02/08/22 - Love & Sex Edition

Michigan State’s Independent Voice

BE OUR VALENTINE LOVE & S EX ED I T I O N

S P OT L I G H T

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CITY

Dating across the divide: Navigating interracial couples at MSU

A non-lover’s quarrel: The A-spectrum Community on Valentine’s Day

A Valentine’s Day breakfast guide for the morning after

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STORM COMIN’: MICHIGAN STATE NAVIGATES SNOW, SNOWBALLS

Photo by Audrey Richardson

Photo by Chloe Trofatter

Staff Reports feedback@statenews.com The National Weather Service issued a snowstorm warning on Tuesday Feb. 3 for the East Lansing area. The sun was out, hidden a bit by clouds, but it was 49 degrees and nice enough for students to walk around in long sleeves with no coat — or at least they did anyway.

The unpredictable Michigan weather pun is a pretty low-hanging fruit here, considering what happened Tuesday night.

Freezing rain was followed by a heavy snowfall that carried on throughout Wednesday, putting the City of East Lansing into a snow emergency.

While the city remained in a snow emergency, many MSU classes were still on and in-person. Some instructors opted to record lectures or provide Zoom alternatives for the day, while others canceled class all together. Snowfall continued into Thursday.

The snow day continued Tuesday night at Cedar Village Apartments.

Prompted by a tweet from Spartan’s sophomore safety Darius Snow and encouraged by Barstool MSU, students joined together at the apartment complex for a snowball fight.

Business junior Mila Straskraba went down to Cedar Village after an invite from her friends.

“Why not?” she said.

Straskraba, who’s from Hawaii, said that this was her first snow storm.

As snow flew, students pulled out sleds, snowboards and skis pulled by cars and trucks.

“It’s just spontaneous fun,” graphic design junior Jacob Springer said.

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Spiderman showed up at the snowball fight in Cedar Village on Feb. 2. Photo by Chloe Trofatter

Photo by Audrey Richardson

Members of the Ski Club took advantage of the fresh snow to ski and snowboard during the snowball fight at Cedar Village on Feb. 2. Photo

by Chloe Trofatter

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Business junior Mila Straskraba is hit by a snowball during the snowball fight at Cedar Village on Feb. 2 Photo by Chloe Trofatter

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Dating across the divide: Navigating interracial

By Abeeha Zaidi azaidi@statenews.com Interracial couples go through a journey of making their differences the foundation of a balanced and new relationship. With it comes many experiences for each person in the relationship — experiencing the differences in culture, religion and upbringing, to experiencing differences in food, music and clothes.

Finding common ground helps interracial relationships succeed, as was the case in the story of zoology junior Connor Lewis and advertising management senior Gabby Sanchez.

“My parents weren’t strict at all,” Lewis, who is of Native American descent, said.

“They’ve let me do anything since I was like six.”

On the other hand, his girlfriend, Sanchez, who is a White/Hispanic Latino, reflected differently. She said her father grew up with strict rules imposed by his mother.

“My dad kind of brought that to me,” Sanchez said. “I always had a curfew … and he’s gotten better since I’ve

“Our upbringing being different like that was an adjustment and that is something that was kind of a challenge to understand our backgrounds a little bit more and get to know each other.”

Gabby Sanchez

Advertising management senior

gotten older.”

Lewis and Sanchez talked about how this was one of the major differences when starting their relationship.

“Our upbringing being different like that was an adjustment and that is something that was kind of a challenge to understand our backgrounds a little bit more and get to know each other,” Sanchez said.

Through highlighting the challenge, Sanchez embraced how Lewis and her family have now built a relationship.

“Connor has been somebody who’s built relationships within my family,” Sanchez said. “My dad looks at him as like another son or like, try and take him under his wing.”

Lewis said the relationship with Sanchez’s parents is something he longed for and found comfort in.

“When I was growing up, my family was very, very, very small … and my family was not very emotionally connected,” Lewis said. “Now that I’m older, I want to do those things because we never did those. I didn’t feel the love until I met her family, and now that I realized what it feels like, I want to reconnect with my siblings in that way, and hang out with them more.”

Similar to Lewis, Gino Piccinini, a firstgeneration Italian MSU alumnus, said his relationship with social relations and policy senior Angie Flores,of Mexican descent, opened his eyes to recognizing and embracing his own home culture.

“I think one positive thing I guess that I never really thought about until now is Angie showing me different cultural things and, mostly food-wise, has kind of made me realize my own culture,” Piccinini said.

Food seems to be the core bonding experience for these couples when it comes to embracing each other’s culture.

