Thursday 2/18/16

State News The

A fight for clean water

For interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Ricardo Vasquez, who commutes from Flint, the lack of access to clean water in his home has affected his daily life.

Interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Ricardo Vasquez poses for a portrait on Feb. 11 in the Engineering Building. Vasquez carries a gallon of water around campus with him and refills it prior to returning to his home in Flint, Mich. PHOTO: CARLY GERACI

— PAGE 4, 5 AND 6

HOUSING

SPORTS

Questions about off-campus living?

Check out our housing guide for information on housing options and other tips — PAGES 13-16 T HU R S DAY, F E B R UA RY 18, 2 016

@THESNEWS

“It’s just been tough. I’ve been trying to work my way back into the rotation. I’ve just been staying in the gym and getting healthy and doing whatever I can.”

Alvin Ellis III, men’s basketball junior guard — PAGE 9

STAT ENEWS .COM

CHARIT Y

Comedy show brings laughter and funds

Laughter is the Cure to Life raised money for C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital — PAGE 2

RELIGIOUS GUIDE Look for this directory in the paper every Thursday and online at: www.statenews.com/religious Ascension Lutheran Church 2780 Haslett Rd., E. Lansing Between Hagadorn & Park Lake Rds. (517) 337-9703 Sunday Worship: 10am Adult Bible Study: 9am Wed. Lenten Service: 7pm Soup, Supper: 6pm ascensioneastlansing.org Chabad House of MSU Your Jewish home, away from home 540 Elizabeth St. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 214-0525 chabadmsu.com Friday evenings: 20 minutes after sunset followed by Shabbat dinner Saturday: 11am, Torah reading at 12pm Eastminster Presbyterian Church 1315 Abbot Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48823 (517) 337-0893 www.eastminsterchurch.org Sunday School for All Ages: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 10:30am UKirk Presbyterian Campus Ministry www.ukirkmsu.org Faith Fellowship Baptist Church 1001 Dakin St. Lansing, MI 48912 (517) 853-9897 Sunday Morning Worship: 11am Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study: 6:30pm Van service available to church Campus Bible Study: Thursday at 7:30pm in Chemistry Bldg. www.ffbc.us First Baptist Church of Okemos 4684 Marsh Rd. Okemos, MI 48864 (517) 349-2830 www.fbcokemos.org/worship Sunday worship: 10:45am Greater Lansing Church of Christ 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI (Meeting at the University Christian Church building) (517) 898-3600 Students welcome!

Sunday Worship: 8:45am Sunday Bible class: 10am Wednesday: 7pm - praise and worship Students please feel free to call for rides http://www.greaterlansingcoc.org

Lansing Church of God in Christ 5304 Wise Rd., Lansing, MI 48911 http://lansingcogic.org/ Worship hours Sunday: 10:30am, 5:00pm Monday Family Prayer: 6:00pm Little Flock Christian Fellowship A Non-DenominationalEvagelical Church MSU Alumni Chapel (Basement Hall) Sunday Worship Service: 10am-12 Noon.

Fellowship Lunch after the service Weekly Bibly Studies & Students’ Meetings. littleflock.msu@gmail.com www.littleflock.org

The Islamic Society of Greater Lansing 940 S. Harrison Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823 For prayer times visit www.lansingislam.com/ Trinity Church 3355 Dunckel Rd. Lansing, MI 48911 (517) 272-3820 Saturday: 6pm Sunday: 9:15am, 11am trinitywired.com

University Baptist Church 4608 South Hagadorn Rd East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-4144 www.ubcel.org 10 AM Worship Service 11:15 Coffee Hour 11:30 Sunday School

Peoples Church 200 W. Grand River Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-6074 www.peoples-evolution.org Sunday Worship: 8:30am, 9:30am Tuesday: Love Life: 7-9pm Wednesday: Dinner at 5:30pm, Journey at 6:30

University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-5193 universitychristianwired.com Sunday: 11:15 am Sunday Bible Study: 10:15 am

River Terrace Church 1509 River Terrace Dr. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-9059 www.riverterrace.org Service times: 9 & 11:15am

University Lutheran Church (ELCA) One Community: Lutheran/ Episcopal Campus Ministry 1020 South Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-2559 www.facebook.com/onecommunitymsu Sunday Worship 10:45am

The Pentecostals of East Lansing 16262 Chandler Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 337-7635 www.pentecostalel.org Like us on Facebook!

Sunday worship: 11am Thursday Bible study: 7pm Hillel Jewish Student Center Thursday young adult group: 360 Charles St., E. Lansing 8:30pm (517) 332-1916 Wednesday campus Bible Friday Night study: 8pm at MSU library Services: 6pm, Dinner: 7pm September - April

Laughter is the Cure to Life for MSU student

Unity Spiritual Renaissance 230 S. Holmes St. Lansing, MI 48912 (517) 484-2360 or (517) 505-1261 Sunday: 10:30am Wednesday: 6:30pm meditation

Martin Luther Chapel 444 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-0778 martinlutherchapel.org Sunday: 9:30am & 7:00pm Wednesday Worship: 9pm Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring)

St. John Catholic Church and Student Center 327 M.A.C. Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 337-9778 stjohnmsu.org Sunday: 8am, 10am, Noon, 5pm, 7pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12:15pm Tuesday & Thursday: 9:15pm

Features

Jake Allen Features editor features@statenews.com @thesnews

University United Methodist Church MSU Wesley 1120 S. Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-7030 universitychurchhome.org msuwesley.org Sunday: 10:30am 9:00am Garden Service in the summer TGIT: 8:00pm Thursdays Sept. - April WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 580-3744 www.msu.edu/~weisluth 6:00pm Saturday

Religious Organizations: Don’t be left out of the Religious Directory!

