week.”

She said not everyone in East Lansing agrees with her eco-friendly ways.

“I used to be the chair of our downtown development in East Lansing for eight years,” Riley said.

“I really tried to get everybody to show interest in it, and maybe do a generic area where we can recycle.

I even offered my own parking lot at Harper’s to be the recycling center where other places could bring

their stuff, but there just wasn’t the interest.”

On top of Riley’s eco-friendly initiatives, she said she has also given back to the community she calls home. She started “giveback nights,” where all the proceeds from the door cover are donated.

The restaurant has donated its proceeds to national organizations for many years. Recently, the Rileys have focused their attention on giving locally.

“In 3 1/2 to four years, we have given back over $400,000 for local causes, and that is our customers’ causes,” Riley said. “I just got done writing $20,000 worth of giveback checks just now today.”

Riley said she’s hoping to donate even more to the community soon.

“I am trying desperately to get $500,000 as soon as I can because I really love being able to give back,” she said. “And Harper’s is really the only avenue I have to be able give that kind of money.”

CH A N G E MA KE R S

MEET THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SHAKING THINGS UP IN OUR COMMUNITY

LUPE IZZO

By Paolo Giannandrea pgiannandrea@statenews.com

STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

“I wanted to continue to do the good work that they had started.”

Lupe Izzo Chair of MSU food drive

Lupe Izzo has chaired the food drive at the Breslin Center at Michigan State for 25 years, with the 25th annual drive taking place on Jan. 17 ahead of MSU’s 67-55 home win over Wisconsin.

“When I married (coach) Tom (Izzo) ... I started working with the food drive and worked on doing a food drive at Breslin,” Izzo said.

She said people didn’t take it seriously at first.

“They didn’t think that it was a problem or didn’t really quite understand the issue of hunger,” Izzo said. “Mostly in the last five, six years, people have really come around knowing that it is an issue. It is a problem that faces not only our community, but America.”

As the food drive has grown over the span of a quarter-century, Izzo recalls her father’s relationship with former Lansing Mayor David Hollister — who held the position from 1993-2003 — as a catalyst for the drive’s genesis.

“Because my father was a community person, I was brought up in a house that always helped people, and it was all about community,” Izzo said. “Before I knew

about celebrities and sports people, I knew about these people.

And to me, these people were my heroes. … They saw needs, and they met them. … I knew the founders, and I wanted to continue to do the good work that they had started.”

While describing the food drive’s objective, Izzo noted its aim to supplement the Greater Lansing Food Bank, where she holds a board position. Since the Lansing bank maintains more than 140 pantries in the area, the effort continues to grow.

“This year, they’re going to be feeding over a 100,000 people in our community,” Izzo said. “Maybe people had to choose between paying a bill or getting medication. Now, because of compassionate people in our community, there’s a place for them to go for food and still be able to afford their medication or pay their heat bill.”

When asked about the reasons behind her 25-year effort, Izzo said she was grateful to have been able to pursue it in the first place “I just take it as, I’m able to do this,” Izzo said. “I can do this. I get to do this. I can choose not to, but I do get a chance to.”

KELLY ARNDT

STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

By Kaishi Chhabra kchhabra@statenews.com Home to Michigan State, East Lansing is mainly known as a college town. But beyond student life, the city also hosts a welcoming environment for its senior and retired residents.

“We’ve added 30 years to life expectancy. What do you do with those 30 years?” Kelly Arndt said.

“Seniors themselves are challenged by it, let alone society.”

Arndt, who has been director of the East Lansing Prime Time senior program for more than 28 years, said it’s her philosophy that life should be shared. Arndt said she knows the seniors in this community appreciate life-long learning and what it brings.

From the beginning of her career, Arndt said she has always had an affinity for this age group and wanted to help. Her experience in Battle Creek, Michigan made her want to work for the senior community.

East Lansing Prime Time “I would go to work and there’d be seniors sleeping on the benches,” Arndt said. “It was a community that really needed our support in very fundamental ways. Shelter, food — basic ways.”

The program received the Crystal Award from the City of East Lansing in 2004 for the number of volunteers they recruited and trained to help within local schools, the university and the city.