“I enjoy getting to learn about (food) and the more authentic side of what Mexican food is,” Piccinini said. “A lot of times, Angie will buy food from the Mexican markets and stuff like that, and I think all that stuff’s cool.”

Piccinini’s interest in food has also impacted Flores.

“I wasn’t the biggest cook before this

“I feel like he opened my mind a little bit more in terms of thinking about religion and my perspective on it, and it’s given me (a) more open-minded (view) on the entirety of religion, so I feel like, personally, it made me feel more in control of myself.”

Sabine Ahmed

Psychology freshman Psychology senior Sabine Ahmend and human biology junior Koushik Murali walking in the STEM Building. Photo by Olivia Hans

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relationship, and so I think that knowing that Gino does like what I make, makes me want to learn more about how to cook,” Flores said.

Similarly, Lewis said he is grateful for Sanchez’s aunts and the authentic Mexican food they make from scratch.

“He’s seeing the behind the scenes of it and got to try some foods that he’s never tasted before, and he’s become a fan, I think,” Sanchez said.

Much of the concern and struggle in interracial relationships comes down to acceptance, whether it be within the couples or externally by family, friends and society.

Human biology junior Koushik Murali and psychology senior Sabine Ahmed seem to have the most insights and battles when it comes to acceptance in their relationship.

Murali is an Indian-American who grew up practicing Hinduism, though currently identifies as an atheist. He talked about how his rebellious nature had created an understanding from his parents and they were not surprised by his girlfriend’s difference in race and religion.

On the other hand, Ahmed, a Muslim Pakistani, has struggled with how to tell her parents about her relationship with a non-Muslim man.

“It was like, ‘How are you going to tell the parents, right?’” Murali said. “Like our friends know the relationship, but our parents didn’t.”

Murali said his parents eventually found out on New Year’s, and their reaction was rather calm as they expected it.

Ahmed’s parents are still unaware.

“I’ve been asking, I even asked my other Muslim friends that I’ve found … and even my cousins, I’ve asked them, and they (were) like, ‘We don’t think you should tell your parents,’ and hearing it from my cousins, especially, was tough because they know my parents a lot better than my friends,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed said she just wants acceptance from her parents.

She said she knows her parents love her enough to be supportive, but doesn’t want to upset them.

“It’s just kind of like a personal inner conflict that happens a lot,” Ahmed said.

Lekie Dwanyen — a research associate in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at MSU, whose work focuses on understanding traumatic stress in the context of families — works with a lot of immigrant and refugee families.

“I see this topic from the perspective of the acculturation gap, and just the different ways that folks adjust to a new environment and new contexts ... behaviors, all of that,” Dwanyen said. “And so when that happens at a different rate, it can cause a gap, and it can cause confusion and conflict and misunderstanding.”

The reason the adjustment can create reluctance is sometimes due to the hesitancy and fear of losing the home cultural aspect. Dwanyen advised that dealing with acceptance is best fought with finding belongingness.

“If acceptance is what students are struggling with, then belongingness is a direct antidote of that where the direct opposite of isolation is feeling connected,” Dwanyen said. “I think any space where we can support or find support is huge.”

Other than dealing with acceptance from others, Murali and Ahmed touched on an important topic between interracial

CU LT U R E

couples at MSU

COLUMN

LADIES FIRST: THE INS AND OUTS OF THE ORGASM GAP

By Elle Fromm efromm@statenews.com

Zoology junior Connor Lewis and advertising managment senior Gabrielle Sanchez.

Courtesy of Sage VanAlstine.

“Just bringing awareness that the two backgrounds can work together even if there are problems in the environment, you can overcome them.”

Connor Lewis

Zoology junior

relationships — accepting differences. “(I) guess the mentality we have about religion is a lot different, so it’s a lot easier to be able to respect each other,” Murali said.

But as much as Murali and Ahmed have had their share of struggles, they shared all the positive moments as well.

“I feel like he opened my mind a little bit more in terms of thinking about religion and my perspective on it, and it’s given me (a) more open-minded (view) on the entirety of religion, so I feel like, personally, it made me feel more in control of myself,” Ahmed said. “When (Murali) would explain his perspective on things, it kind of made sense to me, and then I felt like I could think with all the knowledge that is out there.”

Flores also had a fear of acceptance, as she said, “I always have that fear because I am Mexican. I won’t necessarily be everyone’s first choice. I think that was like my biggest fear going into when I was meeting his family.”

However, for Flores and Piccinini, both families turned out to be very supportive.