Call 517-432-3000 today to speak with an Account Executive

Advertising sophomore Sam Silverstein performs during his comedy show, Laughter is the Cure to Life, on Feb. 16 in the Business College Complex. Silverstein donated all of the proceeds from the event to Mott’s Children’s Hospital. PHOTO: ALICE KOLE

BY DANIELLE DUGGAN DDUGGAN@STATENEWS.COM

“I want you to look to your left, now look to your right, now look at whoever was more attractive and introduce yourself,” advertising sophomore Sam Silverstein said during his comedy show Tuesday night.

If this bit of comedy doesn’t sum up Silverstein’s Laughter is the Cure to Life event, imagine an hour-long performance filled with tennis balls, morph suits, half-naked police officers and two friends turned enemies, all in the name of charity.

‘‘It brought us back to reality for a second and out of show mode where it’s like, we’re actually doing something, we’re actually changing lives and making a difference.’’

Sam Silverstein Advertising sophomore

“(The show takes) the best aspects of what you might see in a movie, what you might see in a theater act, what you might see in a standup comedy show and we combine it all into a storyline,” Silverstein said.

The show isn’t only for entertainment — the proceeds made through ticket sales go directly to the Child and Family Life department of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

This department uses the funds raised to purchase action figures, video games, music therapy, toys and anything else that will make a sick child’s stay more enjoyable.

The most recent show raised $5,000. Though that seems like a lot of money, it wouldn’t be enough to make much of a difference if put toward research, Silverstein said, which is why he chose to donate to this specific department.

“I’m 19 and all I like to do is play and have fun and these kids are three, five, seven years old and their friends are in school having fun at recess, playing, coloring, drawing and they’re 2

T H E STAT E NE WS

in a hospital room for months to years at a time with their parents,” he said. “And that’s not fun.

So we try to bring the fun to them.”

Knowing his show raises money for a great cause has grounded Silverstein throughout the stress and hectic schedules that come with running it, Silverstein said.

Recently, a mother of one of the children staying in C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital contacted Silverstein and gave him a huge personal thank you for the work he and his team are doing. She told him that, through his work, he has changed not only the life of her daughter, but her life as well.

“It brought us back to reality for a second and out of show mode where it’s like, we’re actually doing something, we’re actually changing lives and making a difference,” Silverstein said.

Though the charity aspect of the show brings its share of touching moments, simply being on stage and getting positive reactions from the crowd is gratifying, too.

Silverstein’s love for comedy began when he got first place in his high school talent show.

His winning performance combined stand-up comedy with juggling.

That performance evolved into going door-todoor freshman year of college in his residence hall, juggling for everyone in his hall and handing out cards with his name, email and YouTube channel on it. He then started collaborating with friends about show logistics.

“No matter what you’re going through, whether it’s a bad breakup, a loss in your family, you failed a test or whatever it is, laughing is something humans can unanimously connect on and relate to and just to be able to make someone genuinely crack up, laugh, smile, feel good, is the most rewarding feeling giving back, especially when you can do it in front of 600 people laughing at one time,” Silverstein said.

He isn’t the only one getting the laughs during the performance.

Silverstein is joined on stage by his longtime friend and co-star, Nick Tenaglia along with various other performers who are a part of the performance.

Read more at statenews.com.

T H U R S DAY, FE B R UA RY 1 8 , 2 01 6

Contents INSIDE

Dance team invites Izzone members to join in their routines each year

Students voice complaints about DTN Management and CRMC

PAGE 12

PAGE 7

BY T H E N U M B E R S

21

The number of sporting events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

See page 10

Local police share ways to prevent theft in residence halls and off-campus

Students look for ways to save for Spring Break trips, including using alternative rental options like Airbnb

BY JOSH BENDER JBENDER@STATENEWS.COM

With spring break less than a month away, many students are looking forward to some fun in the sun before the finals grind begins.

But planning such a trip on a college student’s budget can be a challenge.

In addition to standard options of booking PAGE 14 one hotel room for numerous students or driving instead of flying, there are a number of less commonly thought of methods for saving money students can utilize.

“Honestly, the experience The timing of MSU’s spring break is advantaliving in (the fraternity house) geous for money saving options. has been tremendous. ... It’s “There are a lot more deals and special offers probably one of the best housing for March because our break is so much earlidecisions I think I’ve made while er than other schools,” kinesiology sophomore Olivia Maurer said. being in college.”

“A lot of their breaks are closer to Easter.”

While many students choose to book hotel rooms, choosing to stay in a house can provide students with a more cost effective, spacious Sean McGahey, applied engineering sciences vacation environment. senior on living with Delta Sigma Phi “Getting a house saves money because more See page 16 people can split the cost more ways and the rate can be for the whole week instead of by the night like with hotels,” education junior Katie Morisette said.

Another option that has become popular in larger cities is Airbnb. The website allows guests to rent full houses or apartments or just a room in a place for usually less than an average night in a hotel would cost.

Plus, many of the locations favored by students also wind up being more cost effective.

“Locations like Panama City and South Padre in Texas are cheaper because they are aimed at college students,” Morisette said.

Some Airbnb rentals in Panama City for the week of spring break cost as low as $90 a night.

For students planning to use their spring break to volunteer while enjoying a new locale, there are different fundraising options.

“We do a fundraising program called ‘AdoptA-Breaker,’ which is basically a letter writing campaign the participants run to offset the cost of the trip — last year we raised about $9,000,” neuroscience junior and Alternative Spartan Breaks’ site and education chair David McClendon said. “In the past students have been able to fundraise enough to cover the entire cost of their trip.”

Alternative Spartan Breaks gives students meeting attendance requirements a $100 stipend to offset the program’s average total cost of $425 for meals, lodging and transport, McClendon said.

Members of the Izzone perform with the MSU Dance Team during a timeout of the game against Indiana on Feb. 14 at Breslin Center. PHOTO: EMILY ELCONIN

VOL . 106 | NO. 40

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T H U RS DAY, F E B RUARY 1 8 , 2 01 6

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Spotlight

Julia Nagy Managing editor feedback@statenews.com @thesnews

MSU students living in and from Flint feel the effect of lead water

BY IAN WENDROW IWENDROW@STATENEWS.COM

The cup of water is clear as crystal. No noticeable odor, no odd coloration — ­ it’s cool and crisp when it hits the tongue.

