Thursday 03/14/19

Michigan State’s Independent Voice

WOMEN IN STEM In an overwhelmingly male field, a junior persists toward lofty career goals. Pages 6-7

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CITY

E.L. establishes scooter regulations, licensing agreement process

BY EVAN JONES EJONES@STATENEWS.COM

The East Lansing City Council passed an ordinance to regulate electric scooters, establishing a licensing agreement process and safety provisions for scooter companies.

The companies must pay the city an annual $2,500 fee, a daily 10-cent fee for every ride that begins within city limits, and a $100 fee for each month an electric scooter remains impounded.

The ordinance goes into effect March 20.

Councilmember Shanna Draheim amended the ordinance to ensure revenue generated from the scooters is used for scooter infrastructure.

“This isn’t generalized revenue that is coming in,” she said. “This is very specific to operation of new modes of mobility in our city.”

The council established a speed limit of 10 mph on sidewalks.

“If you’ve ever ridden anything on the sidewalk faster than 10 miles an hour, it’s just not safe,” Councilmember Ruth Beier said.

East Lansing Police Department Chief Larry Sparkes said speed limits would be difficult to enforce, since the department’s radar units are “not really designed” to pick up the speed of vehicles as small as scooters. He said the council should focus on public education for best practices for riding the scooters.

The ordinance requires companies to provide education plans for users about pedestrian

rights, including those with disabilities, so they can continue to travel unimpeded by scooters.

Companies must also educate users on proper parking spots, speed limits, safety requirements and general courtesy.

Representatives from scooter companies Lime and Bird provided input to the council. Both sought a lower per-ride fee of 5 cents, but the council lowered its original plans for an annual fee from $5,000 to $2,500 instead.

Scooters will be allowed to stay within the city during the winter months. Mayor Pro Tem Erik Altmann amended the ordinance to eliminate a provision calling for the removal of scooters from Dec. 15 to March 15 each year.

Companies must still remove the scooters when weather conditions require the city to plow and maintain roads and sidewalks.

Removal is also required between 3 and 6 a.m. each day. Altmann moved to eliminate that requirement as well, but it failed by a 2-2 vote.

“I don’t see a reason to do this and there may be people who use them during these hours,” Altmann said.

Lime’s Director of Northeast Expansion Scott Mullen said in a statement to the council that the company has third-shift workers to provide services for late-night scooter users.

Mayor Mark Meadows said he didn’t support Altmann’s amendment because the Department of Public Works needs the ability to work during that time unimpeded by scooters.

Senior advertising managment major Dom Rea unlocks a Lime scooter using his phone Oct. 10, 2018 at Grand River Avenue. PHOTO BY CJ WEISS

Companies are required to respond to requests regarding scooters blocking parking spaces or the public right of way, as well as unsafe or inoperable scooters.

Meadows amended the ordinance to grant authority to the city manager to designate appropriate parking rules for users. Altmann said one example of this authority would be to

prohibit parking within 10 feet of a business.

“I think that’s important that we give that authority to the city manager,” Meadows said.

The city manager could establish additional rules through an administrative order, which would require council approval.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019

The crowd listens at the “Finding our Voice: Sister Survivors Speak” event at the MSU Museum March 12.

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IN TODAY’S PAPER

“It seems like the farther I get in my academic career, there’s less and less girls. It’s a little bit disappointing to see.”

Julia Lutz

Mechanical engineering junior Read more on pages 6-7.

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RELIGIOUS DIRECTORY

GAME STUDIES GUILD EXPLORES

REPRESENTATION IN VIDEO GAMES

BY RAY GARCIA RAY@STATENEWS.COM

Stay up to date at: www.statenews.com/religious

All Saints Episcopal Church 800 Abbot Rd. (517) 351-7160 Sun. Worship: 8am, 10am, & 5pm Sunday School: 10am www.allsaints-el.org Ascension Lutheran Church 2780 Haslett Road East Lansing (517) 337-9703 Sunday worship: 10:00am Sunday Bible study: 8:45am Thursday Bible study: 2:00pm www.ascensioneastlansing.org Wed Lent Services @ 7:00pm Greater Lansing Church of Christ 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. (Meet @ University Christian Church) (517) 898-3600 Sun: 8:45am Worship, 10am Bible Class Wed: 1pm, Small group bible study www.greaterlansing coc.org Hillel Jewish Student Center 360 Charles St. (517) 332-1916 Services: Friday night 6pm, dinner @ 7, September–April www.msuhillel.org

The Islamic Society of Greater Lansing 920 S. Harrison Rd. (517) 351-4309 Friday Services: 12:15-12:45pm & 1:45-2:15pm For prayer times visit www.lansingislam.com/ Martin Luther Chapel Lutheran Student Center 444 Abbot Rd. (517) 332-0778 Sun: 9:30am & 7pm Wed: 7pm Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring) www.martinluther chapel.org The People’s Church Multi-denominational 200 W Grand River Ave. (517)332-6074 Sun. Service: 10:30am with free lunch for students following worship ThePeoplesChurch.com Riverview Church- MSU Venue MSU Union Ballroom, 2nd Floor 49 Abbot Rd. (517) 694-3400 Sun. Worship: 11:30am-ish www.rivchurch.com

From world-building to coding, a lot goes into videogames before they can move from production to the screen. The Game Studies Guild at Michigan State aims to educate the community about the history behind games, the politics involved, as well as the social aspects such as accessibility, racism and the role of LGBTQ representation in games.

