Tuesday 3/03/15

State News

An apology to our readers: Omega Psi Phi photo should never have been published

The

See page 2

The stress issue

Confessions of a yoga novice

Yoga instructor Elissa Voigt performs aerial yoga Sunday while on the silk swings at Firefly Hot Yoga Bar, 18 S. Washington Square in Lansing. photo: emily nagle

Yoga has a reputation for alleviating stress. From sweltering hot yoga to acrobatic aerial yoga, one of our reporters tried them all and is sharing what she’s learned. See pages 4-5

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News

Olivia Dimmer and Simon Schuster Trends and issues editor Breaking news editor campus@statenews.com @thesnews

The State News issues apology, promises changes in response to disrespectful photo After a distasteful photo was printed in Monday’s issue of The State News, a group of concerned black students sought to hold the staff accountable for the lapse in judgment by asking for reprints of the photos, among other demands

A statement from The State News’ Editor-in-Chief and Photo Editor

Members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc celebrate their victory over the other two fraternities Saturday during the 2015 Annual Step Show at the Wharton Center. Three sororities and fraternities from the National Pan-Hellenic Council competed in the event. PHOTOS: ALLYSON TELGENHOF

By Michael Kransz mkransz@statenews.com

The State News sparked outrage Monday in MSU’s community after publishing a photo of a black male with both middle fingers in the air, juxtaposed with the headline “‘Annual Step Show’ celebrates West African traditions, culture.”

The man pictured was among those celebrating the victory of Omega Psi Phi in the step competition, which took place on Saturday and was hosted by the National Pan-Hellenic Council. He, and others centrally pictured, belong to non-MSU chapters of Omega Psi Phi, president of the MSU chapter and applied engineering sciences senior Je’Qua Halliburton said.

Readers and community members took to Twitter to announce their distaste and disappointment at the picture’s publishing and the coverage of the event.

Many were frustrated the picture was chosen and that it had made it through several levels of editors to, ultimately, be printed and sent across campus.

Members of the black community on campus carried hundreds of that day’s edition to The State News newsroom in disapproval of the choice to publish the photo and to show that, although the photo was removed from the news outlet’s website, there still were thousands of papers circulating and something more had to be done to rectify the situation.

Their demands included a better apology than the one issued on Twitter, public apologies from all involved, a retraction of the photo from the site and a greater mention of the sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, that also won at the competition but was only mentioned at 2

The State N e ws

the story’s end.

Journalism senior and Phi Alpha President Tyler Clifford, who was among those in talks at the offices, said not only was the photo a misrepresentation of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, but it also portrayed the black community and MSU students in a negative light.

“As an organization that claims to be a voice for all students, The State News shouldn’t marginalize minorities and perpetuate stereotypes of them, which the story and photo did,” Clifford said.

With Omega Psi Phi participating in a charity event for the United Negro College Fund on Friday and then going on to share a win at the step contest Saturday, Halliburton said the photo ran counter to everything his fraternity had worked for.

“For us to have worked so hard and put in so much effort, for it to end like that, it kind of kills my morale,” Halliburton said.

Omega Psi Phi vice president and food industry management junior Edward Davis said the picture perpetuates negative stereotypes of black males and portrays them as thugs and hoodlums.

“We do a lot of positive things, and I feel like that picture did a lot to bring down the image of black males on campus,” Davis said. “It contributes to the same negative image that everyone tries to have.”

In attempts to reconcile the error made, The State News is issuing an apology, republishing different photos from the event and re-running a column written

by Black Student Alliance President Rashad Timmons on Tuesday’s opinion page as the first steps in a series to better address the concerns of the black community here at MSU.

Tuesday, March 3, 2 01 5

Celeste Bott

erin hampton

editor-in-chief

photo editor

On behalf of The State News staff — and on a personal level as well — I would like to sincerely apologize for this careless error. This mistake unfortunately overshadowed a spectacular performance and caused students on this campus to feel hurt and misrepresented, which is the last thing we ever wanted to do. I also want to thank everyone who spoke out about the photo on social media and visited our newsroom yesterday afternoon for holding us accountable. I hope that dialogue continues.

I apologize for overlooking such a distasteful photo and allowing it to be published in yesterday’s paper. I did not notice the hand gesture in the celebration photo during my editing process and should have been more careful. The photo’s publishing was a mistake and I didn’t mean to cause Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., any harm. As a black woman and a journalist, I understand how crucial it is to be mindful of how black men are portrayed in the media. In the future, I will be much more careful in my editing. Thank you.

Members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority perform Saturday during the “2015 Annual Step Show” at Wharton Center. Their theme was the Walking Reds and they won over the other two sororities in the competition. Three sororities and three fraternities from the National Pan-Hellenic Council competed in the event.

Contents i ns i d e

Feeling overworked?

We’ve got some suggestions to help you relax

Excessive stress can wreak havoc on your body and overall health

Therapy animals help de-stress students during exam times

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

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Windswept in Time Orchids owner Edgar Stehli laughs with Okemos resident Beth Alexander and East Lansing resident Mary Lou Schaffer Sunday while speaking about orchids during the Orchid Show at the Plant and Soil Conservatory. Read more online. photo: emily nagle

31 da i ly N u mb e r

“The overall issue that made me realize I had to take action was that my friends wouldn’t call what happened to them rape or sexual assault. They normalize the issue. I realized that was society’s problem.”

points scored by Wisconsin’s senior forward Frank Kaminsky against MSU on Sunday. Read more on page 10

Sexual assault survivor and senior Laura Swanson. Read more about her advocacy on page 12

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Tue sday, March 3, 2015

Editor-in-chief Celeste Bott managing editor Anya Rath BREAKING NEWS EDITOR Simon Schuster TRENDS AND ISSUES EDITOR Olivia Dimmer SPORTS EDITOR Geoff Preston FEATURES EDITOR Casey Holland PHOTO EDITOR Erin Hampton COPY CHIEF Elena Cronick OPINION EDITOR Greg Monahan Copyright © 2014 State News Inc., East Lansing, Mich.