Arndt said in 2007, East Lansing Prime Time achieved national accreditation through the National Council on Aging in Washington D.C. Arndt said she was proud of achieving a status that less than one percent of the nation’s senior centers achieve.

“We’ve heard from several seniors that we’ve saved their lives after spouses passed away and they have no one,” Arndt said. “We’ve had children of aging parents say the same thing … we see the impact that we’re making in their lives.”

Arndt said the program has more

than 1,000 members coming from across Mid-Michigan.

“It’s a great gathering place,” said Marcia Van Ness, a Prime Time member. “There’s a good community feel to it. ... (Arndt) is a leader in the community, not just the senior community … she is a credit to the city and the town.”

For Arndt, being in this community is a win-win. She said she feels lucky that the senior community is located in East Lansing, where their needs are being addressed.

“We got students coming over every Friday to teach technology to older adults,” Arndt said. “You should see the exchange, it’s lovely.”

Retired attorney Robert Nelson said there are a variety of ways that East Lansing has helped senior citizens survive.

“We’d like to encourage the youth to be active and to provide their help to (the) seniors so we can interact with them,” Nelson said. “We’re more than willing to do that and to be a part of their experience.”

MISSION MENSTRUATION

Photo by Annie Barker

By SaMya Overall soverall@statenews.com The average person who menstruates spends roughly $1,773.33 on menstrual products alone, if they use tampons, during the 456 periods they'll have in their lifetime, according to an estimate from Pandia Health. This doesn’t include the cost of other products directly related to period care such as painkillers — amounting to $1,229.83 in their lifetime — or birth control, amounting to $11,400.

“I don’t really have a choice, I am a woman. That means I have a period," history senior Audrey Bakos said. “I don’t have an option — I have to buy tampons, I have to buy pads or it’s going to be a mess and I’ll ruin my clothes.”

With periods typically lasting three to five days, people who menstruate will spend roughly 6.25 years, or 2,280 days, on their menstrual cycle. Currently, all menstrual products are taxed with Michigan’s 6% sales tax, while prescription drugs are tax exempt.

“The tampon tax implies that menstrual hygiene products aren’t a necessity,” said Lauren Sosinski, vice president of Michigan State's Women's Council. “By adding this cost to something that is a necessity, it basically just makes it that much harder for students to survive through college. So, if they’re not living on campus or don’t have a meal plan ... they might have to choose between feeding themselves or cutting back on other necessary hygiene items ... in order to take care of their period.”

The MSU Women’s Advisory Committee for Support Staff, or WACSS, has implemented free emergency menstrual product stations in various locations around campus through a program called Mission Menstruation. Sosinski said these stations help students who might begin T H U R S DAY, FE BRUA RY 6 , 2020

their period unexpectedly spend less time away from their classes, work or other obligations.

Most women's restrooms on campus have menstrual product dispensers that cost 25 cents.

However, those dispensers don't work for students who don’t carry around change, president of PERIOD. @MSU Nama Naseem said (Naseem is a member of The State News’ Board of Directors).

“That cost is a burden for a lot of people,” Naseem said. “We accept that we don’t have to pay for toilet paper, but I have to pay for menstrual products if I just so happen to not have a quarter on me, which is pretty normal ...

You aren’t expected to just have change ... for a product.”

Also, the 25 cent menstrual product dispensers are only located in women’s restrooms, which makes them inaccessible to other students who menstruate, Bakos said.

“Aside from stocking menstrual hygiene products in the women’s bathroom, they can stock them in the gender-neutral bathrooms as well as the male bathrooms,” Sosinski said. “Because not all people who menstruate are women or identify as a woman.”

Naseem said she believes there is a need for more affordable and easily accessible menstrual products, which is one of the goals of Mission Menstruation.

“When we talk about Mission Menstruation, we just say that we wanna make sure that students aren’t missing class due to their period,” Naseem said. “The most difficult part is trying to promote it, because not all bathrooms have the flyer taped everywhere. ... But if people are aware of it or they happen to come across a bathroom that does have a dispenser or a bathroom that does have a sticker that says where to find a free basket, then they’ll end up keeping it.”

