Tuesday 02/23/21 - Spring Housing Guide

Michigan State’s Independent Voice SP O RTS

MSU baseball’s seniors thought it was over, then they got one more at-bat “I remember crying in the locker room with a few guys,” senior Sam Benschoter said.

“And it was like 18 years of baseball, and then wake up one morning, and you’re done.”

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CAM P US

6 MSU and midMichigan community women honored with 2021 Inspiration Award The Inspiration Awards highlight MSU employees, students, and mid-Michigan community members who demonstrate inclusive work toward gender equity and social justice.

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BEAUTY VS. BODY: MSU’s female student-athletes share body image struggles Female athletes find themselves in a daily battle between embracing their strength and loving their bodies. Four MSU student athletes share their journeys with body image.

PAGES 18-19

SPRING HOUSING GUIDE 2021 Starts on page 5

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OP I N I O N

EDITORIAL

College students don’t need 2 years of dorms to be successful State News Editorial Board feedback@statenews.com A few months ago Michigan State University announced that, with some exceptions, second-year students will be required to live on campus.

This is not the best option for students.

By requiring students to stay on campus an extra year, they are expected to continue paying ridiculous room rates on top of other college expenses like tuition and books.

According to the LiveOn website, room and board costs $10,522 for the academic year. This option is with the cheapest meal plan. If you were to upgrade to gold or platinum, the total would come to $10,672 or $10,822, respectively.

Room and board also does not cover tuition, which is $14,524 for in-state students, and $39,830 for

out-of-state students.

The room rates listed above are for double rooms, which means if you wanted your own room — which most off-campus houses and apartments provide — you would be left paying even more.

This requirement also uniquely affects international students. Room and board for international students totals $11,508 because of the three weeks between the fall and spring semesters.

With the exception of those living in on-campus apartments, Owen Hall, Van Hoosen Hall and Williams Hall, all on-campus students are required to have a dining hall.

Even if you remove the dining pass, the total cost of room and board is $7,448.

To add insult to injury, students only live on campus from the end of August until the end of April, which means they are only paying for hous-

ing for about 8 months. That means that rent and utilities alone, before any meal plan, adds up to over $900 a month.

It is not reasonable to require students to have to pay exorbitant fees for two years.

Attending college and university is already too expensive.

Why would you continue to make it infeasible for students who may struggle to afford it as is?

We know the justification comes from the fact that less second-year students are opting to live on campus and the fact that there is data that says students who live on a second year have a higher graduation rate. But that’s not enough.

For more context on the data, an MSUToday press release said that the study was conducted from 2013 to 2016 and found that per class, 60 more people who stayed on campus a second year continued through schooling. That’s

great, but again, it’s not conclusive enough.

The data you are pulling from ignores the other aspects of life that can impact a person’s success in school. One key point the data ignores is that it makes sense that more students struggle in higher level classes that they take as sophomores, juniors and seniors: They’re supposed to be harder.

It also ignores the general truth that college is expensive.

Some students live off campus to try to reduce costs of living, but the cost of everything can still be too much, forcing them to have to leave.

It’s true that housing faced one of the biggest budget deficits after COVID-19. It shouldn’t be up to your next set of students to make up those funds. Treat your students like adults and let them make the decision about what is right for them.

The State News Editorial Board is composed of Editor-in-Chief Evan Jones, Managing Editor SaMya Overall, Campus Desk Editor Karly Graham, City Desk Editor Sophia Kalakailo, Culture Desk Editor Kaishi Chhabra, Sports Desk Editor Joe Dandron, Copy Chief Mark Ostermeyer, Audience Engagement Editor Julian Stainback, Multimedia Manager Tessa Osborne, Photo Editor Alyte Katilius, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Inna Mirzoyan and Staff Rep. Wendy Guzman.

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SPORTS

MSU baseball’s seniors thought it was over, then they got one more at-bat

By Rane Claypool rclaypool@statenews.com Seniors Bailey Peterson, Sam Benschoter and Bryce Kelley reflected on a year that was lost as they strolled onto McLane Baseball Stadium’s field once again.

Finally, baseball — what they thought ended for good last year as student-athletes — was back.

After they lost it last year, they know not to take it for granted. Not this time. Benschoter knows how he felt when it all seemingly came to an end last spring.

“At that time, no one really knew what extent it would be, and then later … he told us that our year was done,” Benschoter said. “I remember crying in the locker room with a few guys. And it was like 18 years of baseball, and then wake up one morning and you’re done.”

The Spartans faced many adversities with their sea-

“When they made the announcement that they were going to allow us seniors to come back and have that extra year, it meant everything.”

Bailey Peterson Senior baseball player son being cut short, as well as having eight graduating seniors. But they’re ready to be back and compete harder than before.

Big Ten baseball had the majority of their season cut short

last year due to COVID-19, in which the Spartans were only able to compete in 15 of their 61 scheduled games.

Peterson and Kelley haven’t just spent all these years playing the game so many love.

All these years they competed alongside or against each other.

“I’ve been playing against Kelley since I was eight years old, so we have a long history and a long relationship … and Benschoter is my roommate, so having him being able to go through this journey with me has been a pleasure,” Peterson said.

The team has created a bond, so the returning seniors were ecstatic to get the call from the Big Ten that they could come back for one more season.

“There was a lot of emotion that came with last season getting canceled,” Peterson said. “When they made the announcement that they were going to allow us seniors to

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The Spartans usher in junior infielder Bailey Peterson (22) as he scores a run during the game at Cooley Law School Stadium on Sep. 4, 2018. State News File Photo

come back and have that extra year, it meant everything.

This season is so special to all of us because it wasn’t where we expected to be.”

Besides just being able to return for their final season, Benschoter, Peterson and Kelley were chosen to serve as team captains.