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Spotlight

Stress relief and physical activity make yoga a worthwhile hobby MSU studies show yoga can help with high levels of stress, and students have several local options if they want to give it a shot. State News reporter Leslie Hemenway recently tried several types of yoga, and her experiences may help you find what’s right for you

By Leslie Hemenway lhemenway@statenews.com

With midterms as the only thing standing between Spartans and spring break, the stress college students are facing is at an all-time high.

Yoga has a reputation for alleviating stress, and MSU studies have shown it to be true.

Assistant professor of psychology Jason Moser studied how yoga specifically counteracts stress through the effects of it on an MSU student, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the Marine Corps.

Moser said through yoga, the student’s ability to juggle various things doubled, his reactions to his mistakes were much lower and he performed more effectively and efficiently overall.

I had never done yoga before, and I wanted to see the effects for myself, so I decided to test it out and visit different yoga studios around the Lansing area.

teacher at Yoga State, observed the class as Jen taught it.

For Post, yoga is much more than just a hobby — it’s a lifesaver.

“I got my second DUI, and I literally felt like I was going to die, like my life was completely over,” he said.

Post said yoga was a way for him to shut off his mind and not focus so much on his past actions.

“It was more about just living in the moment for the hour, just taking time to breathe and really just be alive for that one hour in the most simplistic sense,” he said.

East Lansing Hot Yoga I wanted to experience different kinds of yoga classes, so I signed up for Spartan Power Fusion, a class that adds strength-building exercises into the yoga. This makes it a bit more challenging than usual.

My nerves multiplied when I stepped into the studio, as it seemed less cozy than the one at Yoga It was similar to Yoga State “It was more about State. a heated dance studio Before my hot vinyasa just living in the with a mirrored wall class here, I had nevin the front. er even been to a yoga moment for the The class was more studio, so I was feelhour, just taking strenuous than what ing pretty nervous and time to breathe I’d previously experiunsure of myself. enced at Yoga State.

There were about and really just be A lot of time was 15 people in the room alive for that one spent transitioning relaxing on their mats hour in the most into different yoga when I walked in. poses, with planks, Some were chatting simplistic sense.” push-ups and othwith their neighbors, er strength-buildothers were simply sitYoga State instructor Brandon ing exercises ting or lying down.

Post, on the benefits of yoga incorporated.

I unrolled the mat Props, such as foam my friend lent me blocks, were utilized and then lay down on as well by holding them between our it, closing my eyes.

A couple minutes later, Jen Hayes, the thighs to strengthen our thigh muscles.

There were also a couple of partner owner of Yoga State and also the class instructor, walked in and greeted the class exercises. At first, this seemed daunting with, “Namaste,” a respectful greeting to me, since my yoga experience was only slightly above nonexistent. that translates to, “I bow to you.”

Thankfully, the exercises weren’t bad.

Everyone responded in unison, and thus The most challenging one was where your the class began.

The class involved transitioning into dif- partner would hold your feet up as you ferent yoga poses. Some poses were more were stretched out in a plank, then they would let go of a foot. The goal was to difficult to hold than others.

I struggled a bit with balance. At one keep your leg up.

MSU graduate student Frances Harper point we started in the downward-facing dog position, then lifted up a leg, then was a substitute teacher for the class that stretched an arm upwards and had to look day. She said she first became involved in up at that arm. The pose had me wob- yoga while on a retreat in Thailand nine years ago and has been practicing it nearbling on my mat.

There was music quietly playing in the ly every day since.

“As a graduate student, I know I spend background of the class, and the lights were dimmed with the heat noticeably lots of time sitting at my desk, typing on turned up, so by the end of class, every- my keyboard with my shoulders hunched forward,” she said. “And so for me the one was sweaty.

When the class ended, I was in such a physical practice of yoga is a great chance happy mood. I felt proud of myself for to counterbalance some of that.”

Overall, the class wasn’t as intimidattrying something new and also felt less ing or challenging as I feared it would be. stressed out.

Eaton Rapids resident Brandon Post, a It wasn’t as relaxing or soothing as the 4

The State N e ws

Tuesday, March 3, 2 01 5

Lansing resident and yoga instructor Bobbi Jo Minor demonstrates a pose Saturday at Hilltop Yoga 107 E Grand River Ave, Lansing. photos: kennedy thatch

Anya Rath Managing editor arath@statenews.com @thesnews

hot vinyasa class, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I felt tired and like I needed a nap, but also happy and less stressed.

Hilltop Yoga Hilltop is unique from the first two studios I visited, as it has two studios. Studio 2, where my class was, features a kitchen area by the entrance, complete with a countertop, a refrigerator and a sink. This gives it a sort of homey feel.

The class I took here — mindfulness-based gentle and restorative yoga for stress and anxiety — specifically aims to diminish stress and anxiety.

The class reduced stress through the use of yoga poses and various props. There was one point where we were instructed to lie down on a bolster, or a long, thick pillow, with a foam block under our heads while our legs were up straight against the wall.

The class was led by yoga instructor Bobbi Jo Minor, who said yoga is especially important for college students.

“I think our bodies have a lot of wisdom that is not listened to or given meaning (in the academic world),” she said. “I think (yoga) helps us to connect to our bodies and ... helps to give us a reflection period and relieve stress.”

This class was the least intense out of all the classes I took, and not a single person was sweating by the end of it. A lot of downtime was spent meditating, which was very relaxing.