You would have no idea it is tainted with lead.

“Looks clean, doesn’t it?” Ricardo Vasquez said.

Vasquez, an interdisciplinary studies in social science senior, commutes to MSU four days out of the week. Although he used to live in apartment complexes closer to campus, he later found it cheaper and more convenient to drive to campus.

That was until the water in his and many other Flint residents’ homes became poisoned from lead and chlorine byproduct.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

Flint’s troubles began with a vote by its City Council back in March 2013. Instead of leasing the water from Detroit’s Water and Sewage Department as they had been doing, Flint’s leadership decided to get their water from a soon-to-be built pipeline known as the Karegnondi Water Authority.

With the pipeline still several years out from completion and no longer getting its water from Detroit, the city and its emergency manager at the time, Darnell Earley, resigned to using the Flint River as its main water source.

Efforts to clean up the polluted water began a snowball effect as problems continued to sprout, motivated largely in part by infra-

Interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Ricardo Vasquez demonstrates washing his face using water he poured from a bottle on Feb. 12 at his home in Flint. Vasquez relies on bottled water to complete daily tasks since it isn’t safe to use the tap water in his home. PHOTOS: CARLY GERACI

structure problems. A chlorine-based water treatment created a corrosive effect within the city’s outdated lead pipes, leeching the toxic metal into the city’s water supply and slowly poisoning residents throughout a period of two years.

To the right of Vasquez’s kitchen sink is a shelf stacked with cases of bottled water and three filled pitchers, their own builtin filters attached.

“These are what they’re giving people, but now they’re saying there’s so much lead that the filters aren’t really doing anything,” he said.

The water in Vasquez’s home is still filled with lead toxins. Flint residents were given toothbrush-sized lead test kits meant to test the lead concentration of their water. There’s no “safe” levels of lead in drinking water, though the Environmental Protection Agency lists its “action level” as anything exceeding 15 parts per

billion, or ppb.

When Vasquez inserted it into a glass of tap water, the result came up as 106 ppb.

LIVES CHANGED

Vasquez reshaped his daily routine to work around the contaminated water. Brushing his teeth requires a gallon of water to always be by the bathroom sink, which he also uses to wash his face. Before his family replaced the filter on their shower head, he was taking showers at the local Planet Fitness after driving home from MSU. Even going out to eat presents its own challenges. Walking around Flint’s downtown, Vasquez pointed out all the restaurants boasting “SAFE WATER - LEAD TESTED” signs taped to the entrance doors.

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Interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Ricardo Vasquez demonstrates pouring water into a bowl for his dog on Feb. 12 at his home in Flint.

Vasquez relies on bottled water to complete daily tasks since it isn’t safe to drink the tap water in his home.

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THE COST OF WATER

His ire is what drew Vasquez to his first engagement with activism. During Gov. Rick Snyder’s State of the State Address, hundreds of Michiganians flocked to the Capitol steps to protest Snyder and his administration’s lethargic response to the crisis in the two years it formed.

Among the crowd was Vasquez, holding up a United Auto Workers, or UAW, sign and chanting along with the protesters. His cousin, Dan Reyes, is head of the UAW-Flint chapter.

Like many of the residents in Flint, Vasquez and his family first came to the city seeking employment opportunities from the bustling automotive industry there.

Moving up from Texas in the 1950s, Vasquez’s grandfather and his son, Richard, found a

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This is the daily reality for many Flint residents. Mary Herman, a social relations and policy junior, attends MSU full time but frequently drives back to visit her family in Flint.

“It was really weird going home to always having to use the filtered water and we can’t use our ice cubes because that water doesn’t go through a filter,” Herman said. “It was also weird going out to eat in Flint. They’d give you a bottled water instead of just a glass.”

Standing in his sunlit kitchen on a particularly warm winter day, Vasquez might seem intimidating at first. Broad shouldered and thick armed, his size is betrayed by a boyish face and soft-tempered voice.

When he begins to reflect on the circumstances which led to the unsafe water in his home, his mood quickly changes. Suddenly, his physique matches the furor he has toward those who failed Flint.

“I’m pissed off because they’re lying to us,” Vasquez said. “They’re lying to people and you see kids breaking out in rashes. They have

steady job working for General Motors, or GM. Along with a job and pay, GM would also help house many of its employees, creating entire neighborhoods of GM workers.

Vasquez’s house resides in one such neighborhood.

From the outside everything looks quaint and comfortably middle class. One could transplant the entire street Vasquez lives on and place it in Ferndale without much noticeably changing. Except, of course, the fact that his house value has gone down considerably since the water crisis began.

When his father first bought the house, it was worth about $70,000. Now it’s barely hovering at approximately $10,000.

While property values have rapidly decreased, the cost of water has only gone up. Vasquez’s family pays approximately $150 a CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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T H U RS DAY, F E B RUARY 1 8 , 2 01 6

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Spotlight “People know where you are from now so you talk about the city through the crisis. The hardest thing is trying to change their imagination.”

Michael Allard, MSU alumnus CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

month. The Flint Journal estimated in 2014 the average cost to be around $140 per month, roughly eight times the national average, according to an article from NPR.v “We’re paying more than people in San Francisco, you know, or New York City,” Vasquez said.

DISTRIBUTING WATER

Stockpiling water has now become a necessity for many residents. Flint has been lucky enough to receive an outpouring of support, which usually manifests as hundreds of cases of bottled water arriving at the city’s many fire stations, schools and churches.

At the church Vasquez’s family attends, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, the building’s main foyer is lined with stacks of bottled water, filters and pitchers. Children run around playing tag and hiding in between the towers of water. The scent of cooked ground beef and paprika comes from the taco bar in the back, open to all who enter.

Our Lady of Guadalupe got involved after parish member Richard Vasquez, Ricardo’s father, took it upon himself to assist undocumented workers that needed water, since official water distribution sites have previously turned them away since they can’t prove residency.