“Being able to come back and have a little bit of influence on the younger guys is something I would have never expected,” Kelley said.

“I feel like I have a little bit more of a responsibility almost this year to show them the ropes.”

With a promising roster this season, Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. is excited to have the returning seniors back to finish out their final season.

“Thankfully for us, (the returning seniors) were excited about coming back,” Boss said. “And so, all five of those guys are going to be big components of the success that we have this year.”

A SEASON COMES INTO VIEW

With five returning seniors, a large freshman class and three transfers, the Spartans feel ready to take on a strange season. The Big Ten announced a 44-game schedule that will be played among the 14 Big Ten schools in the conference.

The season will start off March 5-7 against Maryland in Greenville, South Carolina.

“Greenville, South Carolina, is a place that we’ve been to every year that I’ve been here at Michigan State,” Boss said.

“It’s a place we’ll continue to go. We love it down there.

The city’s fantastic. The ballpark is just phenomenal.”

MSU will play either three or four against a Big Ten foe every weekend of the 2021

Bryce Kelley (17), right, looks to low-five senior infielder Dan Durkin (9), left, after he scored a run against the University of Michigan on April 18, 2017. State News File Photo

season, with no mid-week games.

With the season finally in sight, the Spartan roster is stacked from freshmen to seniors.

“Mason Erla is probably the highest-profile guy that we have right now on the roster … and is really, in my opinion, one of the best righthand pitchers in the country,” Boss said. “Kelly and Bailey Peterson were both hitting .400 or above last year when the season was cut short. So, those guys are gonna have to lead the offense, for sure.”

Boss emphasized that just putting forth 110% effort is

a strength of his team, working extremely hard, especially when this season is put in perspective for all those that came back after last year.

“First and foremost, we want our guys to play hard, and play hard all the time,” he said. “I think we try to take a page out of coach (Tom) Izzo’s playbook, with how hard their basketball team plays, win or lose. ... We understand that there’s a long tradition here with baseball being the first sport here at Michigan State and so, we feel like we have a responsibility to do that justice.”

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H OU S I N G G U I DE

Column: My 1st semester on campus in the midst of a pandemic

By Jack Armstrong jack.armstrong@statenews.com This January, I moved into my dorm room in Case Hall and began my second semester as an MSU freshman.

Although technically, it was my first semester living on campus.

Last fall, I took classes from home due to limited space available in dorms given the COVID-19 restrictions. So, after MSU announced they would be allowing an additional 2,500 students to move into residence halls in the spring, I applied and was accepted.

But my campus experience so far has been anything but normal. I began my first semester the same time winter began to pick up, and shortly after I moved in campus became frigid and snowy.

After a few weeks, campus was under a new, stricter enhanced physical distancing directive, and with temperatures low, Residence Education and Housing Services (REHS) sent an email to students on Feb. 5.

“Doors and blinds should also stay closed to keep warm air inside,” the email said.

The request, which aims to avoid damaging pipes and heating systems, came six days after the campus entered a two-week period of enhanced physical distancing. At this time, I had already been in my room,

alone, for nearly a week. I looked out the window, imagining what my semiquarantine would look like without any natural light. I decided to keep the blinds up.

The enhanced physical distancing directive, which went into effect at midnight Jan. 31, laid out a new list of guidelines that were in effect until 11:59, Feb. 13.

Under the new guidelines, students were not allowed to have any visitors in their dorm rooms, including suitemates. Students were also ordered to remain in their residences except for a short list of acceptable activities including picking up food from the dining hall or providing a sample for MSU’s COVID-19 Early Detection Program.

Due to the period of enhanced physical distancing and MSU’s COVID-19 guidelines in general, my first semester on campus has certainly been strange, but I would not call it boring.

The experience of having a dorm room to myself is exciting. It gives me more freedom than I would have in a normal year, and I feel that having privacy helps me ease into the experience of living with another person. And after taking my classes from home last semester, studying in my dorm room is a lot more relaxed.

I feel more involved in my classes this time around, and I like being

able to spread my papers, books and computer around the room.

Also, the extra privacy allows me to “lock in” when I need to. If I need a break, I can talk to my suitemate, go downstairs and get food or turn my chair around to play a game of NHL on my Xbox.

Living in the south campus makes me feel more connected to the school I enrolled in months ago. I’ve taken a few walks around the currently snowy campus, visiting MSU landmarks like Sparty, Breslin Center and Munn Ice Arena, as well as East Lansing staple restaurants like El Azteco. I can see Spartan Stadium to the left out my window, and in the evening, I can watch a line of shadow creep up the façade of the Duffy Daugherty Football Building as the sunset washes it in amber light. Even this view is enough to make me finally feel like an MSU student.

Although occasionally, I am reminded of the strangeness of my experience. When I eat with friends, we have to sit at our own tables, six feet apart. Furniture in residence halls is roped off, flipped over or pushed against the wall, giving some corners of the buildings an eerie, deserted feeling.

Every week, I have to fill up a vial with my own spit, log the sample online and slide it into a receptacle on the first floor of my residence hall.

Illustrated by Emily Maze

When logging a sample, the site asks for feedback on the process, and after my first time providing a sample, I considered typing “it’s gross” into the text box.

Overall, my time at MSU has not felt that restrictive. Besides the two-week enhanced physical distancing period, I am able to go to the gym, sit in the dining hall and see my friends. Having to eat in my room and live almost completely isolated for a few weeks was an inconvenience, but with time spent on school and writing, it went by fast.

There are times that I felt frustrated

T H U R S DAY, MA RCH 1 2 , 2020

that I was being asked to keep my distance from even my suitemate, but if the university’s measures keep me here in my room on campus, and not in COVID isolation or at home following a campus shutdown, I can live with it.