I felt pretty chilled out by the end of class.

Firefly Hot Yoga Bar The class I took at Firefly Hot Yoga Bar, the final class of my experiment, was aerial yoga. Prior to class, I was feeling excited and curious, but also nervous — I had read about aerial yoga on the studio’s website, but I still wasn’t sure what it was.

By the end of the class, I had ended up gripping a hammock for dear life.

Yoga instructor Elissa Voigt led the class. She said she was eager to learn about it right from the get-go, and since then has loved teaching it.

“To get a good idea of what aerial is like, think back to when you were a little kid, pumping your legs and swinging as high as you could on the swingset,” she said. “Those feelings of lightness and joy and motion should transfer over and make this practice really uplifting.”

Aerial yoga is like regular yoga, except a hammock is used. The hammock has hooks on both ends that are secured onto a black rope that hangs from the ceiling. The rope is made up of holes, so you can secure the hooks to be higher or lower, depending on your personal preference.

The hammock is sometimes used in various yoga poses. For

Journalism freshman Leslie Hemenway, Lansing residents Mallory Lyman and Kim Lewis and East Lansing resident Angela Maniaci stretch Saturday during a stress and anxiety releasing class Feb 28, at Hilltop Yoga 107 E Grand River Ave. in Lansing.

example, it was used to hold our right leg outright as we did a shotgun squat, which is a normal squat with one leg extended out.

At other times, we were supposed to do various poses while hanging in the hammock. There was one moment when we were hanging upside with the hammock supporting our butts, and our legs were wrapped around the hammock with our feet touching and knees bent.

After doing this for a bit, I was feeling light-headed, so I tried to get out of the hammock. I say “tried” because I ended up twisting my foot around in it more and hopping around wildly. The girl in front of me look terrified and held her hand out to me.

Eventually I was able to grab onto the wall and untangle myself.

“I think our bodies have a lot of wisdom that is not listed to or given meaning (in the academic world). I think (yoga) helps us connect to our bodies.”

Hilltop Yoga instructor Bobbi Jo Minor, on listening to your body

All in all, this class wasn’t very relaxing for me. The constant swinging and hanging upside down made me feel dizzy and nauseous by the end.

In all fairness, it was my first time ever attempting it, and everybody else who had been to multiple classes seemed to know the ropes.

A new hobby Moser said yoga’s unique combination of stress relief and physical activity makes it a worthwhile hobby to take up.

“By combining these two things, the effects can be pretty big,” he said.

I definitely saw those effects for myself through this project.

Each class ended with a meditation session, and this was where I felt the most relaxed.

My personal favorite from this experience was my time at Yoga State. The dimmed lights and balanced mix of relaxing yet challenging made this one the best for me. Plus, there wasn’t as much pressure to not mess up.

Despite coming into yoga with absolutely no experience and finishing this project with sore limbs, I am definitely going to continue doing it. It relaxed me and it felt like time that was well spent — instead of sitting on my couch watching Netflix.

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By Jessica Sattler jsattler@statenews.com

The week before spring break is, for many students, one of the longest weeks of the entire spring semester.

In the midst of midterms, with the sweet release of spring break just out of grasp, it can be tempting to become one of the many caffeinated zombies stumbling through campus.

Taking an hour or two a day for yourself to de-stress but can keep your mind and body fresh to take on exams.

Fun and games Take a couple of hours off from studying with some events happening around campus and East Lansing.

UAB’s open mic night on Tuesday and cosmic bowling on Wednesday are free and great options for taking a few hours away from the books in favor of fun with friends and fellow students.

Suburban Ice of East Lansing offers public skate hours throughout the week for beginners and experts to work out some of their stress on the ice.

For those who want the exercise but are sick of the cold, Skate City Rink in Lansing is a venue for indoor roller skating and also offers arcade games for those who prefer a more laid-back experience.

sage and aromatherapy. In addition to massage, clients can receive acupuncture and chiropractic treatments specifically designed to relieve stress.

At the Douglas J Aveda Institute, you can get facial treatments and alternative therapy options, including a specialized stress-relieving treatment that runs for $39.

Retail therapy is another great way to get your mind off of school. Hop on the CATA Route 1 bus to the Meridian Mall and spend some time in stores like H&M or Journeys.

While you’re there, catch a movie at Studio C or check out Planet Fitness to blow off some steam the old-fashioned, physical way.

Treating yourself After weeks spent hunched over textbooks and study guides, take some time for yourself with a day out on the town.

Creative Wellness offers a multitude of massage and relaxation options, including shiatsu mas-

Treating yourself (on a budget) Put your books away for a bit and indulge in a nap in your own comfortable bed. Studies suggest that you get the most positive result if you nap between 10 and 20 minutes.

However, longer naps that stretch as long as an hour or an hour and a half can be beneficial for your memory. A full 90 minutes of sleep completes one REM cycle, and usually avoids grogginess upon waking.

Spotify has playlists for studying or taking a step back to ease your mind, including motivational ballads and chill tracks to relax to. If you’re sick of the persistent ads, Songza.com offers a similar service that’s mostly ad-free. The downside is a much more limited number of skips, and you can’t choose which songs you would like to hear next.

For cheap aromatherapy, light your own candles or burn some soothing incense. If you live in the dorms, splurge on diffusers or wax melts to fill your room with relaxing aromas.