“From the beginning, it was developed with a particular focus on issues of inclusion, diversity and social justice in games,” Co-founder Cody Mejeur said. “I would say that the focus — particularly on trans and queer issues — emerged organically from the people who have become a part of the Game Studies Guild.”

Mejeur also explained the focuses of the Game Studies Guild come from what the students involved are studying. By bringing together groups across campus, they aim to build connections and discuss the work they are doing with games in the process.

Mejeur is a Ph.D student studying English with a focus on video games and narrative, but not all members have a direct tie to what many might think of when it comes to video games. Two student coordinators, Dan

St. John Catholic Church and Student Center 327 M.A.C Ave. (517) 337-9778 Sun: 8am, 10am, Noon, 5pm, 7pm M,W,F: 12:15pm T & Th: 9:15pm www.stjohnmsu.org University Luthern Church (ULC) Lutheran Campus Ministry at MSU 1020 S. Harrison (517) 332-2559 Sun. Worship: 8:30am & 10:45am (Sept–May) Summer Worship: 9:30am www.ulcel.org University United Methodist Church 1120 S. Harrison Rd (517) 351-7030 Main Service: Sun: 11am in the Sanctuary Additional Services: TGiT (Thank God its Thursday): Thur: 8pm in the Chapel of Apostles universitychurchhome.org office@eluumc.org

Fandino and Ronny Ford, are Ph.D students studying history and medieval literature.

However, their subjects extend to non-academic interests in the form of storytelling elements in games.

“It can be quite a hot topic, it can be very toxic,” Fandino said. “There’s a lot going on, but at the same time, these games can reach so many different people. I think that’s part of the importance — to be able to look at it both as something speaking to the moment we’re in, and to the way they think and the possibility to reach so many more people.”

During the 2018-19 school year, they covered transmisogyny in the “Dark Souls” video game, colonization in “Bloodborne” and accessibility issues in a wide variety of games. On April 10, they will host a talk called “Queer Games,” centered on the game “Gone Home.”

The gaming community has historically been a place LGBTQ people have not always felt comfortable engaging in, Ford said. It’s not uncommon to hear homophobic slurs thrown around both casually and with spite in gaming chats.

“I think it’s important to establish these kinds of communities because the gaming community, as it stands, hasn’t really done the work to do that,” Ford said. “You log

WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbot Rd. (517) 580-3744 Sat: 6:30pm msu.edu/~welsluth

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Experience architecture junior Ashton Keys plays video games during an experience architecture introductory course on Nov. 22, 2016 at the Main Library. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

“Creating a space in which we can talk about these issues is really important because there are queer people who play video games everywhere — there are lots of us.”

on to play ‘Overwatch,’ and you turn on your headset — you’re going to hear some nasty things.”

The meetings and events are hosted in the Digital Scholarship Lab, located in the MSU Main Library. According to Jonah , co-founder of the Game Studies Guild and the VR and Video Game Collection Coordinator in the lab, the lab’s mission is to create a collaborative space that anyone can use and feel welcome in. In the past, the lab co-hosted the annual Comic Books Forum, where they worked to incorporate themes of diversity and inclusion into the panels.

“Creating a space in which we can talk about these issues is really important because there are queer people who play video games everywhere — there are lots of us,” Ford said. “For me, it’s about creating a space where we can talk about things academically and critically.”

The work of t he Ga me Studies Guild not only i nc ludes discussing issues within the games, but fostering a place

where gamers can come together to play them, preview a play-through or sit in on a speaker series. They welcome students, staff and faculty, and live-stream many of their games on Twitch so those unable to physically attend can still be involved.

“The way that I think about this organization is that the most important thing is cultivating an environment where people feel they can speak openly,” Ford said. “That’s why we wanted to have these different kinds of events, so that we can include as many different kinds of people as possible.”

Ronny Ford History & Medieval Literature Ph.D Student

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FROM THE COVER

In ‘male-dominated’ field, engineering junior persists

BY CLAIRE MOORE CMOORE@STATENEWS.COM

Mechanical engineering junior Elizabeth Schester works in the Manufacturing Teaching Laboratory March 11.

PHOTO BY MATT ZUBIK.

Elizabeth Schester knows what it’s like to be the only girl in a room. The contrast between the number of men and women in her college classes stands out to her so much that she now tallies the number of women in each one she takes.

The Michigan State junior speaks Romanian and English, takes intense upper-level mechanical engineering courses and hopes to someday work for NASA. Between it all, Elizabeth is one of many women trying to enter a STEM career – a work field dominated by men, studies have shown.

A RIGOROUS CAREER CHOICE

Elizabeth’s interest in engineering was piqued by her mom, Liliana Schester, who’s also an engineer. While both of Elizabeth’s parents have influenced her career choices, her mom’s job especially stood out. Liliana works as a senior engineer of supply and development for GT Technologies, an automotive company in Detroit. Elizabeth said she has looked up to her mom since she was little.