And while admiring the living space I dreamed of having since early high school, or walking around downtown in the community I’ve been writing about for nearly half a year, or crossing the Red Cedar River and watching the ducks cut through the icy water, I feel incredibly happy to finally be here at all.

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H O US I NG G UI D E

Responsibility, not rules: COVID-19 and cooperative housing

By Lucy VanRegenmorter lucy.VanRegenmorter@statenews.com Cooperative (co-op) housing, a frequently overlooked housing option at Michigan State, offers a sense of community, responsibility and self-governance for its residents.

In a normal year, life in a co-op household consists of group dinners, vibrant common spaces and mixer events with other co-op houses.

With 14 houses on campus, each housing five to 29 members, everyone can find a community that best suits them. However, these close quarters and tight knit communities seem like the perfect place for COVID-19 to spread.

Since co-op housing is based on selfgovernance, each house is responsible for deciding whether they want to follow the rules set by the co-op coronavirus task force, or create their own set of COVID guidelines.

Unlike in other shared group spaces such as dorms, fraternities or sororities, there are no mandatory rules residents must follow.

“We outline what the default option is for all the 17 houses,” linguistics senior Zack Sneed said. “This goes out to the houses and then they can either take the default option or make their own rules for their individual houses — this is house autonomy.”

Sneed is one of a handful of co-op residents that is part of the co-op coronavirus task force.

Some common rules individual houses have set include sanitization of common spaces, mandatory quarantine after exposure and mandatory lockdown should someone get infected.

Each individual MSU Student Housing Cooperative (SHC) has their own COVID-19 regulations.

Pictured here is guest of Orion, Emerson Ganton, entering the house. Orion members are allowed one guest for the duration of the semester and guests must wear a mask in all common spaces.

Taken Feb 22. Photo by Jillian Felton

Within Phoenix house, Sneed’s co-op, some of the house officers have banded together to create their own in-house task force.

“We reviewed our own coronavirus policies for guests, for moving in new members, for quarantine procedures, stuff like that,” he said.

Phoenix, which is the biggest co-op on campus, has only had two cases so far, back in November.

“We all began wearing masks in common spaces, people stayed in their rooms unless to get food or use the restroom, no one came or left, groceries were done by drop-off,” Sneed said. “People were given the option to leave. So, that’s what most of the house did,

they went home to their parent’s or significant others’ house after getting tested themselves.”

Given the size of the house, Sneed said he considers only two people testing positive a success. When everyone in the house is healthy, residents are still able to share meals together.

Although many college students may be tempted to allow a free-for-all when given the choice to self-govern, co-op members recognize the accountability they share to keep each other safe.

“I think a lot of the other houses understandably took a more paternalistic approach that was much more ‘here are the rules, and here are the consequences’,” Sneed said. “I think Phoenix

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culture doesn’t really respond to those.”

Public policy senior and Orion house resident Sky Stillwell said her house values similar principles.

“We’re very strict on our guest policy,” Stillwell said. “Few people are allowed to leave the house to see people, but we really trust that our housemates are going to be smart about their choices.”

This sense of mutual respect has worked well for members of Orion house — none of their 22 members have tested positive for COVID-19.

With many houses having policies regarding one guest, or no guests at all, it is easy for coop housing members to feel as though they are missing out on the co-op experience they signed up for.

Astrophysics and data science senior Jonathan Sheehan, who is also a member of Orion house and the COVID response team, recognizes this.

“It’s definitely not been easy at times, because people want that socialization,” Sheehan said.

“We’ve had to limit our interactions both with people inside the house, but also we’ve been limiting the number of people that we try to see outside of the house.”

One of the cooperative principles that Sheehan said his house members live by is cooperation among cooperatives, and part of that is the socialization aspect.

Although Sheehan and his housemates are unable to interact with other houses in the same way they would pre-COVID, they understand that they owe it to each other to stay put.

“It’s a mutual understanding that it’s a sacrifice we all have to make to keep each other safe,” Sheehan said.

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HO U SING GU IDE

The Reserve at Falcon Pointe Apartments to expand residential units

By Wajeeha Kamal wajeeha.kamal@statenews.com

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On Jan. 4, Falcon Pointe Investors applied for a modified site plan that allows them to convert vacant manufactured housing units to 12 two-bedroom, attached ranch residential units in four buildings.

This will be an add-on to the previously constructed 120 housing units of the same design on the property.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing for this proposal Feb. 10, approving the request unanimously and recommending City Council’s approval.

Construction is predicted to begin in spring 2021.

The property, Falcon Pointe, is located near the intersection of Chandler and State Roads. The rent of two-bedrooms, twobathroom apartments at The Reserve costs approximately $1,555 per month.

The Staff Report’s Zoning Analysis categorizes the property as “clustered development.” This means the proposal will group residential properties in an area closer together to use the rest of the land for open space, recreation or agriculture.

“This process also permits limited office uses, golf courses and country clubs and a variety of other open space and recreational elements to complement the development and benefit the residents of the planned community,” according to the report.

The development project is possible because DeWitt

The aerial shot for the Falcon Pointe proposal for the construction of housing units on State Roads.

Courtesy of EL Planning Commission

Township can conditionally transfer property by written agreement to the City of East Lansing. Originally, this plan was approved for 280 housing units before any exchange occurred. That failed, and instead, it was converted to condominium development in 2016. The plan was then approved to reduce the housing units from 280 to 253 to construct 120 ranch rental

units on and 102 single-family units.

The current proposal advocates for additional units in the same location.

According to the report, “The proposed additional units will fill additional housing needs that have been proven to be valuable in this location of the City and are demonstrated by the occupancy of the existing units of the same design.”