If students are struggling to pay for menstrual products, Naseem said she advises them to take advantage of Mission Menstruation and break the silence around periods.

“Never feel uncomfortable asking someone for products,” Naseem said. “Periods are private and we’re told not to talk about them, but it’s much safer to ask someone for a product than using something that isn’t hygienic like a sock or a paper bag.”

STATEN EWS.CO M

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SPORTS

COLUMN

In retirement, Dantonio shows typical defiance

By Chase Michaelson cmichaelson@statenews.com Mark Dantonio approached his retirement press conference Feb. 4 with the same defiance he has attacked every challenge he has faced during his 13 years at Michigan State.

This is the same guy who said in October 2007 that “pride comes before the fall” when Michigan’s Mike Hart called MSU the Wolverines’ little brother, then went out and won eight of the next 11 games against the in-state rivals.

This is the same guy who had a literal heart attack in September 2010 after the “Little Giants” win over Notre Dame, and was back on the sidelines less than a month later, leading MSU to a share of the Big Ten championship.

So, it wasn’t surprising that in his final act as Michigan State’s football coach, after winning a school-record 114 games, he was more than a little resistant.

He defied his own inclination to get emotional, keeping his voice as steady as possible considering the circumstances. He disregarded a question about what role the active lawsuit by ex-staffer Curtis Blackwell had in his decision to step down.

“Zero,” he said. “No relevance whatsoever.”

Moments later, he shrugged off a question about whether the timing of his retirement, hours after Blackwell’s lawyers alleged Dantonio committed NCAA violations and hours before football’s national signing day, would make it harder for the school to hire a worthy successor.

“Are you kidding me?” he said. “People will run here, they’ll crawl here. Michigan State will get an outstanding football coach that will care about young people.”

The Detroit Free Press reported earlier Feb. 4 that the front-runner for the job is Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell. It worked out well for MSU the last time they hired a former Ohio State defensive coordinator coaching in the Queen City.

The tensest exchange of the presser came between the erstwhile head man and ESPN’s Dan

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T HE STAT E N EWS

THU R SDAY, F EBRUA RY 6 , 2020

(Above) Head coach Mark Dantonio hugs senior safety Trenton Robinson at the post game celebration Jan. 2, 2012, after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in triple overtime, 33-30, in the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

Murphy, who was seated two places to the left of Dantonio’s wife, Becky.

Dantonio had said earlier that his goal was to always tell the truth, and Murphy pressed him on that truthfulness in light of the Blackwell allegations.

“I try very hard never to say anything negative about anybody,” Dantonio said. When Murphy tried to continue and ask specifics about the recruitment of Robertson, Dantonio interrupted him.

“That’s one question. We’re not talking about this here,” he said. “This is a celebration.”

As one reporter put it later, typically, you don’t have to tell people that it’s a celebration if it really is.

We may never know the full extent to which the Blackwell lawsuit played a role in Dantonio’s decision.

It had been a difficult four seasons on the field since the highs of the 2015 College Football Playoff appearance, as MSU went just 2724 after a 36-5 stretch between 2013-15. Dantonio mentioned his age multiple times during the presser as he turns 64 on March 9, and a desire to spend more time with his family.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Hey coach, what do you like to do in your off-time?’ I can’t even give them an answer,” he said. “I look at myself and say, ‘What hobbies do I have?’ I’m a bad golfer.”

He sounded tired. It reminded me a little bit of the words from Washington coach Chris Petersen, who retired in December and said he just wanted to spend some time away from the grind of coaching.

With new NCAA rules, there isn’t much dead time in recruiting. In order to compete at the Big Ten level, a coach’s time is almost completely filled up, and that’s before the season even begins.

Dantonio said he had contemplated the decision for a while and reached it within recent weeks, realizing for the first time he didn’t feel he could commit to the entire college career of recruits. But still, it’s troubling timing. In November 2019, he said he planned to be on the sidelines this coming season. Somewhere between that day and Feb. 4 something changed.

Was he forced out?