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Tu e s day, M ar c h 3 , 2 015

T h e Stat e Ne ws

Stress Respiratory system Stress makes breathing harder and can trigger asthma attacks

Nervous system Since stress triggers a flight or fight response, long-term exposure can have a draining effect

Cardiovascular system

Endocrine system

Stress causes increased heart rates and can lead to long-term problems

More hormones are released during a stressful experience

Gastrointestinal system Besides overeating, stress can lead to heartburn and acid reflux

Musculoskeletal system

Reproductive system

Muscles tense up when the body is stressed, which can trigger tension headaches and migraines

Males might find it harder to achieve an erection when stressed, and females can experience irregular periods

illustration: ronnie golec | source: American psychological association

Stress can take a toll on a person’s body Long-term exposure to stress can drain a person physically and mentally, leading to multiple health problems in all areas of the body long periods of time, it will result in physical draining.

It’s important to recognize that these are very Dealing with stress is a matter of routine for broad, general results of stress. The effects extend far just beyond these and can become many college students. quite specific.

From one day to the next, So, with the constant prestime is dominated by home“I think when ence of anxiety, it’s imperative work, jobs and other activto find ways to relax. ities, which leads to the you have a very Everyone has their own inev itable feeling being stressful schedule, techniques unique to the way overwhelmed. it’s important they operate.

Stress affects the body far Special education senior beyond just a mental standto prioritize and Lisa McCune said setting aside point. Here are some of the make a congregate time for homework helps to physical consequences of list of things alleviate stress. stress, according to the Ameriyou need to do “Usually if I have a lot of can Psychological Association. stuff to do, I just have to lock in order.” myself in a room and just sit Musculoskeletal down and go through it,” system Muscles tense up Lisa McCune, special education senior McCune said. ”I write everywhen stressed, and chronic thing down that I have to do.” tension can lead to headaches, Marketing senior Jacquemigraines and other issues. line Cox has a similar practice.

“I think when you have a very stressful schedCardiovascular system Short-term stress increases heart rate and causes stronger ule, it’s important to prioritize and make a concontractions in the muscles of the heart. Long- gregate list of things you need to do in order,” term stress can increase chances of heart attacks, she said.

A lot of times, adjusting energy to eliminating strokes and hypertension. the root of the stress before it becomes a probGastrointestinal system, stomach: lem is the best way to stay stress-free.

This is the technique that works best for supply Stress causes the brain to become more aware of activity in your stomach. This leads to feeling chain management freshman Cameron Smith.

“I get stressed over school, so I just do my nauseous or having a stomach ache. schoolwork ahead of time so that the stress Nervous system When stressed, the doesn’t come later when it’s due,” he said.

Being overwhelmed in college is fairsympathetic nervous system creates the wellknown “fight or flight” response, where the body ly common, so finding ways to manage all shifts all of its energy to fight or flee from the of life’s pressures is just as important as the task at hand. If this response is triggered during pressures themselves.

By Patrick Bade

pbade@statenews.com

Students dealing with migraines can link issues to genetics, stress and age

By Katie Winkler Kwinkler@statenews.com

With the daily stresses associated with busy schedules, college st udents may be more prone to stress-induced migraines.

Michigan Headache and Neurological Institute’s director and founder Joel Saper said migraines are a brain biological disorder that have a genetic basis and involve a cascade of neurophysiological changes when provoked.

Pain is only one part, Saper

said, but it is often the most dramatic part.

While there are many people whose headaches occur during periods of stress, interestingly, a huge number of people get their attacks after the stress, he said.This pain can come before or after the provoking factor, which is commonly stress for young college students.

“In college students … it’s very common because the stress levels are pretty high, so if you’re stress sensitive, and you have the migraine gene, then you’re going to be a fre-

quent sufferer,” Saper said. “A huge number of our patients are adolescents, high school and college kids.”

Migraines are usually linked with neurological events, such as abdominal pain, fainting, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, visual problems and vertigo.

For zoolog y sophomore L i nd s y M a r sh a l l , s t r e s s migraines come with a strong sensitivity to light, which can affect her daily routine.

“If I’m in a lecture hall I have to put my hands over my eyes

and put my head down, or the other day I was at a friends house get ready for a house warming party and I was wearing sunglasses inside and I just looked weird,” Marshall said.

According to a medical study titled “Migraine prevalence, disease burden and the need for preventive therapy,” about 18 percent of U.S. women suffer from migraines, compared to 6 percent of men. Women are more likely to acquire them when estrogen levels fall during menstrual cycles.

Finding the triggering fac-

tors are key to prevention, but each individual will be different, Saper said. Common triggers, in addition to stress, can include certain foods, irregular schedules and bright lights.

Saper suggests exercise such as yoga, regular sleep, wake and eating schedules and biofeedback therapy. Doing these activities “doesn’t cure the trait but it lessens the likelihood of triggering them in some individuals,” he said.

Marshall is always looking for new ways to relieve her pain and has found that caf-

T u e s day, Marc h 3, 2 01 5

feine, sleep and medication tend to work best.

If symptoms continue to occur, doctors can prescribe rescue and preventative medications. Rescue medications are used when patients feel a migraine coming on, while prevention medications are taken every day to reduce the likelihood of migraines. These are commonly used when patients have migraines more days than they do not because rescue medications are unsafe to take more than twice a week, Saper said.

Th e Stat e N e ws

7

Crossword

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

Stress

Therapy animals help to ease anxiety in students As seen when therapy dogs make the trip to MSU’s Main Library during finals week to help students relax, therapy animals can be instrumental in happiness

Across

1 With 69-Across, subject of this puzzle 7 Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) 14 Not straying from the subject 16 Satan 17 “The Diary of Anne Frank” police 18 Muscle-to-bone connectors 19 Audio jack label 20 Took charge of 21 Wise folk 22 Rewrite for the screen 24 Set a price of 26 Northern California town that once had a palindromic bakery 29 Mentally sound 30 Live, in the studio 32 Kool-Aid instruction 33 Ostrich kin 35 “I __ Fine”: Beatles hit 37 Antlered beast 38 Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in the BBC’s “Sherlock” 42 World games org.