Unlike other distribution sites, Our Lady of Guadalupe functions on an honor system. People come and go and request what they need.

If they can’t provide proof of residence, Vasquez just marks their name down on a white slip of paper and helps carry the water to their car.

The church’s deacon, Omar Odette, who functions as a type of administrator, contrasted the sense of communal trust to the disdain many Flint residents have for the powers that be who are involved in the crisis.

“A lot of us aren’t trusting what we’re being told at times because, you know, for a long time they told us the water was fine,” Odette said. “It’s going to take a long time to build that trust back up.”

THE PERCEPTION OF FLINT

That sense of manipulation is felt strongly by Vasquez, who said he felt marginalized by the political insincerity and the descent of the media to the Rust Belt city.

“They’re making Flint seem like we’re this poor community that doesn’t have grocery stores or everyone’s poor here. ... The media, they don’t live here, so they don’t know exactly what life’s like down here,” Vasquez said.

Across the pond in Europe, the story surrounding Flint is the same kind of doom-and-gloom coverage. Michael Allard, a former Flint resident and MSU alumnus studying at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, has talked with many people there about Flint.

Interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Ricardo Vasquez studies on Feb. 11 in the Engineering Building. Vasquez carries a gallon of water around campus with him and refills it prior to returning to his home in Flint.

PHOTOS: CARLY GERACI

“People know where you are from now, so you talk about the city through the crisis,” Allard said. “The hardest thing is trying to change their imagination. People have seen ‘Roger and Me.’ They have seen that it’s like America’s most dangerous city. And now there’s a water crisis.”

The movie he refers to, “Roger and Me,” was a documentary released in 1989 by filmmaker Michael Moore, himself a native of Flint. While critically accepted, the film firmly planted in the minds of its viewers an image of a city in decline and continually getting worse.

“The tales are mostly of aid,” Allard said. “Like it’s a Third World city now — America’s exception to the First World.”

Vasquez said he sees the perception as a detriment.

“All this is going to do is set Flint back because Flint was on a comeback,” Vasquez said.

It might seem strange to outsiders, but Flint’s residents almost balk at the idea of leaving the city, fully aware of all its faults.

“Not a lot of people are just going to pick up and move out of Flint,” Vasquez said. “You know this is home, no matter how bad the rep we get or how bad it is, people don’t want to move.”

BY T H E N U M B E R S

13K 6.7 parts per billion — highest lead level found in a Flint home

percent of Flint homes with dangerously high lead levels in their water, exceeding 15 parts per billion

5 15 5K

parts per billion — lead level as a “cause for concern,” according to the EPA

parts per billion — “lead action levels,” according to the EPA

parts per billion — lead levels contamination classified as “toxic waste”

Interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Ricardo Vasquez demonstrates a Total Dissolved Solids meter to test the amount of lead in his drinking water on Feb. 1 at his home in Flint.

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News

Disputes with East Lansing rental companies leave students frustrated

BY JOSH BENDER JBENDER@STATENEWS.COM

When students decide to live off campus, they usually have to choose between renting from two of East Lansing’s largest rental home providers — DTN Management and CRMC. Unfortunately, many students report experiencing substantial problems with these companies.

Lease agreement issues left history and political science senior Katie Jesaitis’ roommate out of her home, looking for a place to live in the middle of the school year.

Jesaitis said she was aware her home on 243 Center St. was due for inspection and said she called CRMC offices multiple times to ensure nothing would prevent the house from passing, but Jesaitis’ home failed because her roommate’s basement bedroom did not meet city regulations.

“CRMC said we had to leave the house or pay a bunch of fines,” Jesaitis said. “They really tried to make an example out of my roommates and I.” To compensate for one of Jesaitis’ roommates getting kicked out, Jesaitis said CRMC offered the roommate a one-time $500 payment, but Jesaitis and her roommates paid CRMC $600 a month per person and the roommate already prepaid several months of rent.

“The biggest issue I had with all of them was that, yes we were all students, but they collected $60,000 over two years from us and they nickeled and dimed us every step of the way,” Jesaitis said. “They scammed students often — it was out of control.”

Jesaitis’ issue might have been preventable depending on the language of her lease agreement.

“You should always carefully examine the language of a lease for what is permitted or not permitted,” housing and university relations administrator for the city of East Lansing Annette Irwin said. “Codes don’t let you use an area as a sleeping space

just because there is space. It may not be safe.”

CRMC tries to ensure residents understand their lease terms, CRMC president Jeff Wells said.

“We distribute the lease prior to the lease signing so they have a couple of days to look it over,” Wells said. “We go over the portions with the residents that are complicated or could get them in trouble. The most important provisions require residents’ to sign their initials.”

CRMC might have been less inclined to negotiate with Jesaitis because of the nature of the dispute.

“Health, safety, and welfare issues are non-negotiable,” Wells said.

Environmental studies and sustainability sophomore Josh Weidenaar’s Haslett Arms apartment, owned by DTN, suffered substantial water damage to its ceiling, almost half of which had to be replaced.

“They left about a half inch of drywall dust all over our apartment, in our toaster, all over our furniture,” Weidenaar said.

The experience prompted Weidenaar to seek a report on the contents of the building’s ceilings prior to the work done in 2016.

Weidenaar said he and his roommates were offered $500 per person to sign an agreement absolving DTN of any legal responsibility for future bodily harm or property damage they suffered as a result of their time in Haslett Arms.

“It feels like they think we’re just stupid kids,” Weidenaar said.

Communication junior and DTN resident Jessica Levin said she called DTN multiple times after she repeatedly found a homeless man sleeping in her apartment hallway during winter break.

“I would leave for work at 4 a.m. and that is when he would be here, they said to call when the guy was here but who do I call at 4 a.m.?” Levin said.

When faced with rental property issues, Irwin said there are a number of resources and ways students can combat the problem.

“First let the property owner know, if that doesn’t fix the prob-

lem come to us,” Irwin said.