Probably not. It seems odd to tell a coach to leave and then hold a presser ostensibly honoring his time. Dantonio spoke briefly at halftime of the MSU basketball game and was received with raucous applause. Athletic Director Bill Beekman spoke over and over of

Senior wide receiver Blair White, left, and head coach Mark Dantonio stand with the team before running out onto to the field to start on Nov. 21, 2009, against Penn State at Spartan Stadium.

The Spartans were defeated by the Nittany Lions 42-14. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

Dantonio’s “integrity” and called Feb. 4’s court allegations “patently false.”

But this isn’t a situation of Alexander the Great weeping because there were no worlds left to conquer. Dantonio, a man who defined himself by what he did against Michigan and Ohio State, lost seven of his last eight against his two chief rivals.

In November he spoke of the importance of “completing circles,” saying it was his goal to return MSU to the halcyon days of three straight New Year’s Six bowl appearances.

He did leave the program in a better place than he found it.

“I think that’s pretty safe to say,” he said in his presser.

But ironically, in terms of results, it’s being left in a completed circle. In his first season, 2007, MSU finished 7-6. In his final two seasons, 2018 and 2019, MSU finished …

7-6.

“At this point in time, I want to un-complicate my life,” Dantonio said.

He was afforded that luxury.

It’s left to Beekman, and whoever Dantonio’s successor is, to pick up the pieces and live a very complicated life.

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What comes after Dantonio’s departure?

By Elijah McKown emckown@statenews.com Mark Dantonio stunned the Michigan State community when he announced his retirement via Twitter on Feb. 4. In 13 years as coach, Dantonio became the all-time winningest coach in MSU history and notched quite a list of accomplishments at MSU including a Rose Bowl, a College Football Playoff appearance and three Big Ten championships.

But what’s next?

MSU Athletic Director Bill Beekman said he still sees Dantonio playing a big role for the MSU athletic department in an ambassador-like role.

“He’ll help us with alumni and donor engagement,” Beekman said in a Feb. 4 press conference. “We’ve got a number of building projects that we’ll be considering over the next while and he can help us prepare for those and fundraise for those. We’ve talked a little bit about maybe teaching a class, taking some of his lessons of leadership and expanding those beyond our student athletes to perhaps a class that involves undergraduates at the university outside of athletics.”

With the recent struggles on and off the field that plague the program, many have wondered what Dantonio’s legacy would be. Dantonio said he believes he left MSU a better place than when he found it, but hopes the legacy he leaves goes beyond the white lines.

“I hope that it’s not about the wins and losses,” Dantonio said. “I hope it is about people and how I treated people, and the relationships

Seniors Mike Panasiuk (72) (left), Joe Bachie Jr. (35) (middle), and Brian Lewerke (14) (right) lock arms before the game against Northwestern at Ryan field on September 21, 2019. MSU defeated Northwestern 31-10. PHOTO BY CONNOR DESILETS

I built with my players that I believe will last a lifetime.”

With Dantonio gone, the question is where MSU football goes from here. First, it starts with the head coaching search, and Dantonio had some characteristics for the next coach in mind.

“Someone who has an opportunity to come here and have a fresh start and a vision for three to five years,” Dantonio said. “My goal ... is that they hire somebody who will be here 13 or 14 years and win 114-plus games.”

However, the person who will make the final decision will be Beekman. The second-year athletic director will be making only his second head coaching hire, the last one being Matt Weise, the women’s rowing coach. Needless to say, this hire is monumental.

“I think Michigan State has been most successful when it’s looked at somebody that knows the territory,” Beekman said. “Someone with character and integrity, optimally someone that knows the Big Ten. Somebody that knows and under-

stands Michigan State and our culture, I think that is very important.”

A person rumored to be a possible replacement and fits the criteria of someone who “knows the territory” and “knows the Big Ten” is Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Fickell is the front-runner to replace Dantonio, and the similarities are eerily as both Dantonio and Fickell were head coaches at Cincinnati and assistants at Ohio State.

Other questions still loom. Ex-staffer Curtis Blackwell, who is currently suing MSU and university officials for wrongful termination, alleges Dantonio committed multiple NCAA violations during his tenure. Blackwell also alleges Dantonio brought him along on an in-house recruiting trip and that Dantonio orchestrated the hiring of parents of players, all of which Dantonio and the athletic department deny.