43 A bit open 44 “C’est la __” 45 Cry for seconds 47 Battery end

49 Rise dramatically 53 Sticking point 55 Game won by discarding all your cards 56 Iditarod jacket 57 Wood finish 59 DKNY rival 61 Press __ 62 Dannon yogurt brand 64 Natives of Tibet’s capital 66 Unlisted candidate 67 Erode, as savings 68 Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in CBS’ “Elementary” 69 See 1-Across

Down

1 Rigid beliefs 2 Tableware company named for a New York town 3 ER diagnostic tool 4 Day care attendee 5 Eyeball-bending gallery display 6 TV host Kelly 7 Watercraft rider 8 Eye layer containing the iris 9 Dull-colored 10 Senior officials 11 It’s brewed in infusers

12 Political writer Coulter 13 Director Anderson 15 With 48-Down, 1-/69-Across creator Arthur 23 Jury member 25 Paella spice 27 Ceramics oven 28 Noah’s flood insurance 30 Message-spelling board 31 Superman player Christopher 34 Former Boston commuter org.

36 “Welcome to Hawaii” gift 38 Secure in a harbor 39 Quotation puzzle 40 Mork’s sign-off 41 Southwestern tableland 42 Tough kid to handle 46 Thing 48 See 15-Down 50 Mork’s people 51 Quite like 52 Gives away to the cops 54 “Sold!” punctuator 56 Spanish silver 58 Four, on some sundials 60 “Major Barbara” playwright 62 Hole-making tool 63 French wine word 65 “Grab a chair”

Graduate student Kate Londy studies with her therapy cat Jasmine Jan. 27, 2014, at her apartment in East Lansing.

Londy said since getting Jasmine, her blood pressure has gone down from 130/85 to 110/75 for the first time in six years. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

By Meagan Beck

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 MONDAY’S PUZZLE

3/3/15

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The State N e ws

Tuesday, March 3, 2 01 5

mbeck@statenews.com

Many people find petting and playing with animals fun and doing this can actually benefit a person’s health.

Dogs and other animals can be used for therapy, especially during times of stress.

The Main Library and other locations are known to hold events which invite therapy animals in.

Tammison Smith, a career services coordinator for MSU, owns a therapy dog and assists with the planning of bringing therapy dogs to the Main Library around finals week.

Smith said when a person pets a dog, feel-good hormones like oxytocin, are released which can impact a person’s stress level.

“We know it lowers people’s blood pressure, heart rate and children’s perceived levels of pain,” Smith said.

Some might think therapy, assistance and service dogs are the same – but there are distinct differences between them.

A service animal is assigned or trained for a person with a documented disability and can be taken to restaurants or the mall. They are protected under the Americans With

Disabilities Act. Assistance animals are not protected under the ADA but can be assigned or trained for persons with a documented disability and are used to mitigate an aspect of the person’s disability in their housing situation.

Smith said therapy dogs can be any age, breed or size. She trained her dog at age nine.

“This is my pet ... my therapy dog.

He doesn’t have legal rights (like assistance or service dogs),” Smith said.

A therapy dog does have to take a series of tests to ensure they have the right temperament. Once they pass, they can be requested to help people, such as during finals week when student stress levels are at a high.

Smith said anyone interested could get their dog certified, but it might be difficult for some.

“It depends on their situation. It’s hard to have a dog in the residence halls,” Smith said.

According to MSU’s Service Animal Policy, a person with a disability may be accompanied by a service animal on campus.

Assistance animals may also be allowed in university housing, but regular pets, aside from fish, are not allowed.

Exceptions may be made for certain animals, like therapy animals, if prior arrangements are made — such as the events in the library.

For students unable to commit to adopting a pet, Ashley Hayes, special events coordinator at the Ingham County Animal Control, said students can volunteer or even foster animals.

The fostering process allows people, who may be unsure where life will take them in the near future, to care for a pet without adopting them for life.

“It works well for students because they can bring animals back to the shelter,” Hayes said.

Students who can’t dedicate the time to foster but still want to interact with animals are able to visit the shelter and volunteer or just play with the animals when they have time.

“Volunteers come in all the time, and they can do everything, like sitting in the cat room and groom cats,” Hayes said. “It’s really great because you get to spend to time with the animals without having to commit to them.”

Hayes said potential volunteers must fill out a form and attend an orientation at the shelter, usually held the first Tuesday of the month with occasional Saturday sessions.

Opinion

Greg Monahan Opinion editor opinion@statenews.com @thesnewsopinion

(Finally) opening up about stress changed my life for the better

By Greg Monahan gmonahan@statenews.com

deon howard

LETTER: Black History Month is over. Where do we go from here?

Most of us, at the close of January, were probably questioning our staunch devotion to resolutions made, feigning our commitment to the mantra of starting the semester off strong, counting the days until the ever-so-elusive spring break, or performing an artful combination of the three.

Oh, and watching Netflix. Lots and lots of Netflix.

Somewhere amidst this spiral of things, however, we got to the month of February — the shortest month of the year, also widely observed as Black History Month.

For a long 28 days, we paid very selective attention to historical black figures who made significant contributions to this country.

In 1926 Carter G. Woodson proposed Negro History Week, but for the last 39 years, we have demonstrated our absolute respect for black people by acknowledging them for not one, not two, but FOUR momentous weeks.

Congratulations.

Same as every February, right on schedule, we pulled out our trusted quotes of love, equality and peace.

We chanted those four, largerthan-life words — “I have a dream” — often failing to recognize that in many respects our nation is still sleeping (see segregation indexes, voter identification laws, secondary labor markets, etc.).