For rent and leasing terms disagreements, Irwin encouraged students to utilize free legal services provided by ASMSU and the MSU College of Law. “What we want to do is ensure students are living in a safe environment,” Irwin said.

DTN did not respond to requests for comment.

BY T H E N U M B E R S

430 Number of properties CRMC owns in East Lansing

25 Number of apartment complexes DTN Management owns in East Lansing and Lansing area

Student designs tote bag at BroadPOP event Showtimes for Feb.18 – Feb.21

Coming next weekend...

Brooklyn Thurs 119 B Wells Hall 8:30 PM Fri, Sat & Sun 119 B Wells Hall 7:00 & 9:10 PM Spotlight Thurs 115 B Wells Hall 8:45 PM Fri, Sat & Sun 115 B Wells Hall 7:10 & 9:20 PM He Named Me Malala Fri, Sat & Sun 117 B Wells Hall 7:15 & 9:00

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Political science and pre-law sophomore Kiley Novak works on her tote bag during BroadPOP on Feb. 17 at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. Students and local residents came to design tote bags. PHOTO: SUNDEEP DHANJAL

T H U RS DAY, F E B RUARY 1 8 , 2 01 6

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Crossword

ACROSS

1 “Pay attention!” (Ford) 6 Time for new growth: Abbr.

9 Minute Maid Park player (Chevy) 14 Select group 15 Eastern ideal 16 Absolute 17 Summer Olympics competitor 18 Symmetrically placed Monopoly sqs.

19 Bambino’s parent 20 Musical narrated by Che 21 Squeeze (out) 22 Cosmetician Adrien 23 Info-gathering mission 24 Entanglement 25 Guffaw evokers 26 Way up the mountain 29 Slowpokes 33 1945 battle setting, familiarly 34 “Macbeth” witches, e.g.

38 Car mishaps that occur at this puzzle’s four circles 41 Jabbers 42 Lip-reading alternative: Abbr.

43 Subtlety 44 Writer who used his actual middle name as a pen name 46 Venomous snake (Dodge) 50 Place for a key: Abbr.

L.A. Times Daily Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

51 Atlas, for one (Nissan) 56 Pianist known for his Beethoven interpretations 57 Most preferred, in texts 58 RollerCoaster Tycoon World publisher 59 Pope after John X 60 Seine sight 61 Can’t be beaten 62 Not yet up 63 Yalie 64 Calf-roping loop 65 Monopoly stack 66 67-Acr. has one 67 Show contempt

DOWN

1 Sound mixing control 2 Bar staple 3 Type of pride (Honda) 4 Be of __: help 5 Suppress 6 Scattered 7 Subject to ticketing 8 NCAA’s “Granddaddy of them all” 9 Capital of Eritrea 10 Lewis with Lamb Chop 11 Beat (Ford)

12 Convened again 13 Educational hurdles 27 Prize for a picture 28 Beef cuts 29 Rooting place 30 Larry O’Brien Trophy org.

31 “Fine with me!”

32 Connections 34 Familia member 35 Harry’s Hogwarts cohort 36 Firm ending?

37 Verb ending 39 Hardens into bone 40 Keeps up 44 Ancient Celtic priests 45 Present to the public 46 Well-founded 47 Adler of Sherlock Holmes lore 48 Space explorer (Ford) 49 Like many roofs 52 “Challenge accepted!”

53 Western skiing mecca (Chevy) 54 Got up 55 Gunpowder ingredient

Get the solutions at statenews.com/puzzles

Level: 1

2

3

4

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION TO WEDNESDAY’S PUZZLE Get the solutions at statenews.com/ puzzles

2/18/16

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© 2016 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

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Sports

Ryan Kryska Sports editor Sports@statenews.com @thesnews_sports

Alvin Ellis takes new approach to step up his play

BY RYAN SQUANDA RSQUANDA@STATENEWS.COM

Alvin Ellis III’s time at MSU has never been easy. Right from the get-go, his path to MSU was an alternative one.

The 6-foot-4 junior guard from Matteson, Ill. signed to the Spartans as a last second commit in the spring of 2013. Ellis was originally committed to Minnesota, but after Tubby Smith was fired, Ellis decommitted and signed with MSU a week later.

Ellis’ first two years at MSU were marred with inconsistencies. At times, he would show flashes of what he could do on the basketball court, but oftentimes he would try to do too much and was a walking turnover as soon as he stepped on the floor.

The last few weeks, however, have seen a different Ellis. His turnovers have been limited and when he’s gotten on the court, he’s played within himself and given MSU good minutes.

“It’s been tough,” Ellis said. “From last year, starting the first game and then being injured and being out a lot of weeks. It’s just been tough.

I’ve been trying to work my way back into the rotation. I’ve just been staying in the gym and getting healthy and doing whatever I can to help my team.”

Ellis’ recent rise in play has also caught the eye of MSU head basketball coach Tom Izzo, who said after Sunday’s victory against Indiana Ellis has started to work himself out of the “ultimate doghouse.”

“This year he said he was going to make a different approach,” Izzo said. “There were games we didn’t play him in and he just kept getting better. ... He’s kind of working himself back into the human race. I’m proud of him for that. That’s the ultimate in a person, is when you’re not play-

ing good enough or not doing what you’re supposed to do and then all of a sudden you turn it around. Those are the kind of guys you love in the end because he’s really made a concerted effort to put more into basketball.”

In addition to this, Ellis has taken up the role of being a key part of MSU’s scout team, something not the norm of a junior scholarship player, Izzo said, but it was Ellis who wanted to go on it to get better.

“Being on scout team is helping our starters and the second five learn the aspects of the other team and helping the scout team also lead them, so we can get a bigger role,” Ellis said.

“Just helping the team as a whole (prepare) for the next opponent.”

The scout team is something MSU junior guard Eron Harris knows a little bit about. It was a team he spent all last year on as he sat out a year after transferring from West Virginia. In his opinion, Ellis has been a tremendous help there.