ZONING: local laws or regulations that govern how real property can and cannot be used in certain geographic areas

LI VE AT T HE

HOW ZONING WORKS: Local governments use a master plan to divide neighborhoods and districts into a certain zoning classification.

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H OU S I N G G U I DE

OVER 100,000 ADDITIONAL STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR MICHIGAN TUITION INCENTIVE PROGRAM

By Janelle James janelle.james@statenews.com Michigan’s Tuition Incentive Program (TIP) provides financial assistance to college students eligible for Medicaid once they finish high school. 24,000 students enroll in TIP every year but there are more than 100,000 more students who are not enrolled, but could be eligible for it.

According to a report from The Century Foundation and The Institute for College Access & Success, over 77,000 recent high school graduates are enrolled in college and eligible for Medicaid. Another 26,000 already have Medicaid and would benefit from TIP if they were enrolled in college.

In order for a student to be eligible for TIP, they must be on Medicaid for at least 24 consecutive months from the time they are nine years old until they graduate high school (before 20 years old), fill out an application for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and be enrolled at least as a part-time student. Additional requirements including being a U.S. citizen, a Michigan resident and not being in default on a federal student loan.

At Michigan State University, 24.1% of students in the incoming class of 2019 received a federal pell grant, according to the Office of Planning and Budgets Fall 2019 Student Overview. Federal Pell Grants are awarded to

undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need, according to the Federal Student Aid website.

Additionally, 75.1% are Michigan residents and 91.2% enrolled as full time students.

Many of these same students would be eligible for the Tuition Incentive Program.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Michigan Legislature adjusted the requirements so that more students are eligible for TIP, expanding the time that students could use TIP from six years to 10. This allows students who may want to take time off or fewer classes to do so without losing their funding.

The legislature also suspended the need for students to fill out a separate application for TIP if they filled out a FAFSA and qualified. Some high school students missed the opportunity to apply for TIP because they didn’t know they were eligible.

TIP has two phases for students: Phase 1 provides tuition to students who are enrolled in a degree/certificate-granting program.

However, TIP will not cover over 24 credits per semester. Phase 2 provides tuition to students who earn a certificate, associate degree or 56 transferable credits. Students who are eligible for TIP can receive it for now up to 10 years but must begin using it within four years of graduating from high school.

Aid for college students has become a

Spartan Stadium photographed on Aug. 23, 2019. State News File Photo

controversial issue, especially during the pandemic. While President Joe Biden has suspended student loan payments until Sept. 30, college students who are dependents, claimed by a parent or legal guardian on tax forms, are not eligible for the government stimulus checks.

In a report sent on Feb. 17, senior advisor of The Institute for College Access and Success

(TICAS) Catherine Brown included 10 additional recommendations like extending the amount of credits students can take per year from 24 to 30. This expands TIP benefits to four-year universities and allows students to use TIP benefits regardless of how long ago they graduated high school.

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H O US I NG G UI D E

Students reflect on finding off-campus housing

By Morgan Womack mwomackl@statenews.com Bombarded by the continuous mail and flashy promotion posters tacked on bulletin boards, first-year students can feel pressured to make a decision on where to live next year, and for many, waiting until the spring seems impossible.

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However, for zoology sophomore Sara Froude, it wasn’t. Froude moved into her apartment at The Lodges in February.

“Honestly, I was expecting it to be more stressful than it was,” Froude said. “You realize how many options there are once you start to ask around.”

MSU Community Liaison Suchitra Webster notices the stress to find housing in students throughout the year.

“Students feel a lot of pressure, and a lot of that pressure is driven by one another,” Webster said.

In October, there are many promotional events and leasing weeks for apartment complexes like Chandler Crossings. This pushes people to make decisions quickly about the next year. Many leases are signed almost a year in advance, so students can move in before the fall semester.

“We do get the biggest push of people moving in in the fall,” Grace Corbin, leasing and marketing director at The Village at Chandler Crossings, said. “That’s not saying that you can’t move in immediately in the spring, but we definitely do get the biggest push because we do have a set move-in day that people sign

TU ESDAY, F EBRUA RY 23, 202 1

“Honestly I was expecting it to be more stressful than it was. You realize how many options there are once you start to ask around.”

Sara Froude Zoology sophomore ahead for.”

The housing fair, run by the MSU Department of Student Life, takes place in October as well. Although it is a helpful resource, Webster said it only adds to the constant promotion to choose off-campus housing quickly for next fall.

“By the time the housing fair happens, there’s some sort of fervor and intensity around finding a place to live,” Webster said.

“I just always, always, always caution students and remind them ‘you’re in the driver’s seat.’”

Froude lived with her family during the fall semester but wanted to move out in the spring after rushing Sigma Kappa. The Lodges ran a half-off special for the residents’ first month. After getting advice from her dad, she was able to negotiate a shortened contract and moved into one of the empty units.

“With some back and forth emailing with the leasing office, they actually did work out a contract where I moved in the beginning of this month, in February, and my lease is up at the end of May,” Froude said. “It was honestly perfect because now I don’t have to get stuck in the summer trying to sublease out to someone.”

To alleviate some of the students’ stress, Webster advises students to take the time they need to consider all of their options when it comes to payment, transportation, utilities and amenities.

Froude is glad she took her time because at

H OU S I N G G U I DE

“It is still possible for people to be immediate move-ins in the springtime.

It’s a little bit harder, but it’s not unheard of.”

Grace Corbin Leasing and marketing director at the Village at Chandler Crossings The Lodges, she is able to use amenities like the gym and hot tub.

“I love living here,” Froude said. “I wouldn’t have chosen any other way or anything else.

I’m glad I looked through all of my options and ended up here.”