In addition, Blackwell’s suit led to a five-hour deposition of Dantonio last month, as he alleged Dantonio ignored warnings from staffers in the 2016 recruitment of troubled defensive tackle Auston Robertson, who was kicked off the team in April 2017 and eventually convicted of third-degree assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration on a woman.

“To the best of our knowledge, as I understand the allegations, they are patently false,” Beekman said. “We’ll be happy to defend that in a court of law.”

With all of these variables, the future of the Michigan State football program is in perhaps the most crucial moment in its history.

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‘A leader in all aspects’: Cameron Caffey’s focus wins on and off the mat

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St. John Catholic Church and Student Center 327 M.A.C Ave. (517) 337-9778 Sun: 8am, 10am, Noon, 5pm, 7pm M,W: 5:30pm T & Th: 8:45pm F: 12:15pm www.stjohnmsu.org University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd (517) 332-5193 Sun. Bible Study: 10am Sun. Worship: 11:15am www.universitychristianwired.com University Lutheran Church (ULC) “We’re open in every way” 1120 S. Harrison Rd (517) 351-7030 Sun. Worship: 8:30am & 10:45am Fridays@Five: Dinner, discussion & fun 5pm Mon. Bible Study: 6:30pm @Wells Hall Quad www.ulcel.org Facebook: ULC and Campus Ministry University United Methodist Church 1120 S. Harrison Rd (517) 351-7030 Main Service: Sun: 11am in the Sanctuary Additional Services: NEW contemporary service Sundays at 9am with band titled ‘REACH’ TGiT (Thank God its Thursday): Thur: 8pm in the Chapel of Apostles universitychurchhome.org office@eluumc.org WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbot Rd. (517) 580-3744 Sat: 6:30pm msu.edu/~welsluth

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Sophomore Cameron Caffey takes down Maryland’s Kyle Jasenski. Caffey defeated Jasenski by pinfall.

The Spartans defeated the Terrapins, 36-0, on Jan. 19 at Jenison Field House. PHOTO BY MATT ZUBIK

By Elijah McKown emckown@statenews.com As college students, everyone has had those nights where everything comes to a head.

As you sit in your dorm room or in your apartment, you rattle off the things you need to do over and over. By the end of the night, you must be an expert in calculus, have written a paper, work your shift and be ready to get up for an 8 a.m. class. As the stress rises and the hand cramps grow, you start to wonder whether you can do it.

Michigan State wrestling redshirt sophomore Cameron Caffey is in the same boat.

As a sophomore, Caffey leads Michigan State in falls with eight and is 21-6 on the season.

In his freshman season, Caffey was second on the team in wins by going 22-6 overall.

Coming into this school year, Caffey carried a perfect 4.0 GPA as a computer engineering major in the Honors College.

When asked how he balances such a large workload, Caffey had one answer.

“Barely,” he said. “It has been very hard, especially this year.

I’m at hotels taking quizzes or coding stuff instead of just chilling, getting ready for a match.”

As a wrestler, Caffey does not get a full scholarship, so this adds another layer of stress to his schoolwork.

“A g o o d p a r t o f m y scholarship comes from the Honors College, so if I drop below a 3.2 ... that’s part of my livelihood, just gone,” he said. “I can’t afford to slack anywhere, whether it’s on the mat or in the classroom.”

For Caffey, Michigan State wasn’t always the place he wanted to be. As a Carbondale, Illinois native, the University of Illinois was one of his 10

first choices.

“Illinois didn’t want me as much as I wanted them,” he said. “I had never heard of Michigan State before I started talking to (assistant coach) Chris Williams.”

Like many students thinking about at tendi ng MSU, sometimes it isn’t in the cards due to the price tag. Caffey began to look at his options, but then MSU showed how much they truly wanted him when they upped the scholarship.

“I called them and was like, ‘Hey, was that a misprint?’ and they said, ‘No, we just really want you here,’” Caffey said. “I got off the phone and I was like, ‘Man, I really want to be there,’ and I signed it right then.”