“He’s doing a great job on the scout team,” Harris said. “I mean, he’s getting a chance to really play free out there on the scout team and it’s really helping him. It’s the difference between playing scout team and playing on the main team. You get on the scout team, it’s kind of like a confidence builder. That’s what he’s been doing and he was able to bring us some major play against Purdue.”

In the meantime, Ellis, who is averaging a career-high 2.8 points and 1.4 rebounds per game as of Sunday’s contest against Indiana, said no matter his journey at MSU, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“I love being here,” Ellis said. “It’s a winning program. Even when we lose, I still love it. I’m not going to trade it for anything. It’s just a matter of time, keep putting work in and I feel like my number will be called.”

Junior guard Alvin Ellis III gets subbed in during the first half of the game against Indiana on Feb. 14 at Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Indiana Hoosiers, 88-69. PHOTO: EMILY ELCONIN

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Sports

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

11:00 A.M. Swimming and Diving

11:00 A.M. Swimming and Diving

11:00 A.M. Baseball

Women’s Big Ten Championships Ann Arbor

Fordham University Greenville, S.C.

12:00 P.M. Baseball

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5:45 P.M. Softball

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Women’s Big Ten Championships Ann Arbor

University of Northern Iowa Tempe, Ariz.

Illinois State University Tempe, Ariz.

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5:45 P.M. Softball

6:00 P.M. Men’s Tennis U-M Ann Arbor

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1:00 P.M. Women’s Basketball

ALL DAY Track and Field

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6:00 P.M. Men’s Tennis

Alex Wilson Invitational South Bend, Ind.

Cleveland State Cleveland, Ohio

FEB. 21

IUPUI East Lansing

8:00 P.M. Softball

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Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championship New Orleans

9:00 P.M. Men’s Ice Hockey University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisc.

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Features

MSU student uses a ‘Groovebox’ to create live, electronic music

BY RILEY MURDOCK RMURDOCK@STATENEWS.COM

When Cameron McGuffie took the stage Tuesday night at MSU University Activity Board’s Open Mic Night, he took not a guitar or sheet of poetry, but a peculiar gray box.

“I’m still planning on getting my degree and everything, but best case I can make this my career, live off of it, go around, get gigs, travel the country, maybe the world.”

Cameron McGuffie Electronic musican

McGuffie, an interdisciplinary studies in social science freshman, started producing his own electronic music last year and is poised to release his first extended play soon.

McGuffie produces and performs his music through his Groovebox, an instrument that combines drums machines, synthesizers and sampling elements with a physical interface to allow for live performance.

“I can make any sound I’d really want out of a synth and program in drums over (a) four-bar pattern, and you just

switch between the patterns,” McGuffie said. “A lot of it’s just live, messing with the sound set.”

McGuffie took his first step toward producing his own electronic music his senior year of high school, when he decided to learn how to use his brother’s neglected drum machine.

He upgraded to his Groovebox during the summer and has been playing for about eight to nine months, he said.

“I really got serious when I came up here,” McGuffie said.

In addition to the open mic, the aspiring artist has played a gig at the Union and at Mac’s Bar’s For Funk’s Sake II event in Lansing.

Unlike a lot of modern electronic music, McGuffie’s is made through the Groovebox, without the assistance of a computer.

McGuffie said he’s noticed a resurgence in producers rejecting “DAWs,” or digital audio workstations, in favor of mechanically-produced music, a trend he calls the “beat scene.”

“When I’m looking for gigs on Craigslist, I’ve definitely seen people asking for specifically ‘no DAWs,’” McGuffie said. “A lot of people are using just drum machines, synthesizers (and) performing it live. I think it’s a lot more fun that way.”

A lot of McGuffie’s life is currently undecided.

He’s considering switching his major and potentially changing his stage name — he might name his CD “The Big Whoop EP,” but isn’t certain.

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“Right now (my stage name is) ‘KONG,’” McGuffie said. “I’ve been looking around and some other people are performing under that name, I may change it in the future.”

Despite his uncertainties, McGuffie has his eyes toward the sky and big plans for the future.

“I’m still planning on getting my degree and everything, but best case

I can make this my career, live off of it, go around, get gigs, travel the country, maybe the world,” McGuffie said.

“Right now it’s just fun, but I would like to make it my career, you know?”

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Interdisciplinary studies in social science freshman Cameron McGuffie performs at the UAB Open Mic Night on Feb. 16 at the Union. McGuffie makes his own electronic music. PHOTO: EMILY ELCONIN

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Features

Jake Allen Features editor features@statenews.com @thesnews

Izzone members and dance team share stage for timeout performance

BY DANIELLE DUGGAN DDUGGAN@STATENEWS.COM

Members of the Izzone perform with the MSU Dance Team during a timeout of the game against Indiana on Feb. 14 at Breslin Center.

PHOTO: EMILY ELCONIN

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Many Izzone members got quite an experience during a timeout of the MSU men’s basketball game against Indiana University.

Instead of watching from the bleachers, several male Izzone members were asked to volunteer and be part of a MSU Dance Team’s timeout performance.

After two days of rehearsal, the team carried out a tradition of bringing Izzone members onto the floor of Breslin Center to put on a fun, lighthearted performence.

This year, the show was on Valentine’s Day and had a Valentine’s Day theme.

“When this opportunity came up I jumped on it,” human biology junior and Izzone member Matthew Oatten said. “It was just something that I wanted to be a part of. It sounded like a lot of fun to get back into it.”

The application process started with an email, which was sent to all Izzone members asking about their interest in performing.

Though a simple “yes” was all that was required, Oatten went above and beyond, typing a lengthy email detailing his dance background and attaching a video of his dancing.

“I tried everything I could think of so I could be cho-

sen and be a part of it, so luckily it worked out for me,” Oatten said.

Oatten said the performance lived up to expectations.

“I wasn’t really nervous, I was more excited to, you know, actually get out there and perform it,” Oatten said. “It was just a lot of fun, and the build up, and I remember after I was shaking from the adrenaline it was so much fun. It’s kind of one of those things that you don’t want it to end. You wish you could go back out and do it again.”