“I think both of our families are pretty cool and understanding,” Flores said. “I think that’s just kind of how far some of society has come.”

All the couples said at the end of the day, though they had their differences and conflicts, they found peace and comfort between each other, and that was enough.

“Just bringing awareness that the two backgrounds can work together even if there are problems in the environment, you can overcome them,” Lewis said.

Interracial relationships are the definition for how among differences you can find unexpected outcomes when dealt with openness and acceptance, as these couples and many others at MSU symbolize.

“I feel like we understand each other so well that it doesn’t make too much of a difference,” Flores said. “There are a lot of differences in our culture, and how he grew up. But I think, just kind of with who we are, there’s a lot of similarities that we can gain just in like little things. And a lot of interests now as adults, I think, brings us together.”

Note: The author recognizes the difference between sex and gender. This article pertains to those of the female sex who have female genitalia, regardless of gender identity or expression.

“Oh, I can’t do that with guys.”

After catching COVID-19 abroad, the wrench thrown in my travel plans, the nightmare of rescheduling flights — and this was the worst thing I heard throughout my four weeks in the Netherlands.

The line came from a friend of my girlfriend. She had been telling us about her weekend and a guy she hooked up with. We asked her how the sex was, if she’d had an orgasm, and that’s what she told us: She “couldn’t do that with guys.”

This is the reality for many women. In heterosexual relationships, men are about 30% more likely to achieve an orgasm during sex. University of Florida’s Laurie Mintz called this disparity in sexual satisfaction “the orgasm gap.”

Historically, women’s role in sex has been passive. Sex was a means to an end for women.

Neither the female orgasm nor female enjoyment of sex is required for conception.

Women weren’t active participants of sex; they were incubators, objects or prizes, and when they did want to engage in sex, there was something wrong with them.

“That was definitely the running theme behind why we didn’t talk about sex,” agriculture, food and natural resources education junior Maezie Nettleton said.

“Because ‘Women who have sex are immoral or dirty or don’t value themselves,’ just that trope. … In the same regard, if it was a man, ‘That’s cool and totally normal,’ and, ‘That’s what men do.’”

Fisheries and wildlife second-year Lucy Breda agreed, adding shame contributes to women’s feelings about their sexual experiences.

“It can really put a damper on what they think is something worthy of telling other people,” she said.

“You can have a really great sexual experience and then the shame that other people might bring you might totally ruin it.”

Lately, the cultural

discussion has changed. The body positivity movement caused positive changes in representation in media and fashion. Dating back to the free love ideology of the 1960s through the 1980s appearance of characters like Blanche Devereaux from “Golden Girls,” women who were confident and in control of their sexuality, slutshaming has been waning.

Unfortunately, there are still gaps in that conversation.

We’re fighting the battle of telling women it’s OK to do what they want with their bodies so intensely we never stopped to ask if their partners know what that means.

Think back to sex-ed. If you were lucky, given the lack of federal mandate for sex-ed curriculum, you — maybe — learned the definition and necessity of consent and were taught ways to practice safe sex.

Was pleasure, specifically pleasure for those of the female sex, ever a topic? Sex may be a biological process our species is dependent on, but that doesn’t mean we come pre-wired with instructions on how to enjoy it and help our partner(s) enjoy it.

“I think it should be communicated if both partners are able and want to have an orgasm,” Breda said. “I just think it’s not seen as important because sex is so centered around men with penises.”

Another factor in the orgasm gap is pornography.

“Porn is shot in the male gaze,” Breda said. “When a woman with a vagina watches porn, she might try to emulate what is in the porn during actual sex acts instead of what she feels like she can gain from having sex, and what is good in sex for her.”

Nettleton said porn shows just one way to have sex and isn’t representative of reality.

“Sex is not graceful all the time,” she said. “At least for me, it’s talking and stopping and checking in with your partner and very communicative, and it doesn’t really show that. … I almost fell off my bed; they don’t do that.”

So, what can we do? How can we make sex more enjoyable for women? To start, penetration should not be synonymous with sex.

“I absolutely do not believe

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penetration is a requirement for sex,” Breda said. “The point of sex is to have an intimate experience with somebody. So, whatever that entails would be whatever the partners are comfortable engaging (in) … as long as there’s open communication.”

Companies like Bellesa Boutique cater specifically to women. Gentleman, don’t be afraid to use toys. They’re not your competitors, and this isn’t news. Chicago’s Berman Center conducted a study in 2004, polling women about their sex toy use and found, “Current sex toy users, whether or not in a steady, healthy relationship, were significantly more likely to report a higher level of desire and interest for sex and less pain during and following intercourse.”