Even though he still has more than four semesters of school left to get his degree, Caffey is already thinking about his future after wrestling, and it involves being a computer engineer.

“There’s a lot of growth in the field, there’s money in the field and just being an engineer would be kind of cool.”

MSU wrestling coach Roger Chandler praised Caffey’s work ethic and loves the way he leads his team. However, what stands out to Chandler about Caffey is how he gets his teammates to work harder just by setting an example.

“I think people look to him and what he’s working on, then look themselves in the mirror and go, ‘Man, maybe I should be doing this,’” Chandler said.

“Cam is definitely a leader in all aspects. ... He’s a leader in academics, he’s a leader ... in the way he competes and he wins a lot.”

The juggling act of being a student and an athlete continues on the mats. Even with all of his accomplishments in the classroom, his work on

T H E STAT E N EWS

the mats is truly an art and people are beginning to take notice. On Feb. 2 versus No. 1 Iowa, nothing was going right for MSU. Even with that, Caffey found a way to get the Jenison Field House the loudest it had been all season when he upset No. 6 Abe Assad.

Caffey said that match was personal for him.

“That kid beat one of my teammates in the state finals a couple years ago, and then ... he beat my brother at Greco State three or four years ago,” Caffey said. “It was really a redemption thing for them, for all the homies back home.”

Chandler said he thinks Caffey is capable of great things.

“Cam can be a national champion, he k nows it,” Chandler said. “You’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg with Cam right now. ... He’s a very special kid.”

Ca f fey stay s mot ivated despite being on a six-dual win streak.

“I’m doing worse than I was at this point last year,” he said.

“This year I started off 3-2 after the MSU open, and I remember I was really just like, ‘Damn, that was really bad,’ coming out of that.”

His drive and desire in everything he does already has him thinking about his legacy as well, and what he wants to leave behind.

“I just don’t want regrets,” Caffey said. “As long as I leave it all on the mat and I don’t have any regrets, I’ll be happy.”

As he left the gym after the Iowa dual, Caffey picked up all his things — juggling some Triscuit crackers, his headphones, his wrestling shoes and phone, just like he juggles t he life of a student-athlete.

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Freshmen shine early in MSU gymnastics

Freshman Chloe Bellmore performs during a meet against Nebraska on Jan. 26 at Jenison Field House. PHOTO BY MATT ZUBIK

By Sara Tidwell stidwell@statenews.com As the 2020 season for Michigan State gymnastics reaches its halfway marker, three of the green and white rookies have become dependent fixtures in the Spartan line-up.

CHLOE BELLMORE

Chloe Bellmore, from DeWitt, Michigan, has had a knack for gymnastics since she was a little girl.

She would set up the couches to make vault-like platforms to do front-handsprings over them, and she used her bed as a trampoline to do backtucks on.

Her mom, Courtney Bellmore, put her in a gymnastics class early. “(My coach) kind of favored me a little bit. ...

He really helped build that passion, and I loved going every day,” Bellmore said. “I would come in an hour early just to get extra stuff done.”

Prior to her commitment to MSU, Bellmore trained for six years as a level 10 competitor.

Her first season as an official Spartan, however, has been a challenge.

“This past summer, I had two surgeries,” Bellmore said. “Coming back is not easy at all.”

But with the help of MSU’s coaching staff, she has made her mark this season.

“They have definitely helped the process, helped me see my full potential and how far I could be pushed mentally and physically,” Bellmore said.

“I keep growing every day, and I hope to keep showing that.”

Her first semester as both an athlete and a student took a toll on her, but she has since been

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Freshman Nyah Smith lands during the meet against Minnesota Jan. 18 at Jenison Field House. PHOTO BY MATT SCHMUCKER

able to find her groove — to “chill,” as she put it.

Bellmore recently received big honors on vault at a meet against the University of Iowa on Feb. 1, posting a career-best score of 9.775. “(This score) makes me feel like, each and every meet, I can keep improving,” she said. “I hope to keep ... upping the scores.”