The dance was choreographed by the dance team’s seniors.

“This year the boys were right on it,” neuroscience senior Effie Oates, one of three dance team captains, said.

Oatten said he also made a new friendship through the experience with his partner from the performance, communication senior Cristi Fisher.

Fisher said she was happy the Izzone member performance was one of her last events of her senior year because it was always something she looked forward to every season.

“The Izzone members are always fun and super outgoing so they really enjoy dancing and being a part of it, and it’s one of the most memorable dances that we do every year because it’s something different that we get to do and the crowd really enjoys,” Fisher said.

Housing Guide

MSU SHC Cooperative housing offers alternative living options

BY RILEY MURDOCK RMURDOCK@STATENEWS.COM

Whether it’s living in a dorm, an apartment or a house, living with other students is part of the majority of housing options on and off campus.

Cooperative housing takes this to the next level. MSU Student Housing Cooperative, or MSU SHC, offers a chance for students to share a living space with up to 28 other people depending on the house.

MSU SHC’s cooperative houses are managed and maintained by their occupants, who also decide how much to collectively pay for rent, as the houses function as a non-profit.

In most houses a system of “credits and fines,” in which rent is discounted or raised based on who is and isn’t doing their assigned chores, makes sure everyone pulls their weight, social relations and policy senior Sydney Burke said.

“I think it’s the best possible way to learn how to be an adult,” Burke said. “Living with so many people is a skill.’’

Burke is the membership officer for Phoenix cooperative house, the largest in MSU SHC with a population of 29.

Burke is in charge of giving tours to new members, recruiting and conflict resolution in the house.

Burke moved to Phoenix during her sophomore year and said she has been in love with it ever since. She hopes to continue living in a cooperative house after college and pursue a career involving fundraising for cooperative housing.

“Getting to live with so many different people from so many different majors and so many different things that they’re focusing on, it’s pretty much second to none. I would do it over and over and over again,” Burke said.

According to MSU SHC’s website, rent clocks in between $300 and a little more than $500, depending on the house and whether or not the room is rented as a single.

“If you’re interested at all in learning what it means to ... live and work in a community, to be surrounded by people you just absolutely adore

— it’s something that I would recommend,” Dan Newton, MSU alumnus and president of MSU Student Housing Cooperative, said.

Newton, once a transfer student, initially lived in a room he found on Craigslist before joining Apollo cooperative house, where he now lives.

“You start off living in a house with, in my case, 17 other strangers, but it’s remarkable in that at the end of the first semester even, you’re living in a house with 17 of your best friends,” Newton said.

Newton said most houses are located within a 15-minute walk from campus and students are often willing to share rides.

“It affected my life for the better ... whenever you want a friend to hang out with, there’s always people here,” hospitality business senior Alonso Rubio said.

Rubio transferred to MSU last year and joined Phoenix house after living in an apartment .

“You’re never alone in a co-op, it’s like a family outside of family,” Rubio said.

Despite having its own culture and benefits, cooperative housing might not be for everyone. The co-op houses are not handicap accessible, and Rubio admits that sometimes putting a ton of college students in charge of cleanliness doesn’t end well.

“Sometimes it can be a little dirty, living in a house with a large group of people it’s bound to happen, especially college kids,” Rubio said.

Because of the differences in locations, buildings and number of occupants, Rubio said he suggests finding what one fits before joining.

“Every house is different, depending on a person’s personality, it’s best to get to know the house,” Rubio said. “Tour around the houses and get to know the people, find out which house fits your needs.”

Burke said it’s never too early in your college experience to join.

“I would recommend doing it right off the bat,” Burke said. “There’s a lot of people who, if they only spent a short amount of time in the co-ops ... almost every single time they say they wish they had joined earlier.”

Students sit around and eat a meal during the Phoenix House co-op family dinner on Feb. 14 at the Phoenix Cooperative House, 239 Oakhill Ave., in East Lansing. PHOTO: KELLY VANFRANKENHUYZEN

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Housing Guide

Cameron Macko Public Concerns editor city@statenews.com @thesnews

Police explain housing safety tips

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MSU’s campus is a safe one, MSU police Capt. Doug Monette said, but that doesn’t mean the residence halls and buildings scattered across campus are completely crime free. Student housing in East Lansing is also generally safe, East Lansing Police Department Lt. Scott Wriggelsworth said.

Just last week, two armed robberies police said are unrelated occurred within days of each other. Both officers gave some pointers for students looking to stay out of the crime log.

Hubbard Hall in East Neighborhood saw more than 60 arrests for burglary and thefts in 2015 — the most of any residence hall — but that’s something Monette said is easily reversible.

“Students have to secure their belongings,” Monette said. “When you leave your room, lock your door. When you go to workout, make sure your stuff is locked somewhere.”

Monette said most of the thefts in residence halls are because of students being too trustworthy in their surroundings, leaving doors propped open and allowing people in whom the students don’t know.

“The best piece of advice is to just let people in the doors only if you know them, you can’t make assumptions,” he said.

Wriggelsworth said crime in East Lansing generally occurs in the downtown area because of the high concentration of people, bars and businesses.

Wriggelsworth said the majority of student housing in East Lansing sees break-ins and thefts more than any other type of crime. They also experience burglary at a higher rate than the permanent residents of East Lansing.

Most of the time, Wriggelsworth said, the break-ins are crimes of opportunity. The perpetrators only decide to commit the crime because they realize no one is home.

“I always tell students they need to lock their doors and windows overnight to be safe,” he said.

“When students are living with five or six roommates, it can be very easy to forget to lock the door.”

Wriggelsworth also said break-ins tend to increase during breaks from school — a pattern he said has been going on for about 30 years.

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Housing Guide

Tips to keep a warm house and cheap bills near the ceiling of a room.

BY CASEY HARRISON CHARRISON@STATENEWS.COM

SEAL LEAKS USING CELLOPHANE, FOAM OR CAULK

College is already expensive as it is, so why waste more money on a sky-high gas or electric bill when you can follow these cheap and efficient tricks?