She encourages other students to ask questions and negotiate like she did.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want or be willing to negotiate because it is kind of scary when you’re talking to professionals,” Froude said. “If you’re persistent and polite about it, I feel like they’re always willing to work it out because nothing’s really set in stone until you have your actual lease.”

To secure housing during the semester they prefer, Corbin encourages students to reach out and ask about all of their options.

“Especially with the Chandler properties we have such a huge community,” Corbin said.

“We have so many buildings. We have so many different floor plans, so many different options. If you are worried that you can’t find housing in the springtime or if you haven’t signed a lease and you’re looking in a later season, it’s definitely worth asking.”

Corbin said it is slightly more difficult for students to find properties to move into during the spring.

“It is still possible for people to be immediate move-ins in the springtime,” Corbin said.

“It’s a little bit harder, but it’s not unheard of.

We do have very good luck with people moving in.”

Brian Hagan, an agent at Hagan Realty, said the best way to find housing in East Lansing is to plan ahead of time.

“If you’re a prospective tenant and you want something in a particular location, let’s say, a block or two from campus or downtown, the reality is that they do actually rent significantly far in advance,” Hagan said.

However, that doesn’t mean there will be a lack of available housing in the spring.

Hagan said at his company, there are a handful of properties left over for the spring semester.

“People are wanting a particular location,” he said. “There is definitely truth to that, that if you want closer locations you need to rent in advance. I don’t think that has changed.

But I don’t think that landlords are in the business of telling people there’s not going to be any housing available because if you look around that’s certainly not the case.”

Hagan said most students looking for housing far ahead of time, like in October, are well researched.

“I don’t discount the fact that maybe they feel some pressure to rent in advance,” he said. “However, I don’t think it’s a situation where people are not prepared and are being rushed into the decision because they are very prepared. Their parents are calling us.

They’re calling us. They’re showing up at our office. They’re emailing.”

If students are anxious to find housing, he recommends preparing and organizing the information.

“Talking with your prospective roommates, or your parents or both, and just having those discussions in advance as far as knowing your budget, going out and seeing places, getting online, looking at different management companies, websites,” Hagan said. “I think the best thing that has benefited the prospective tenants over the years has been the ability to go online.”

After doing her own online research, business freshman Bella Ngo moved into her apartment next to the FieldHouse this semester. She said it was harder to find a good location because there were fewer options than during the fall.

She said this made the search experience more frustrating.

“It was stressful just because everything was already booked or people weren’t subleasing something that I was looking for,” Ngo said.

“It was either too expensive, or they had too many rooms, or the location wasn’t that great, or somebody took it before me and said they would pay a higher price.”

Both Ngo and Froude used Facebook groups to find the apartments they live in now.

Froude said she tapped into small communities of mutual friends to hear about the best locations and leasing deals as well.

Ngo recommends anyone searching for housing should keep updated often.

“I wasn’t always checking all the time, and I didn’t have my notifications on for Facebook, so I missed all of these opportunities for apartments,” Ngo said. “Once you do find something, make sure you aren’t indecisive about it.”

Ngo said she was glad she was sure about her choice.

“After going for what I have now, thank God I went for it because there wasn’t any other apartment that was up to my standards,” she said. “I think what we found was good because it’s cheap, a good location, good for my time range. I didn’t want to go for it because it didn’t meet all the boxes on my list, but in the end, the things I needed checked all the boxes.”

Illustrated by Hope Ann Flores

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CA MPU S

6 MSU and mid-Michigan community women honored with 2021 Inspiration Award

By Anastasia Pirrami anastasia.pirrami@statenews.com .

The MSU Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) presented six outstanding women with the 2021 Inspiration Award on Feb. 3.

The Inspiration Awards highlight MSU employees, students and mid-Michigan community members who demonstrate inclusive action and influence in working toward gender equity and social justice, according to the GenCen website.

There are three award categories given out since 2014: Professional Achievement, Community Engagement, and Culture of Empowerment. In 2019, a fourth award was introduced: the Greater Lansing Inspirational Woman of the Year Award.

Three award recipients are MSU professors, two are students and one is a mid-Michigan community member from the Ingham County Health Department.

Beronda Montgomery, MSU foundation professor in biochemistry and molecular biology and microbiology and molecular genetics, was awarded the Culture of Empowerment award.

The Culture of Empowerment award is given to the woman who best demonstrated dedication to women’s advancement and empowerment on campus and in the community through mentoring, programs and other leadership opportunities, according to the award website.

Hui “Cathy” Liu, MSU professor in the department of sociology and director of the Family and Population Health (FPH) Laboratory, was awarded the Professional

Achievement award, which represents a woman with a unique drive and passion for her career and contributes positively to MSU’s excellence culture, according to the website.

Farha Abbasi, MSU assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and recipient of the MSU Community Engagement Award, said in an email her career journey up to this point in time has been, “in one word, relentless, like standing under the burning hot desert sun, parched and naked.”

As a mental health provider, Abbasi became aware of the stigma and shame silencing mental illnesses.

“I knew to take this on I will have to get into the trenches and once I do that there is no turning back,” Abbasi said. “It has been a 15-year-long journey of personal losses and professional sacrifices and now finally I start to see an oasis.”

The Community Engagement Award represents women who demonstrate a commitment to engaging and advancing communities and organizations at MSU and in the greater Lansing community through service and volunteerism, leadership, and/or other involvement, according to the website.

Mid-Michigan Health Officer of the Ingham County Health Department Linda Vail is also a recipient of the Community Engagement award.

The history of Inspiration Awards is relatively recent, as 2014 was the year that Lydia Weiss, the educational program coordinator at the MSU Women’s Resource Center, created the Inspirational Woman of the Year Award.