Another thing we can do?

Get to know ourselves. Yes, in that way.

“Part of it is not feeling ashamed as a woman to masturbate and watch porn … and explore your erotic side by yourself,” Nettleton said. “Because if you want your partner to be able to help you reach an orgasm, I think it’s really important to know your own body.”

Sex, making love, knocking boots, whatever you want to call it, is a process — a process that shouldn’t be considered over once a man orgasms.

Different people like different things; talk to your partner.

“There are zero conversations about sex, especially for women,” Nettleton said. “We should probably talk about sex more.”

And, I get it. It’s not easy to talk about. I, for one, can’t say I’m looking forward to sending my family members my first ever college article, “Look! It’s all about orgasms!”

But the truth is, people aren’t educated on female anatomy — they don’t understand where the clitoris is or how penetrative sex can be very painful for women if they aren’t turned on. If we don’t get over this cultural block, a significant percentage of our population isn’t going to enjoy sex to the fullest extent possible.

This Valentine’s Day, we should all put on some music, take it slow, throw in some toys and be as communicative as we can; let’s take “Ladies first” a little more literally.

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Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Students navigate love and sex in long-distance relationships

By Miranda Dunlap mdunlap@statenews.com The pressures of the college lifestyle can be rough on any relationship.

Between long days of classes, rigorous studying and the added implications of college party culture, being in a relationship as a student is difficult.

If that weren’t enough, some students add another element into the equation: living hours away from their partner.

English sophomore Madeleine North is in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend, who attends Michigan Technological University, a seven-hour drive from MSU. “We look forward to breaks between college,” North said. “Winter break, spring break, all that type of stuff.

Those are kind of like the countdown points, the light at the end of the tunnel.”

In between breaks, North and her partner find ways to keep the romance alive.

“We do virtual dates all the time,” North said. “Discord is our best friend, video calls, we use those things like Netflix Party and things like that to have our little dates.”

Psychology senior Taylor Kovach has been in several long-distance

relationships, some of which took place exclusively online. As she discovered her sexuality, she struggled to find people close to her who were also a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Being gay,there’s not a lot of people in Michigan to date,” Kovach said.

“You have to date online. That’s kind of the only thing you can do. I’m from a small town, and there weren’t that many ‘out’ people.”

Kovach met her current girlfriend online. Though they have now closed the distance between them, they were a long-distance couple at first. Kovach said she got to know her partner in reverse — she learned all of the deep problems and traumas that are typically exposed later before she could meet her in person.

“You have to have that really good foundation and intimacy,” Kovach said. “All the ways you can’t get physically intimate, you’re going to get emotionally intimate, very emotionally intimate.”

Kovach noted there are some upsides to not being able to be physically intimate with your partner.

“You know each other on a very deep level before you do any of the physical stuff,” Kovach said. “That makes the physical stuff way more worth it by the time that comes.”

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Kovach serves as proof; with communication and trust, a relationship can prevail over a long distance. “(We are) engaged and we have animals together and, in the future, we’re planning on having kids,” Kovach said. “We’re very happy. We’re very good together.”

Licensed sex therapist and MSU social work professor Tina Timm has counseled couples for nearly 30 years.

She said, while difficult, it’s possible to have a rewarding relationship with someone who is not physically present.

In order to make long-distance work, Timm said it’s important for couples to have conversations about what their expectations and boundaries are, as well as what their definition of being faithful is. It may just be the difference of having your sexual needs met or not.

“I think there’s some rules of relationships that people assume aren’t okay to cross,” Timm said. “Like having sex with other people. ... The research is really clear that definitions of infidelity are relationally constructed.”

Timm said long-distance can take a big hit to the “feel-good” hormones we’re supposed to be getting every day, but there are ways to combat that.

“Technology has made (it) more

possible to stay connected in sexy ways,” Timm said. “Sexting each other ... doing phone sex, or things like that.”

But what happens if your contact with your significant other is limited to letters and short call times? Psychology junior Savannah Maat is in a longdistance relationship with her partner, who is in the military. They are able to call each other for two hours a week, on average. Sometimes, he doesn’t have his phone for nearly two weeks at a time.

Maat said she sometimes gets jealous of her friends, who get to see their boyfriends often and go out with them to bars on the weekends.

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“I know it’s not all about partying and stuff, but that’s a genuine college experience for a lot of people,” Maat said. “Not to be able to ... experience that is kind of hard.”