For the remainder of her first season, and her career wearing the green and white leotard, Chloe Bellmore has one big hope: “To just have fun with it all,” she said.

JORI JACKARD

Jori Jackard, from Haslett, Michigan, picked up the sport of gymnastics when she was 2 years old, immediately falling in love.

“I liked how I had to keep pushing myself to get to the next level,” Jackard said.

Jackard, alongside Bellmore, trained as a sixyear, level 10 competitor before joining MSU’s team.

Her first season as an official Spartan has been “different,” Jackard said.

“Compared to club, I can tell how, mentally, I’ve changed things.”

Jackard said in club there would be days where she would hit the gym for practice, only to just “go through the motions.”

But here at Michigan State, and under coach Mike Rowe’s leadership, she said she feels a lot more motivated.

“I want to get in, make corrections, and do everything to the best of my ability,” Jackard said.

This mentality has definitely paid off for the freshman.

During a meet against Nebraska on Jan. 26, Jackard not only posted a career-high of 9.900

Freshman Jori Jackard lands during the meet against Minnesota Jan. 18 at Jenison Field House. PHOTO BY MATT SCHMUCKER

on bars, but the highest official score on the bars by a Spartan this season.

“I was waiting for it,” Jackard said. “I’ve been working very hard for it. It was mostly just piecing everything together.”

Jackard said the enthusiasm from Rowe helps a lot at the meets, adding extra excitement. This is a big difference to her past coaches, she said, who were very strict and by-the-book people.

The way Rowe is constantly up with the girls also helps when they feel they aren’t performing up to par.

Jackard said she learned a new skill pretty late in the season, making for a rough start to her career as she missed it twice in her first two competitions.

For the remainder of her first season, Jackard said she hopes the team as a whole will do well. “(I hope) that we reach all our goals that we’ve been working really hard for every day,” she said.

NYAH SMITH

Nyah Smith, from West Bloomfield, Michigan, also picked up the sport of gymnastics when she was 2 years old.

“I would be flipping off of all of my furniture at home,” Smith said. “My mom was like, ‘Nope, we’re not doing that anymore.’”

Her mother put her in a gymnastics class and she quickly found her calling.

“I was able to flip and do other stuff that people can’t do,” Smith said. “It was fun.”

Her first season as a Spartan has provided her with a different environment than where she came from, she said.

“I feel like I have become more successful and a better gymnast over my time being here,”

Smith said.

Smith had set expectations for her collegiate start.

“My goal was to become a better gymnast,” she said. “Looking at other college gymnasts, I saw that their form was always good. ... And it has progressed. I’m getting there.”

Smith said Rowe has been a huge helping hand in the success of her athletics, providing her with detail-oriented feedback. “(The past) wasn’t so based on drills and form, it was just getting the skills done,” Smith said. “Now it’s more focused ... and has been better for me.”

Smith said that the aide Rowe offers has helped her to work through her challenges with consistency and form, pushing her to stay on track and to shape everything to fit the best of her skill level.

Smith was able to reach big honors during their meet against Nebraska on Jan. 26, first tallying a career-high of 9.850 on floor before she accepted the rose for her career-high all-around score of 39.225.

Rowe said he has immense pride in his trio of freshman girls.

“We recruited this class for just that reason: Because they would be a big impact class for this team and helping the program change down the line,” he said.

He said he holds his rookies in high regard.

“Experimenting, sometimes, you take risks ... and, obviously, we don’t throw kids in who we don’t think are ready,” Rowe said. “So, getting those kids ready and being ready to come in and substitute not only for the person who’s resting, but substitute for the score that we may be lacking without them. We’re getting there.”

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CHANGEMAKERS

LEFT AND ABOVE: Members of the Black Girl Fitness Group workout at IM Sports East on Feb. 3.

BLACK GIRL FITNESS EMPOWERS MINORITY WOMEN

Story by Jada Penn jpenn@statenews.com

Photography by Alyte Katilius akatilius@statenews.com

A healthy and fit body is Black Girl Fitness, or BGF’s main goal for minority women at Michigan State.