The award was developed “as a response to

Farha Abbasi, one of the recipients of the Center for Gender in Global Context’s Inspiration Award. Photographed on Feb. 12, 2021

Photo by Rahmya Trewern

the low numbers of women being nominated for and receiving university-wide awards,” according to the GenCen website. After the Women’s Resource Center officially closed, the GenCen took the responsibility of managing the award.

The GenCen acknowledged two MSU student women with their titles as Student Leaders:

social relations and policy senior Taylor Belyea and the other, biosystems engineering graduate student Chelsie Boodoo.

Boodoo said in an email that she received her bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering from Florida International University and then moved to East Lansing to pursue her Ph.D. Boodoo has done outreach throughout her academic journey, advocating for women and girls in STEM. For example, she has mentored young women early in their careers in science to help guide them on their journey.

Boodoo has focused on professional development during her academic journey, where she has enjoyed refining her science communication (SciComm) skills. She started MSU SciComm to increase awareness and training in scicomm at MSU. Boodoo said she is looking forward to her team’s free virtual scicomm conference on March 20-21 called Conveyance.

“This award helps me know that I am working to create a better environment for women who are Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) to make the space and opportunities for them in the future,” Boodoo said.

Additionally, Abbasi also said this award is important to MSU women staff and faculty for representation in STEM. “Representation is important,” she said. “One woman making it sets a path for many more to follow. For me it never is about accolades, but these awards are vital in helping shine the light on my work. I feel seen, heard, and revived.”

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SPORTS

BEAUTY VS BODY: MSU FEMALE STUDENT

By Jayna Bardahl jbardahl@statenews.com Junior volleyball player Elena Shklyar grinned remembering the days she would come home from grade school in an elementary-age crisis.

“I would go home and cry to my mom saying ‘Am I ugly?

What’s going on?’ and she would say ‘Oh Elena, they’re intimidated by you,’” Shklyar said, reflecting back on the three-day relationships her friends would find themselves in, dates she never got asked on.

“It was because I was taller,” she said. “I definitely could bench press any of those boys at age 10. ... I was taller; I was stronger. I wasn’t the idea of the petite girl.”

Then the pressure came again. This time in high school as she actively searched for the place where she would pursue her dream of being a Division I volleyball player.

Shklyar knew that eyes were on more than her athletic ability every time she stepped in between the stripes of the court.

“We would talk about my

legs and that I can’t have any cellulite on them because I’m wearing spandex and coaches are going to see me and say no,” Shklyar said. “It was that fear of ‘what did I look like’ constantly.”

Body image is a struggle for almost all female athletes at some point in their careers. In total, 68% of female athletes said they felt pressured to be pretty in a study conducted by ESPNW. Also, 30% responded with a fear of being “too muscular.”

Between every set and during every rep, women athletes think about that.

MSU gymnast Lea Mitchell is part of that 68%. In a sport like gymnastics, Mitchell described a certain pressure to fit the image of a so-called “ideal gymnast.”

“We’re constantly being judged literally by judges to get a perfect 10, and we’re trying to get to perfection which is obviously not attainable in life in general,” Mitchell said. “Gymnasts have this ideal gymnast (image) and preferably they’re shorter. For example, Simone Biles, she’s 4-foot-8 or 4-foot-9. I’m 5-foot-

6. So, technically I’m very tall for a gymnast.”

The narrative is similar for female athletes globally, and although it’s a topic that many sweep under the rug, Mitchell said she thinks more people may struggle with body image than they let on.

“I wouldn’t say everyone experiences the same things as everyone else but it is something that you constantly think about having to look pretty, having to stay fit, having to look lean,” she said. “A lot of people struggle with body image even if they don’t openly express it.”

In 2016, the NCAA implemented a “Bodies in Motion” project, which was “an evidence-based program to support positive body image,” for female collegiate athletes.

The project report cites research from the Journal of American College Health indicating that “54.4% of female collegiate athletes report being dissatisfied with their weight and of these, almost 90% believe they are overweight and report wanting to lose an average of 13.6 pounds.”

“We’re constantly being judged literally by judges to get a perfect 10, and we’re trying to get to perfection which is obviously not attainable in life in general.”

Lea Mitchell Senior MSU gymnast More recently, the NCAA released a study that indicated that approximately 41% of female athletes reported feeling mentally exhausted in fall 2020. The number nearly doubled the 22.5% of male athletes who responded with the same feeling.

An unrealistic battle between beauty and success in sports is fought by female athletes daily and for most, it takes time to accept the building of muscle as it runs in circles through the minds of female athletes.

For most, it takes time to identify the beauty in their strength.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT ... AND MUSCLE

Junior field hockey goaltender Monique Jardell practices six days per week. Two of the days are focused on conditioning, with another two centered around lifting.

In all six she spends some

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T HE STAT E N EWS

TU ESDAY, F EBRUA RY 23, 202 1

Lea Mitchell, a senior all-around gymnast on MSU’s gymnastics team.

Photo courtesy by Matt Mitchell/MSU Athletic Communications

time in full gear on the field.

As a goalie, Jardell said she focuses on exercises that enhance her explosiveness and agility, both of which require her to target muscle groups in her lower body.

“I do have a much bigger lower body than most...That’s definitely something in high school that I was insecure about,” Jardell said. “It’s something I’ve had to get, I don’t want to say used to ... but something I had to grow to love.”

“Grow to love,” seemed to be a common denominator among collegiate female athletes, especially for junior golfer Haylin Harris.

Harris started playing sports when she was four. She loved competition and played six sports before settling on basketball and golf as a high schooler.

Harris was petite as a

teenager and had difficulty gaining muscle. Harris focused on conditioning her brain so she could play smarter against her competition.

That was until she made it to East Lansing.