The distance may be tough, but Maat said she is not letting it be an entirely negative experience. She said the distance has helped her become a better communicator and find more positive moments in her day.

“If I have to recap him on how my day went,” Maat said, “I’m not going to spend the whole day looking at negatives, so it made me look at the positives a little bit more.”

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Illustration by Maddie Monroe

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CA MPU S

A NON-LOVER’S QUARREL:

THE A-SPECTRUM COMMUNITY ON VALENTINE’S DAY “It’s mostly about spending time with friends ... and not feel isolated just because it’s something you don’t relate to.”

“It’s always been kinda weird to me that romantic love is celebrated so much more than like friendship or familial love because to me they’re all equal.”

Story and photos by Madison Norfleet mnorfleet@statenews.com Valentine’s day is a holiday centered around the idea of romance, but what if you don’t feel romantic love? People who don’t feel romantic or sexual feelings towards others identify themselves as asexual and aromantic. This photo story features portraits of six members of the a-spectrum community and how Valentine’s Day looks like for them.

“The real holiday is Feb. 15 when you go out and buy all the discount chocolate.”

Tai Brass Julia Zera

Environmental biology and microbiology sophomore

Bailey Walker Zoology Senior

Mathematics freshman

“For me, it’s surfing the internet looking at all the memes people make of like ‘Oh, I’m so lonely on Valentine’s’ and I just laugh.”

Alli Gregory Zoology Sophomore

“Valentine’s Day for me is probably going to be prep for (Dungeons and Dragons) ... it’s not really anything.

It’s sort of just like a day.”

Caz Schwennesen Environmental and plant biology sophomore

“Near the third year of our relationship it started not working out and there was the one Valentine’s Day in the third year of our relationship it got stressful because it’s like I have to be all lovey dovey. We just went back to be being best friends and it’s been actually better than when we were romantic partners.”

Felix Samoy Sophomore percussionist

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’They’re always gonna be there through everything’: Married undergraduates discuss their non-traditional paths

By Mariam Hanna mhanna@statenews.com It was psychology junior Hafsa Khan-Owens’ second day at MSU. As she approached the ticket desk at 1855 Place, she thought all she would be leaving with was her student section T-shirt.

Little did she know she’d leave with David, her instant crush later turned husband, too.

Khan-Owens is one of the many MSU students who are married. Although the route these students take seems untraditional, Khan-Owens expressed it was the right one for her.

“I think everybody’s college experience is very unique to them, and to label the quote-unquote college experience kind of takes away from the uniqueness of everybody’s college experience,” Khan-Owens said. “I still go to games, I support my school, I get my education — to me, that’s my college experience, and I enjoy it. I just get to do it all with my best friend.”

Khan-Owens and her husband’s love story began a couple years ago, but their lives have been connected for much longer. Her father and his mother worked together before they were born, and his two sisters have been her lifelong best friends.

“We became each other’s person to go to if we needed anything,” Khan-Owens said. “We became best friends. He genuinely, from day one, has just become my best friend in the whole world. Something that’s really interesting, I

think, that people don’t know about marriage is that 30 to 40 percent of marriage is the romantic and the honeymoon phase ... but the other 60% is really just like hanging out with your best friend all day.”

Some people believe being in such a serious relationship takes away focus from school, but for agriculture, food and natural resource education senior Nathan Snow, this is far from true.

“It’s so nice to be able to have somebody that’s consistently around to be able to go over things with you,” Snow said. “I’ve got friends and other support groups and things like that, but having her always around to look things over and ask questions ... is super helpful.”

Khan-Owens agreed completely.

“Our relationship, honestly, drives me to be more successful because I want us to succeed, and that includes me doing well,” she said.

When somebody hears their fellow student is married, one of their first questions is about how their parents reacted.

“I think they kind of thought I was going to miss out, even though I haven’t felt like that at all yet,” elementary education senior Kaitlynn Woods said. “They were a little bit worried about that, and they voiced those things not in like a condescending way, or an ‘I don’t think you should do this’ way, but just like ‘Maybe you should think about that. How will it be for you then?’”

Woods explained having someone who is more

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Photo Illustration of Taylor and Christian Halquist in Blue Owl in East Lansing on Feb. 3. Photo by Lauren Snyder

than just a singular part of her life has been one of the best aspects of being married.

“There are nights where I have a late class, and normally, if I were on my own, I would miss dinner, or I wouldn’t be able to do my laundry,” Woods said. “Sharing those daily burdens with each other ... and being able to share that workload that you’d normally have to pick up all by yourself is just wonderful.”