We plastered our most prized pictures of Martin, maybe Malcolm, maybe Garvey, never Ella or Fannie Lou or Bayard, on walls, pages and timelines with the utmost pride.

We shouted, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” while black bodies, criminalized and underrepresented, funneled into our prison population (see

The New Jim Crow).

We repeated the rhetorical hymns of “Let Freedom Ring” and “content of my character.”

We exclaimed that now little black boys and black girls can join hands with little white boys and white girls as brothers and sisters.

We called this progress.

We failed to mention that this reality is being compromised and that black students are suspended and expelled at a rate three times greater than white students.

Still, we recited the speech — not the full speech, of course — but the parts that fit into our linear, egalitarian narrative of racial progress in America. We omitted lines such as, “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality” and “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.”

Those lines did not serve our purposes. We replaced reparations with reverie. We ignored King’s assertion that “America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned,” perhaps out of honest ignorance, maybe out of the cringe-worthy, collegiate fear evoked by the word default.

For 28 days, we shared our palatable versions of black history.

And now, February is over.

Now that there is no longer a nationally mandated commitment to foregrounding the narratives of very particular black peoples, can we begin to explore black history thoroughly, rigorously and maybe the most important, holistically?

Now that the critical exploration of black plights, successes and his-

tories is no longer an obligatory and societal venture, can we begin to question some of those routine practices referenced above?

Or is it back to business as usual?

The immediate past, if nothing else, has revealed to us that our nation has yet to genuinely confront the relationship it has with race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class and their inherent politicization.

The social turmoil that persists in this nation correlates directly to the suppression of marginalized peoples in a society that gallantly parades the ideas of truth, justice and freedom.

If we truly believe the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice, then we must begin to acknowledge and actively listen to the voices of the oppressed.

We must listen with the intent to understand and rectify. We must counter passivity and silence. We must unearth the rich, nuanced narratives of black struggle and agency that are further subdued by sexism, heteronormativity and gender binaries. We must learn and honor the diversity within blackness.

This requires more than just a four-week stint in black history, couched in neoliberalism. This requires introspection, empathy, courage, compassion, understanding and sincerity.

So, congratulations again. We made it through February.

Now we have another 11 months to go. #BlackHistoryYear Rashad Timmons is a journalism senior at MSU and the president of Black Student Alliance. This article ran in yesterday’s issue and is being reprinted.

I’ve come a long way in a year.

At this time in 2014, I found myself in worse health than I had ever been in my life. But, unless you came into my bedroom and saw me curled up — too worried and anxious to talk to anyone or go anywhere — my sickness was invisible.

Stress and anxiety had taken over my life, and I hadn’t the slightest clue how to get better.

My mental illness was brought on by side effects of a medication I have been taking on and off for more than a decade.

That medication is prednisone, a steroid I took to help treat a chronic, unpleasant disease called ulcerative colitis, which I’ve had since I was a freshman in high school.

Especially in high doses, and especially when taken over long periods of time, prednisone can lead to severe anxiety and depression. It made my stomach feel better, but it completely changed my mindset and outlook on life.

What put the problem over the top was the fact I was in my first year of graduate school, busier than I had ever been. The side effects of my pills, added to the stress of a colossal courseload and fear of failure was practically paralyzing.

I was consumed by panic from the time my eyes jolted open in the morning until the moment I fell asleep at night, which was often after about three hours of staring wide-eyed at the ceiling of my bedroom.

For those who have been affected by something similar, you probably understand where I’m coming from.

The best way I know how to describe the way the anxiety I felt is with the words “soul-crushing.”

It drove me to inaction. I didn’t want to go to class. I didn’t want to go out with friends. I didn’t want to do anything but be alone.

But when I’m healthy, I typically hate being alone.

Problem was, the idea of going to the doctor to talk to him about my disorder absolutely terrified me. It was more than two years between the time I had my first severe anxiety attack and when I finally worked up the courage to make an appointment.

Because, a second thing my fellow anxiety sufferers might understand is that nothing triggers your anxiety like talking to someone you don’t know about how excruciatingly bad it is.

But I finally had that talk. And it was miserable. I broke down and cried right in front of my doctor during that appointment. Hard.

But, that was also the day everything started to turn around.

It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t happen overnight. The first set of pills I took didn’t do anything except ruin my appetite. I lost 10 pounds in two weeks, and I’m already a skinny dude.

The second set took three weeks before I felt even a slight change.

But then, slowly, things changed.

The anti-depressants started to work, and I got better.

I woke up with a smile on my face, rather than my eyes welling up with tears and my heart welling up with panic for, at least most of the time, no particular reason.

The only regret I had was that it took me two years to face my fears and talk about them, rather than bottle it all up and keep everything away from my friends, family and classmates.

But, no one has to let it get to that point, as I did. You don’t have to suffer for years because of the stigma against admitting your brain just isn’t quite right. Because that’s what I did, and it was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made.

Calling my doctor and struggling through that appointment when I finally addressed my anxiety was beyond difficult, but now, it’s 10 times as rewarding.

We all get stressed out. But when that stress begins to consume you from morning to night and change who you are as a person, it’s time — and, more importantly, it’s OK — to ask for help.

I did, and if you need it, I very much hope you do, too.

To day ’ s q u e s t i o n

Opinion Po ll

How would you classify your current stress level in this hectic time of midterms?

To vote, visit statenews.com

T u e s day, Marc h 3, 2 01 5

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Sports MSU struggling against elite post players The Spartans have struggled defensively this season against Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky and Duke center Jahlil Okafor, two elite big men

By John Neidhart jneidhart@statenews.com

For the first time in more than a month, MSU was simply overmatched in a 68-61 loss in Madison, Wisconsin.