“Since I’ve gotten to college I’ve been able to put on muscle really fast, especially in my legs,” Harris said. “When you’re constantly working out and lifting and trying to be strong you definitely bulk up and for most girls, they think that’s a very unattractive look to a certain point.”

Although golfers may not spend as much time in the weight room as other athletes, women’s golf Head Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll said endurance and the overall health of her athletes is primary. When practicing and preparing for weekend-long tournaments, golfers are subject to a strenuous workout schedule to get them

S PORTS

ATHLETES SHARE BODY IMAGE STRUGGLES conditioned to compete.

“I think the realization that if our players have not worked out a lot in the past, it’s something that we do on a very, very regular basis,” SlobodnikStoll said. “It’s not only to hit the golf ball as far as they can, but it’s to keep them in shape when we’re playing 36 holes.”

Mitchell, like Harris, noticed a change in her body when transitioning to college.

Gymnasts traditionally focus on calisthenics training, which is conditioning that involves low weights with high reps.

However, in Mitchell’s first year at MSU that weight training tradition changed.

The Boynton Beach, Florida native said the team’s strength coach had them practice more traditional strength training with heavier weights.

As a result, Mitchell grew into a bulkier body.

“Freshman year my body changed a lot,” Mitchell said.

“I actually gained 15 pounds.

I didn’t know if it was because of what I was eating or from weight training. I was definitely insecure, especially as a female.

You don’t want to gain weight, so I was very insecure about the way that my body looked, and I was so focused on trying to lose weight because I didn’t like the way that I felt or the way that I looked.”

For Shklyar the mission to find beauty in her strength began at a young age.

When she started to play sports, Shklyar quickly turned away from leaner activities like gymnastics and ballet to pursue more male-dominated sports that matched her body type. She played on the boys’ soccer team before picking up a volleyball in fifth grade.

“I was definitely a little bit of a chubbier little kid, and volleyball is a sport of tight spandex and tight jerseys so right away that was the first thing you could see was my gut sticking out of the jersey when I was 10 or 12 years old,” Shklyar said “I’ve always been way taller, way more built and once I started lifting — that was when I realized ‘Wow I look really strong and athletic.’”

And it adds up.

More practice means more muscle, which all four athletes said impacted their performance positively.

But that realization didn’t come immediately.

FINDING THE BEAUTY BEHIND THE MUSCLE

Mitchell wakes up the day of a gymnastics meet with a lengthy preparation schedule ahead of her. She’ll do her makeup before she’ll tie her hair back, making sure no fly-away hairs leave the knot of her scrunchie.

She’ll slip into her leotard and instead of worrying about her appearance, she’ll embrace it.

Beneath the toned muscles, tendons and skin — there is

“Just noticing that my strength is what helps me be able to continue to compete at this level, I have to remind myself that when I don’t fit in to all the things I order online.”

Elena Shklyar Junior Volleyball Player beauty, there is grace.

“Everyone who I’m surrounded by, they just help me know that my body is my body and it’s going to be how it wants to be,” Mitchell said.

“You just have to remember that you’re beautiful ...And this is the way that God made you.”

Mitchell said her and her teammates help remind each other to embrace their bodies and appreciate the skills that their bodies help them achieve while always making sure to not compare to social media standards.

“We just try to motivate each other and just encourage each other to love who they are,” Mitchell said. “A lot of our team is faith-based, so just knowing that God made each of us perfectly in his image and we don’t have to look like someone else or compare ourselves to someone else because he made us the way that he wanted to make us.”

Jardell, in her third year at MSU, no longer sees her muscle as a part of her body that attracts weird looks. Instead, it is the part of her body that makes her unique.

“It’s realizing the power that I have because of my body, which is so cool because it’s something I can do that a lot of people can’t,” Jardell said.

“Because I’m super strong and look a certain way, I’m able to do something that other people aren’t.”

It’s because of her strength and commitment to excellence that she’s made it to Michigan State. An accomplishment that she’ll forever deem as one of her greatest.

“Coming in (to MSU) I had a hard time mental health-wise with the transition,” she said.

“It was really difficult so just sticking it out and making it to the point I am now ... I’m just really proud of the change and growth I’ve made since then.”

For Harris, she’s found comfort by confiding in other female athletes. Living with a tennis player, Harris said her roommate and her recognize the changes in their bodies from daily conditioning and

workouts together.

It’s that support that changed her outlook on her own body.

“Even other sports, other females … it’s all the same thing for all of our sports, we just have to have strong lower bodies and we’ve got to be powerful down there,” Harris said. “We’re kind of like each other’s support system.”

Her coach too tries to foster these ideas.

“I try and be a role model myself,” Slobodnik-Stoll said.

“In normal conditions, my assistant and I work out with the team every time they work out and that’s something important. We try and be great role models in terms of what we’re eating on the road, what we’re putting in our mouths and how we’re treating ourselves. I think that’s an incredible way to influence young women.”

For Shklyar, after standing in the middle of a tug-of-war between her strong body and society’s standards for women, she now recognizes her defined legs and broader shoulders as an essential part of achieving the dream she now lives.

“Just noticing that my strength is what helps me be able to continue to compete at this level, I have to remind myself that when I don’t fit in to all the things I order online,” Shklyar said. “If I hadn’t started lifting if I hadn’t done that stuff, I wouldn’t be living out my dream now. I wouldn’t be able to play Division I volleyball. (All of it) if I hadn’t really invested in myself and started lifting.”

Junior MSU Volleyball player Elena Shklyar lifting on Feb. 18. Photo by Lauren Snyder

“It’s realizing the power that I have because of my body, which is so cool because it’s something I can do that a lot of people can’t.”