Managing time can be challenging as a college student, but this becomes an even bigger struggle when sharing your life, and your time, with another person.

“Because I’m going to school ... and I work full time, it’s hard to just be able to spend significant amounts of time with each other,” Snow said. “I had to rearrange my last fall semester schedule ... so that we could take an actual honeymoon ... I remember emailing my one instructor three weeks before the semester started asking him, ‘This is the week we’re going to be gone. We’re getting married. Is that going to be an issue?’ And his reply was, ‘You’re better off dropping my class because I have an exam that week, and I don’t offer exceptions.’”

To combat the hardships this can bring, Woods emphasized the significance of being attentive to what is going on in her husband’s life.

“Take time to make sure that you know the other person’s schedule, and you’re making an effort to make it easier on them,” Woods said.

“Being an undergraduate is already hard enough, and so adding in a whole other person can seem daunting, but when you work together, it makes everything easier.”

Snow and his wife, McKenzie, try to set aside a few hours every day to spend together.

“Sometimes, it’s as simple as going out to eat, sometimes it’s playing some video games together,” Snow said. “It’s making the most of the little amount of time we have.”

But being in the same room together or out together is not the only thing that matters. It’s important for these couples to show one another they are emotionally present as well.

“The advice I would give is to be together,” Khan-Owens said. “You can physically be together and not be together mentally, but to stay connected, to stay really connected, that’s something that’s gonna keep you going.”

Accounting junior Amanda Lamp had a unique college experience. After graduating high school in 2004, she went to college in Massachusetts.

Her now husband, James, moved up there with her, and they eloped soon after.

Lamp took some time off from school, but

when she returned, her whole life had changed.

She now has three children.

“My kids come first,” Lamp said. “I might have a test to study for but if they need me, then they’re gonna get me first.”

Woods and her husband did not live together before they got married, so for them, moving in together was a huge change.

“You think moving out of your parents house and moving to college (is) a big change, but then getting married and moving with a whole other person is also a big change,” Woods said. “It’s not the same as having a roommate like everybody kind of paints it out to be. It’s a lot more different because you’re way more worried about what the other person is doing, what they need, those types of things.”

Woods and her husband still go out with their friends, but being in such a different part of life can sometimes be challenging.

“They’re really close,” Woods said, referring to her classmates. “They’re really tight knit, they’re having a lot of the same experiences of, ‘Oh my gosh, where am I going to live? How am I going to do that’ and I kind of have all those things figured out. They’re still figuring out budgeting; we were forced to figure that out when we got married. It’s kind of like feeling like I’ve already done those things, but not quite fitting where they are in life still.”

Something Khan-Owens has noticed since tying the knot is the difference in how adults perceive her. She said her professors treat her like she is older.

“I think that there is a slight shift in how even adults will view you because there’s a difference between saying, ‘Oh, yeah, I brought my boyfriend or my girlfriend’ versus ‘I brought my husband or my wife,’” Khan-Owens said.

Regardless of being an undergraduate, being married is not always sunshine and rainbows.

There can be cloudy days, especially when there is so much on your plate already.

“It’s not always going to be easy, but at the end of the day, you’re with somebody who you love and care about and loves and cares about you,” Snow explained. “They’re always gonna be there through everything for you if they’re truly the right person. I don’t think I’d be able to do what I’m doing without McKenzie around, and it definitely makes it a lot different of an experience, but for the better.”

READ THE FULL VERSION ONLINE AT STATENEWS.COM.

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A Valentine’s breakfast guide for the morning after

By Finn Hopkins fhopkins@statenews.com Photos by Jared Osborne Valentine’s Day. Maybe you’ve been looking forward to it all year. Maybe you’re dreading it.

The fancy dinner reservations, heart shaped boxes of chocolate, love letters and bouquets of flowers are all you need to make the evening special. At least, that’s what Hollywood romcoms and the Valentine’s Day display at Meijer would have you believe.

With all the talk of romantic Valentine’s Day evenings, it’s easy to forget one very important fact. If all goes well, there’s a good chance you’ll be waking up to your significant other the next morning — and you’ll probably be hungry.

It’s important to resolve this hunger before one of you gets hangry and threatens to eat the bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter.

A disaster that could ruin all the romance from the night before.

That’s where breakfast comes in.

Maybe work or school kept you and your significant other from having the romantic night you wanted. Maybe the cost of that dinner reservation was just too high. Maybe you’re looking for a way to celebrate the holiday finally being over.

Whatever the reason, let this be your justification to go eat some great food for breakfast. You can save the box of chocolates for later, because here are four great breakfast spots in the area for you to enjoy the morning after Valentine’s Day.