MSU (19-10 overall, 10-6 Big Ten) head coach Tom Izzo had nothing but praise for Wisconsin senior forward Frank Kaminsky following the defeat. The Naismith College Player of the Year candidate was unguardable, pulling out a bag of tricks that even his own head coach Bo Ryan said he hadn’t seen before.

The Spartans did everything they could, rotating sophomore Gavin Schilling, junior Matt Costello and even redshirt junior Colby Wollenman on Kaminsky. All proved more or less ineffective.

The forward spot was supposed to be a concern this season, but for much of the year, Schilling and Costello provided consistency on the block.

During the past few weeks, Schilling has struggled mightily, often getting himself in foul trouble which has led to more time from Wollenman.

Off the bench, Costello is averaging a quiet 7.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Against Wisconsin though, he was just a pawn to Kaminsky. Even when Costello denied the post entry to Kaminsky, he still found ways to get the ball. And once he had it in his hands, he couldn’t be stopped, finishing with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor.

MSU forwards struggled all day, and that’s evident in a 35-24 rebounding disadvantage for the Spartans.

Senior forward Branden Dawson was thoroughly outgunned by Wisconsin sophomore forward Nigel Hayes as well. Dawson managed just four points and two rebounds to Hayes’ 14 points and four rebounds.

For MSU, it wasn’t the first time the team has seen a national player of the year candidate in the post. In the second game of the year, Duke freshman forward Jahlil Okafor went off for 17 points against the Spartans in Indianapolis.

Since then, MSU hadn’t really been challenged with an elite talent down low. The Spartan bigs will need to regroup because Wednesday night is the home finale against Purdue. MSU will have its hands full with a two-headed monster on the block.

Freshman center Isaac Haas and junior center A.J. Hammons split minutes and anchor a Boilermaker team still fighting for its life and an NCAA tournament berth.

Senior guard Travis Trice directs teammates while looking past Wisconsin guard Bronson Koenig Sunday during the game against Wisconsin at Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The Spartans were defeated by the Badgers 61-68. Photo courtesy of Gage Meyer/The Daily Cardinal

MSU indoor track and field finishes in the middle of the pack during Big Ten championships

by Jessica Steeley jsteeley@statenews.com

MSU track and field head coach Walt Drenth said he was proud of his team’s effort as the Big Ten indoor track and field championships. The men’s team came in ninth place with 39 points, and the women’s team tied for fifth with 65 points.

Sophomore Tim Ehrhardt won the men’s pole vault event Friday and Saturday, and he placed second overall in the heptathlon with 5,741 points.

Drenth was happy with the 4x400 meter relays for both teams.

The women’s team placed seventh, receiving two points in the relay, 10

The State N e ws

and the men’s placed fifth, receiving four points.

Freshmen Montae Nicholson tied for fifth in the men’s long jump, scoring three points. Drenth said Nicholson has talent and is a real addition to have on the team.

Sophomore Leah O’ Connor, senior Tori Franklin and sophomore Rachele Schulist were the stars of the girl’s team over the weekend, Dreneth said.

“Leah O’Connor was fantastic,” Drenth said. O’Connor defended her 2014 Big Ten championship title in the mile run with a record time of 4:32.29, which broke her previous MSU school record.

Franklin won a Big Ten title for her mark of 13.31 meters in the women’s triple jump.

Tuesday, March 3, 2 01 5

Franklin and O’Connor were part of the winning team for the women’s distance medley relay. Both women earned their two Big Ten titles in a row at what was their final Big Ten indoor track and field championships.

Schulist won the gold for the women’s 3,000 meter run with a time of 9:01.25, breaking the record she previously set. .

Drenth said the team needs to work on their leadership, but he believes that will improve going into the outdoor track and field season starting soon.

“We’ll be a lot better team outdoors,” Drenth said, adding that spring break will be an important time to determine the competitiveness of the team during the outdoor season.

Geoff Preston Sports editor sports@statenews.com @thesnews_sports

Swimming and diving excited about young roster despite struggles this season

By Troy Jefferson Tjefferson@statenews.com

It’s not all doom and gloom for the men’s swimming and diving team, which finished in last place in the Big Ten championships this past weekend.

Eighteen out of the team’s 24 swimmers are underclassmen.

This youth and potential gives head coach Matt Gianiodis optimism for the future.

“I think (the outlook) is really positive,” Gianiodis said.

“They’re young kids that performed so well in a cruddy situation.”

The “cruddy situation” refers to the stacked Big Ten championships that didn’t give any favors to an inexperienced Spartan team this past weekend.

The Spartans managed only 82 points in the four day competition. Northwestern, who finished in ninth place, had 181 points.

Michigan won the conference championship with 760 points.

“(The Big Ten championships) is really an intense meet. It’s cutthroat. Sometimes with a young team it can get the best of you,” Gianiodis said.

Despite the struggles against the conference elite in Iowa City, Iowa, MSU was able to rewrite some of its own records.

In the preliminary rounds of the 200 backstroke, sophomore Adam Marsh posted a 1:45.02 time, the second fastest time in program history.

Sophomore Sam Hiller followed up with an impressive time of his own, finishing at 1:45.85, the third fastest time in program history.

As a team from Thursday to Saturday, MSU tallied 18 all-time top 10 times.

“From an overall performance standpoint, I think we did really well,” Gianiodis said.

He said he thought sophomores Jon Burke and Alec Kandt, had the two best outings in the championships.

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Freshman fly and back stroker Alex Duffy swims in the 100 yard individual medley event Feb. 7, during the men’s swimming and diving meet against Michigan at IM Sports-West. photo: emily nagle

Burke posted the fifth fastest time 500 freestyle (4:23.51) Thursday, good for 17th place.