Warming tips from The Art of Manliness website: NATURAL LIGHT IS YOUR FRIEND

Learning to let natural sunlight in during the day can really make a difference. Sunlight is free energy to take advantage of. Even when temperatures are below freezing, light from the sun can still warm up a home, but only open up the curtains where light is shining in. On the other side of that, it’s important to close curtains when the sun goes down to prevent the heat in the home from escaping.

Drafty windows can be a nuisance, especially in below-freezing temperatures. Cover windows by taping cellophane to the walls and create an airtight seal around it. Drafts can also be fixed by caulking the edges of window frames. A cheaper alternative is cutting up cloth or foam, such as can insulators or koozies, and sealing them around the window to prevent the draft.

USE DOOR STOPPERS TO PREVENT EXCESS AIR CIRCULATION

By sticking a divider under the door, a room can heat up a lot quicker because of the lack of air circulation. Even closing the door will cut the amount of air circulation dramatically. Cheap alternatives to door stoppers could be foam tubes or towels.

USE YOUR OVEN AS A SHORT-TERM FURNACE

For people who do a lot of home cooking, take advantage of the excess heat. After finishing cooking a meal with the oven, keep it cracked open so all the heat circulates around the home while it’s cooling down.

MOVE FURNITURE AWAY FROM VENTS

One of the easiest and most overlooked ways to keep a home warm during the winter is to make sure couches, coffee tables and other bulky furniture items are out of the way of the vents. This way, the furnace will be able to circulate and heat the home properly.

LOOK AT WHICH WAY YOUR CEILING FAN IS SPINNING

It seems like a crazy idea to use a ceiling fan during the middle of the winter, but most ceiling fans have a “winter” mode. If a ceiling fan has a switch on it, turn it so the blades on the fan rotate counterclockwise compared to clockwise. Since heat naturally rises, a counterclockwise rotating fan will recirculate the heat trapped

BURY YOURSELF IN BLANKETS INSTEAD OF HEATING UP YOUR HOME

Probably the easiest way to ensure staying warm this winter is to keep yourself under the wraps of blankets. This way, you’re not cranking up the furnace and spending a fortune on your energy bill.

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Housing Guide

Meagan Beck Campus editor campus@statenews.com @thesnews

Cost analysis: Which is a fit for you?

BY MASON BAILEY MBAILEY@STATENEWS.COM

HOUSE

Leasing a house is a popular choice for many students, as it can usually give the most independence, but it comes with more responsibilities than an apartment does.

Living in a house has its perks, such as having the perfect lawn for hosting tailgates and having more personal space between neighbors, compared to an apartment where students can feel surrounded.

These perks do come with some added baggage. The rent for houses is usually not much higher than rent for most apartments. However when leasing a house the utility bills, including water, heat, electricity, cable and Internet, are typically separate from the monthly rent. This means residents leasing a house will have to set up accounts with companies to cover these utilities.

APARTMENT

Apartment living gives students the independence they wish to find in off-campus living, without some

of the extra responsibility that comes with leasing a house.

Apartments in the East Lansing area can range in price of rent. For example, a one bedroom and one bathroom apartment at The Lodges of East Lansing, a popular location, starts at $1,159.

But the same style apartment at Cedar Village is roughly $950, assuming only one person will be living there.

Those costs often include access to multiple amenities such as a pool, a workout facility and more. Amenities are often something special to apartments, and can be an exciting plus for students looking for the perfect place to call home.

Tight quarters in an apartment should also be considered when looking at this type of living arrangement.

on or near campus, but the experience of living in the house can be worth the extra cost.

“Honestly, the experience living in (the fraternity house) has been tremendous. ... It’s probably one of the best housing decisions I think I’ve made while being in college,” Sean McGahey, applied engineering sciences senior and member of Delta Sigma Phi, said.

McGahey said one of the greatest perks of living in his fraternity house is having access to the house chef.

“Our chef was actually voted best chef in the state Michigan back in the, I think, late ‘90s or early 2000s, and having his meals four days a week, five days a week, has been absolutely phenomenal,” he said.

COOPERATIVE

GREEK HOUSING

For students who are members of the greek community, living in their fraternity or sorority houses is a viable option that can give many benefits for those looking to be a bigger part of greek life.

The costs of living in a fraternity or sorority house might be more expensive when compared to other options

The MSU Student Housing Cooperative is one of the more affordable options, and can be a great way to meet people and be part of a community.

The group has 15 different houses, and the amount of residents in each house varies from six to 29. Residents have the option of living in a single-person room or sharing with a roommate,

the median price of each approximately $500 and $375, respectively.

Depending on the house a student chooses to live in, this price can cover utilities, Internet, groceries, maintenance and daily meals. Residents are also able to vote on these costs, as members of the cooperative are the owners of the houses they live in.

“A sense of community is, I think, one of our biggest selling points for prospective members,” Dan Newton, MSU Student Housing Cooperative president, said. “When you live with 28 other people, in the case of Phoenix, you’re living with 28 of your best friends.”

THE PRICE OF LIVING Approximate average monthly cost

Co-Op $450 House $700 Greek Living $780 Residence Hall $1,100 Apartment $600

ON-CAMPUS HOUSING

ILLUSTRATION: KATIE WINKLER

For students looking to avoid long bus rides and walks to class, living on campus can be a great choice, and it comes with the added bonus of buying a meal plan to use at all the cafeterias on campus.

The downside, however, is that living on campus is one of the most expensive options for students, with the median price of living in the dorms with a dining plan being approximately $4,900

per semester for a double room and $5,900 for a single, depending on what residence hall the room is in.

If students are willing to overlook the price, however, living in the dorms has its perks. Not having to pay for parking, not walking long distances in the cold and having a dining plan can make student life a lot easier.

SOURCES: MSU LIVE ON, VARIOUS APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND HOUSES, MSU SHC

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