SOUP SPOON CAFÉ

The outside of The Soup Spoon Cafe located in Lansing on Feb. 1.

Maybe this isn’t just a breakfast guide, because Soup Spoon Café serves lunch and dinner, too. Given how delicious the food is, I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to eat Valentine’s Day dinner there before coming back for breakfast the next morning. It really is that good.

Soup Spoon’s breakfast menu has something for everyone. If you’re looking to start your morning with an omelet or an egg scramble, you’re in luck because they have 12 listed on their menu. If you can’t decide on one of the choices offered, you can always opt to build your own omelet to fit exactly what you’re craving.

Omelets and scrambles aren’t all though.

Soup Spoon Café also offers buttermilk pancakes (with optional blueberries or chocolate chips), French toast, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos and a variety of eggs benedicts, just to name a few. My personal favorite is the “Smoked Salmon Benny,” complete with two poached eggs, house smoked salmon, an English muffin and chipotle aioli drizzle.

For the vegans out there, Soup Spoon Café offers “A ‘Very Vegan’ Start,” which includes fried potatoes and grilled vegetables, spicy vegan lentil patty, tomatoes, balsamic drizzle, wheat toast and strawberry preserves.

Soup Spoon Café offers a quality atmosphere.

The large windows light up most of the dining area and is the perfect place to admire how

beautiful your significant other is — even if their first cup of coffee hasn’t quite hit yet.

Soup Spoon Café is located at 1419 E Michigan Ave. in Lansing. They’re open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

LEO’S CONEY ISLAND

you can always order the bonuts, which are really just an excuse to eat cinnamon sugar donuts for breakfast.

Maybe the previous night’s festivities have left you with a bit of a headache the next morning. Good Truckin’ offers three different “hangover” sandwiches to help you out. For a change of pace, you could also try the “Mary Jane waffle,” which consists of a cornbread waffle topped with pork or avocado, two overmedium eggs, crema and scallions. You can enjoy it guilt free, too, because Mary Jane is legal at both state and federal levels.

Good Truckin’ Diner is located at 1107 S. Washington Ave., in the heart of the REO Town district. I’d recommend getting there early, but even if you have to wait, it’s worth every second.

FOR CREPE SAKE The inside of Lea’s Coney Island located in downtown East Lansing on Feb. 1.

Leo’s is the lover that you keep going back to. It may not be as glamorous as some of the other restaurants here, but it offers great food at great prices, all within walking distance of campus. When you don’t feel like driving or waiting for a table, Leo’s is there to take you in with open arms.

The restaurant serves breakfast all day, so you and your significant other won’t be judged if you want to sleep in before getting your fix of banana pancakes. In fact, their entire menu is served all day, which means you can enjoy some avocado toast while your partner gazes in awe at a flaming plate of cheese when they order the “Saganaki”… That’s hot.

Get there before 11 a.m. Monday through Friday, though, and you’ll be able to get a full breakfast of two eggs, meat and hashbrowns for under $7, making Leo’s Coney Island a great option for college budgets. They also offer a wide selection of omelets, alongside sweeter options like their cinnamon swirl French toast.

Chances are that if you’ve lived in East Lansing for any amount of time, you already know how much of a staple Leo’s is to the MSU community. If you haven’t been yet, you’re missing out. Leo’s Coney Island is located at 333 Albert Ave., East Lansing.

GOOD TRUCKIN’ DINER

A water and vegan hot cocoa inside Good Truckin’ Diner in Lansing on Feb. 1.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Good Truckin’ Diner the moment you walk through the door.

The restaurant itself is tiny, consisting of a wall of booths, a few tables and a counter that looks over the kitchen. The walls are covered with license plates, street signs and local artwork. If you’re like me, you’ll spend a good amount of time looking at all of that before you even glance at a menu.

When you do look at the menu, you’ll start to see why Good Truckin’ Diner isn’t like the other diners in town. Did you know cereal shakes were a thing? They are at Good Truckin’ Diner. How about French toast topped with rum sauce and caramelized bananas? Order the “Bourbon Street,” and find out just how delicious that combination truly is. If that’s not sweet enough for you,

Valentine’s Day with a taste of France though, thanks to a relatively new addition to the East Lansing restaurant scene. For Crepe Sake provides an assortment of sweet and savory crepes alongside a selection of Belgian waffles to help bring the spirit of Paris to the East Lansing community.