Their fitness journey began in spring of 2017, said textile design junior Jasmine Parker, president of BGF. “We’re a fitness org on campus ca-

to studying apparel textile design, she is pursuing a minor to become a fitness coach.

Parker said she wants to promote more of what their membership offers to the students on campus.

“We have a personal trainer, you get nutritional tips, you get to work out with equipment in the dance studio,” she said.

Criminal justice freshman Aaniya Carroll said she is proud to be a member of BGF. “I really feel at home here,” Carroll said. “When you're in the process of starting your weight-loss journey, when you're around people you're not so comfortable around, it can be an uncomfortable situation. It can be hard for you to focus on your weightloss, but here it feels like home.”

Carroll said she likes the consistent workout schedule and the motivation she receives from the president and co-president to “keep pushing when it gets hard.”

Vice president and human development junior Jala Williams said BGF is beneficial for her. She has lost weight, learned how to eat healthy, gained a support system and said their bond has improved a lot.

“We have tried to build a sisterhood within the org so everyone knows each other,” Williams said. “We try to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible.”

President of BGF, Jasmine Parker, poses at IM Sports East on Feb. 3.

tering to minority women, specifically black women,” Parker said.

“We just try to teach them about their health and fitness to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

The only requirement to join is to be a minority woman, but they still accept any woman who wants to join, Parker said.

Parker began as a secretary for the organization and worked her way up to become the president. In addition

Their workouts are three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Mondays are full body and cardio, Wednesdays are upper body and Thursdays are lower body, Parker said.

There are nutritional events that are held for members once a semester and consist of one entrée, a drink and dessert that they provide for free, according to Parker said via email.

“We also have a PowerPoint presentation to explain to our members different nutritional tips and advice for a healthy lifestyle,” Parker said via email.

Parker also said a healthy breakfast can consist of oatmeal, bananas, vegan sausages and can all be found in MSU’s dining halls.

Lunch and dinner can be anything with veggies, turkey meat, chicken, salmon, wheat bread, brown rice, anything high in protein and healthy carbs, said Parker.

Eating healthy isn’t easy, but BGF helps with encouragement, history, philosophy and sociology of science sophomore Nyah Lemons said.

“We get indulged with all these foods, and we get out of shape. ...

But this community helps you stay in shape in a way to make us feel better about ourselves,” Lemons said.

While keeping minority women healthy and fit is their main goal, they are also involved in volunteer

“We get indulged with all these foods and we get out of shape. ... But this community helps you stay in shape in a way to make us feel better about ourselves.”

Nyah Lemons Member of Black Girl Fitness

work.

“We did a breast cancer awareness walk,” Williams said. “It was a big turnout, it was something we did as a bonding event, as well as to raise awareness for breast cancer.”

Parker said after selling socks, giving out wristbands and face tattoos, all proceeds and donations went to a breast cancer charity.

They visited Uncle John's Cider Mill for community service as well. They drove to the apple orchard and volunteered four hours of their time for The Great Pumpkin Run in September. They set up tables for runners and helped pass out apple cider and medals, Parker said.

In the coming weeks, they are looking forward to volunteering at a student food bank in Olin Health Center.

BGF also collaborates with other organizations on campus including Men of Elite. Secretary for Men of Elite and mechanical engineering sophomore Ryan Thomas said they wanted to support the girls and show them “black men on this campus do support them and anything they want to do.”

Men of Elite collaborated with BGF twice last semester and wants to continue to do so in the future, according to Thomas. He also wants to encourage black women to love themselves.

“Have confidence with you, inside.

No matter shape or size, just know that if you stick to it, you will get to those goals where you want to be,” he said. “Don’t … let outside people let you feel like you’re not the right size.”

Carroll agrees and said women should embrace their bodies.

“We are trying to be like Instagram goals. ... We’re put up against these Instagram models that are photoshopping their pictures, they’re getting their bodies done,” Carroll said.

“We’re just constantly trying to level with them and not even realizing we are perfect the way we are.”

For more information on Black Girl Fitness, visit their Instagram @bgfmsu.

The members of BGF use the handrail as support for their workout at IM Sports East on Feb. 3.

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THU R SDAY, F EBRUA RY 6 , 2020