Monique Jardell Junior field hockey goaltender

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CULT U R E

Pet owners discuss the mental health benefits of furry companions

By Dina Kaur dina.kaur@statenews.com Isabel Kadar, a Michigan State University alumna, adopted her cat Nova from Capital Area Humane Society Lansing (CAHS) in March 2020. As soon as classes got canceled, her roommate Amanda Dooley and her rushed to the shelter to find some animals they could just spend the day with to take their mind off things.

Once at the shelter, the two roommates found two kittens they could play with and instantly decided that they couldn’t leave without adopting them.

“I think during COVID especially that probably was the best decision I ever could have made was to adopt a kitten, or just an animal in general, because it honestly made me feel so much less lonely and anxious,” Kadar said.

Kadar was on campus until June with only her roommates and couldn’t visit family back home.

Having two kittens in the house made the atmosphere much more positive.

She said that everyone needed them. Whether they were having a bad day or something was going on, there was always a furry friend to

Ozzie the Dog lays for a portrait.

Image courtesy of Allie Klein.

cuddle with.

Kadar also said that it’s good to have a pet for people who suffer from mental health issues as it’s good for them to have something else to focus on and care for.

“That’s why I’m a very big proponent of animals being especially in tune and attentive to humans and their emotions and will always be there for them,” she said.

Dooley, Kadar’s former roommate and Michigan State University alumna, ended up adopting Nova’s brother Wriggs.

Dooley says that the two kittens ended up becoming their best friends.

“It’s just really nice to have something to care for and have another living thing that has its own personality and shows its own affection in unique ways,” Dooley said. “ I think people that have pets really know the true value of them, especially cats. They’re such special animals.”

Dooley said that Wriggs has helped her through some tough times within the last year including the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic. She had a lot of anxiety surrounding not really knowing what’s going to happen, with graduating at the beginning of the pandemic and not knowing where she was going to be.

“Handling all of that anxiety, having cats really helped that and even now that I’m in my full-time job and I work from home, it’s like any sort of anxiety that I feel whether it’s from work or about the pandemic, I can just go over there and give him a hug and it instantly just makes me feel better,” Dooley said.

CAHS Lansing had a record-breaking adoption year in 2020. This record-breaking year led them to finding homes for 4,018 pets.

Julia Willson, the president and CEO of CAHS Lansing, said that despite it being an overwhelming year, she’s proud of what the animal shelter has accomplished.

One of the challenges the shelter faced was being shut down March

Capital Area Humane Society staff poses for a photo. Image courtesy of CAHS Director of Community Relations Penny Myers.

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T HE STAT E NEWS

24, 2020, through April 29, 2020.

Staff weren’t able to come into the shelter, so animals were unable to stay there as well.

However, even this setback proved to have a positive outcome as people volunteered to take shelter animals into their homes. From that, Willson saw many people ended up adopting the pets they were fostering.

When the shelter opened back up, there was still a surge of adoptions which continued well after. Willson believes this increase in adoptions may come from the fact that people are working remotely so they had more time to be home for pets than before.

“I know that for a lot of people, their pets are their closest companions,” Willson said. “Maybe through the time of isolation with not being able to be with friends and family I think pets really came into the spotlight what a role pets play in our lives.”

She also said that if you are thinking about getting a pet but are not sure, consider fostering first. Fostering is where a person temporarily takes an animal into their home to give them a break from the shelter.

One should try rescuing an animal that’s had a tough time and really needs help.

“We love people that come to shelters, so that’s always our first recommendation,” Willson said. “Even though we had a great adoption year, there are still so many animals in our community that are going into shelters that need homes.

So, we always suggest that people try your shelter first.”

Marie Hopfensperger, an assistant professor at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, said that having a pet comes with physical, social and emotional benefits, especially during a pandemic where a lot of people are feeling socially isolated.

Pets can help you foster connections with fellow pet owners and provide you with companionship, even if it’s as simple as waving to a neighbor while they’re out walking their dog, Hopfensperger said.

Pets not only bring mental health benefits but also physical benefits as well.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, studies have shown that “pets can increase fitness, lower stress, and bring happiness to their owners.”

Health benefits also include a decrease in blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and feelings of loneliness. Along with an increase in opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities and opportunities for socialization.

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute also conducted a study with Mars Petcare, which found that 85% of pet owners and non-pet owners agreed that interac-

TU ESDAY, F EBRUA RY 23, 202 1

MSU alumna Isabel Kadar with Nova the cat. Photo courtesy of Kadar

tion with pets can help reduce loneliness. Also, 76% agree human-pet interactions can help address social isolation, and 72% thought that human-animal interaction is good for their community.

“I certainly think that pet ownership can be incredibly fulfilling and beneficial for those of us who do enjoy the companionship of animals,” Hopfensperger said. “And I think they can be really beneficial for the pet as well as the person having those healthy human-animal bonds.”

Allie Klein, a political science senior, also ended up stuck in East Lansing during the pandemic. Some of her close friends were fostering a pit bull from CAHS Lansing who was the sweetest. On a whim, Klein decided that she and her boyfriend would apply as well.

They fostered a dog named Ozzie together who Klein’s boyfriend later ended up adopting. Klein said Ozzie was the best decision they’ve ever made.

Ozzie really helped during COVID with isolation and quarantining, Klein said. He made them feel less lonely.

“Ozzie the dog was really good for, he always kept my spirits up, he gave us a reason to get outside and to go for long walks everyday and to get out of bed because he needed us and he needed to be taken care of,” she said. “So, I think that was huge for our mental health, definitely.”

She also believes that CAHS Lansing does good work, and as someone who has a pet from them she believes they are angels over there.

“They appreciate you in a way that only a shelter dog could appreciate you because you’re kind of taking them from, a lot of the times, a really rough situation. You know that what you’re doing is literally changing a life.”

Allie Klein Political Science senior