For Crepe Sake offers crepes with a variety of fillings, ranging from classics like a lemon and sugar crepe, to the “France,” which comes filled with Nutella, strawberries, bananas and whipped cream. For a savory option, try the “Orchard.” This crepe comes filled with ham, cinnamon apple butter, aged white cheddar and caramelized onion. For Belgian waffles, the “Turtle” comes topped with caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, toasted pecans and whipped cream.

Did I mention that you can add a scoop of ice cream “a la mode” to your crepe or waffle?

Yes, please.

In addition to their crepes and Belgian waffles, they also offer hot chocolates, mochas, macchiatos and a range of other hot and cold drinks, depending on what you’re looking for.

For Crepe Sake is located at 211 M.A.C. Ave., East Lansing, and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. They have extended hours Thursday through Saturday, when they’re also open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Front door of For Crepe Sake located in downtown East Lansing on Feb. 1.

Let’s be honest, not many of us can afford to jet off to Paris for a romantic getaway.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate

Robert J. "Bob" Parks

March 23, 1940 – January 25, 2022 Omaha, NE - Robert J. "Bob" Parks was born to Robert Jay and Hazel May (Hobbs) Parks on March 23, 1940, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bob graduated from Kalamazoo Public Schools in 1958, followed by a B.A. from Western Michigan University in 1962 and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1963 and 1967 respectively in History and Economics. He was a life-long Spartan. After serving in the United States Army from 1968 to 1970 in the rank of Captain, he taught as an Associate Professor and Member of the Graduate Faculty before entering Federal Service. As a pioneer in what he liked to describe as "applied history," he served in the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing and the Tactical Air Command before becoming Command Historian for Pacific Air Forces, the Strategic Air Command, and the United States Strategic Command, retiring in 2001. He was the author of three books and numerous classified articles and studies.

In June 1965, he married Mary K. Stelson, who (survives or predeceased him). Bob is survived by wife, Mary; two sons, Robert Joseph Parks (Kris) and Dr. Alan Michael Parks (Heather); and seven grandchildren. Cremation has already taken place, and at the decedent's request, there will be no ceremonies HEAFEY-HOFFMANN-DWORAK-CUTLER West Center Chapel, 7805 W. Center Rd. 402-391-3900 | www.heafeyheafey.com.

T U ES DAY, FE BRUA RY 8 , 2022

STATEN EWS.CO M

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“I continue to be impressed by the concept of ‘Spartans Will.’ Our ability to get things done and be tenacious and resilient under the most difficult circumstances has really shone through in so many ways.”

MSU President Samuel Stanley, Aug. 4, 2020.

Dear President Stanley,

The Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive team has attempted to meet with you for the last 15 months via email, phone, petitions, and appearing at every Board of Trustees meeting since October 2020.

We have had conversations with MSU leaders, legislators, experts, and donors who agree that your decision to cut the MSU Swimming and Diving teams deserves revisiting. We have more than $3.5 million in current endowments and pledges, and recently secured an estate donation of $7.5 million. We've drafted solutions and attempted collaboration, receiving praise for our knowledge and professionalism. Our tenacity and resilience have "impressed" everyone, yet you still refuse to speak with us.

Then again your words, much like the outdoor pool at IM West, don’t hold water. You claimed MSU’s aging pools led to your decision to cut the program as “there [was] not a reasonable expectation of a better situation in the future,” yet just eight months later you and the Board approved a student recreation fee that will fund a brand new facility. You exalt that the "new facility will ensure students, as well as employees, have access to the wellness tools they need to improve their overall physical and mental well-being," yet the first concept drawings of this facility do not include a pool. This goes against your 2020 IM Facility Assessment committee findings which stated that MSU’s aquatic capacity was at a “significant deficit” and would require a new 50-meter indoor pool to meet national standards. Do you not agree with your team's conclusions?

We are left to wonder: Are you so set on erasing the 99-year-old swimming and diving legacy at Michigan State that you are willing to short-change MSU staff, organizations, and students who are paying for this new facility? You made your commitment to health and wellness clear, calling it a “bedrock of our strategic plan,” yet you’ve left a large hole in this plan - one roughly 50 meters long.

Finally, your legal team was handed a loss last week by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and now faces an uphill battle over yet another Title IX claim against the University.

President Stanley, if you're impressed with the resilience of Spartans Will, no group has shown more will than us. The time for talk is over. Work with us to bring MSU Swimming and Diving back for its 100th season. Together we can build a new aquatic center that serves all Spartans. To use your words, let’s “get things done.”

Go Green!

Battle for Spartan Swim & Dive

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TU ESDAY, F EBRUA RY 8 , 2022