In the consolation round, Burke clocked in at 4:26.54, good for

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1:57.06 time to finish 17th.

“I would call those two guys, the standouts,” Gianiodis said.

Performances like the ones from Burke and Kandt give

the program hope for a better tomorrow.

“I think moving forward, we’re in pretty good shape,” Gianiodis said.

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21st place.

Kandt recorded the second fastest time in school history in the 200 breaststroke Saturday.

Kandt won the C finals with a

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Th e Stat e N e ws

11

Features

Casey Holland Features editor features@statenews.com @sn_features

MSU senior engages sexual assault discussion through her own story

By Jessica Sattler jsattler@statenews.com

Last year was a busy time for media and information senior Laura Swanson.

In addition to receiving the iAspire Grant for her sexual assault awareness advocacy and appearing on the “Dr. Phil” show in December to speak about her documentary film “Every Two Minutes,” Swanson is an active member of the Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Team, The Firecracker Foundation and is co-director of the 2015 MSU “Vagina Monologues.”

While her advocacy work had been known at MSU for quite some time, the opportunity to appear on national television offered Swanson a venue to get

her message out to the rest of the country. However, the call from the producers of “Dr. Phil” came at a rather inconvenient time.

“It was the week before finals week, and they called and said, ‘Hey, we want to fly you out in six days — during finals week — to be on the show,’” Swanson said.

Although she’d shared her story as a survivor in “Every Two Minutes” and had been active in the public eye for some time before her television appearance, Swanson said she was still nervous about being evaluated by the entire country.

“It was definitely very scary because I think a lot of people — especially when they’re survivors — are intimidated by the media and how they might be

portrayed,” she said. “But when I was at the ‘Dr. Phil’ show I was seated in the audience for the first few episodes, and when I walked up onstage Dr. Phil shook my hand and told me they wouldn’t grill me or ask uncomfortable questions.”

That assurance, Swanson said, relieved her immediately and created a comfortable environment to talk about “Every Two Minutes” and the work she was doing to fight sexual assault.

When she initially proposed the idea for “Every Two Minutes” to her advanced documentary film class, Swanson was amazed at the positive response she received both from students who wanted to help her make the film and from sexual assault survivors themselves.

Seventeen stories of sexual assault are included in the film, including Swanson’s own, though a total of 23 survivors were involved in the project. The interest was so great, she said, it was unfortunate that not all of the stories could be included in the final film.

The “Every Two Minutes” crew has received feedback from people around the country since the film’s release and Swanson’s subsequent nationwide television interview. Survivors continue to thank them for telling these stories about sexual assault, and students from other campuses have become inspired to start advocacy at their own universities.

Swanson said it wasn’t necessarily her own personal experience as a survivor of sexual assault that made her passionate about the issue, but the stories her friends shared with her about their experiences.

“The overall issue that made me realize I had to take action was that my friends wouldn’t call what happened to them rape or sexual assault. They would normalize the issue,” Swanson said. “I realized that was society’s problem.”

It was that realization that

Media and Information senior Laura Swanson leads the dress rehearsal for the performance of the Vagina Monologues Friday at Wharton Center in the Pasant Theatre. PHOTO: HANNAH LEVY

Swanson’s experience with assault was not at all unique that led her to become a strong advocate for other survivors.

In terms of what’s next, Swanson is already planning anoth-

er documentary centered on human trafficking. She is also in the process of organizing a “healing through movement” dance class at MSU for sexual assault survivors.

Take a breather from studying with a warm cup of tea

By Lauren Owings lowings@statenews.com

Everyone knows that one of the best ways to calm down after a stressful day is sitting down with a nice, hot cup of tea.

But is this scientifically proven? What exactly is it that makes tea so relaxing?

In “The Green Tea Book,” chemist Lester A. Mitscher and health writer Victoria Toews said that the amino acid theanine is the reason behind green tea’s relaxing effects.

Theanine has a de-stressing effect because it crosses the blood-brain barrier.

Once there it is able to block the stimulating effects of caffeine.

According to August Wald in his book “Green Tea Health with Matcha Recipes,” theanine also improves one’s focus and intention by boosting blood flow to certain areas of the brain, which increases one’s ability to work productively.

Anna Balcarcel, employee at the Biggby Coffee on Grand River Avenue, said she often suggests their green tea to students who seem stressed or have a cold.

“I’ve seen a bunch of students come in here that will get our green tea,” Balcarcel said.

She said tea in general is soothing because the hot water helps to calm the mind.

In fact, it’s not just green tea that helps relieve stress.

According to the European Food Information Council website, new scientific evidence reveals 12

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Tuesday, March 3, 2 01 5

black tea to have a positive effect on stress hormone levels.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, discovered that those who drank black tea were able to de-stress faster than those who drank a tea substitute.

Additionally, participants who drank black tea were found to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol after a stressful event.

Of course, green and black teas are not the only kinds that will help alleviate stress.

Biomedical laboratory science junior Kristen Reister, an employee at Starbucks on Grand River Avenue, said just the scent of tea helps to soothe her nerves.

“It’s warm, and it’s good to cozy up with,” Reister said. “I drink it pretty regularly, and I usually do it while I’m doing homework.”

She said the placement of Starbucks all over campus really helps students have easy access to tea when the stress from classes starts taking its toll.

No matter which tea suits one’s taste, MSU students are sure to benefit from the stress-relieving antioxidants and amino acids found in various teas.

Nursing junior Jessica Harris said she thinks people have preconceived notions that tea is relaxing, including herself.

For Harris, coffee means productivity and tea means relaxation.

“It’s a self-fulfilling sort of thing, because we believe tea to be relaxing, it is,” Harris said.