“She’s always been very influential in trying to encourage my brother and I to go forward in a STEM-related field,” Elizabeth said, referring to science, technology, engineering and math.

Her class schedule — which consists of mechanical engineering and material science courses — requires dedication. Such STEM courses require her to take careful notes and listen intently to what her professors teach, and it’s easy to get lost in the sea of people that make up her large lectures and other classes, she said.

“It’s like high school, but everything counts a lot more and has a lot more weight,” Elizabeth said.

In those classes, Elizabeth takes note of her fellow students. A large majority of them are male – something that’s only become more prominent as she’s progressed in her education.

“As I continue getting more and more highlevel, I do notice a little bit more of that difference,” Elizabeth said.

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WOMEN’S SHARE OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING BACHELOR’S DEGREES IN 2015

This divide is stark, Elizabeth said, and she works to not let it affect her outlook on her choice of major.

“I try not to let it affect me,” Elizabeth said.

“I look at it now and half of my friends, if not more, happen to be guys, and for me that’s normal and I don’t have a problem with it.”

For example, one class she took this past summer stood out to her.

“I did classes and I think out of 24 students who were there, four of them were girls,” Schester said. “I thought we just stood out because we were there.”

Elizabeth is used to fewer women in her mechanical engineering classes, so she’s surprised when she takes a class with a more even ratio. Last semester, she took a higherlevel mechanical engineering class and was shocked at the number of girls enrolled in it along with her.

“In the lab, there were 15 of us total and there were six girls. For me, I was shocked,” Elizabeth said. “That’s a big number. I think we had four different groups and each group had at least one girl. I thought that was THURSDAY, MAR C H 1 4, 2 01 9

Physical Sciences 38.7 percent

Biological & Agricultural Sciences 58.7 percent

Mathematics & Statistics 42.9 percent

Computer Sciences 18.0 percent

Psychology 77.2 percent

Engineering 20.1 percent

Source: National Science Board, nsf.gov

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pretty heartwarming.”

Other classes aren’t composed the same way.

“Other sessions, they weren’t always the same,” Elizabeth said. “One of my friends told me that she was the only girl out of the whole 15 students who were there.”

The divide leads women in STEM careers to seek out and bond with their female colleagues, Elizabeth said.

“It is male-dominated, but in some ways it doesn’t have to be,” Elizabeth said. “That’s just how chances are. Us girls – we all stick together as such.”

Julia Lutz, Elizabeth’s friend, is also a mechanical engineering junior. Lutz echoed Elizabeth and said, though she believes MSU does an adequate job of recruiting women into STEM programs, it’s disappointing to see fewer girls.

“It seems like the farther I get in my academic career, there’s less and less girls,” Lutz said.

“It’s a little bit disappointing to see, that there’s not more girls.”

Lutz hasn’t been treated differently than her male colleagues so far, she said. Her experience with other engineering students has been accepting of women for the most part.

“Most of the time, most of the engineering students are very friendly and accepting to girls being in engineering more frequently nowadays,” Lutz said.

Entrance into a STEM career appears to have become easier for women for two reasons, Lutz said: One, because other women in the same field uplift each other, and two, because a stigma of women “not being good enough” for work in that field is being diminished.

“I think girls tend to band together ... just the farther we get, as the numbers go down, the bond goes up,” Lutz said.

MAKING STEM ACCESSIBLE FOR OTHER WOMEN

Elizabeth started working with Women in Engineering K-12 outreach at MSU last semester.

She talked about one of the events she helped with, where more than 500 girls — all 4th to 8th graders — signed up for an “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.” “That was just so cool to see, this big event come together,” Elizabeth said. “It has been nothing but eye-opening and a pleasant experience.”

Like Elizabeth, Lutz was inspired to move into assisting outreach efforts for girls interested in STEM programs. Before she attended MSU, she went to Detroit to listen to two panels of women engineers at MSU. That made her want to be like them, she said.

She is now part of the Society of Women Engineers – a nonprofit educational service organization “composed of science and engineering and graduate engineers,” according to its website.

“The Society of Women Engineers brings in kindergartners all the way up through high schoolers at different parts of the year and gets girls excited about engineering.”

It’s women — like Liliana’s own daughter and Lutz — who inspire other girls to enter STEM careers, Liliana said.

“In America, women in the engineering field … you see less,” Liliana said. “However, as time goes by, you see more younger girls coming and trying the field.”

FROM THE COVER WHAT’S IN STORE FOR ELIZABETH’S CAREER

Junior mechanical engineering student Elizabeth Schester walks into the Engineering Building on March 11. PHOTO BY MATT ZUBIK

“This summer, I did classes and I think out of 24 students who were there, four of them were girls. I thought we just stood out because we were there.”

The question is what lies in store for Elizabeth’s future.

“There’s so much to do, so much I would just like to try at once,” Elizabeth said.

Liliana said Elizabeth’s choice to follow in her footsteps was not always clear. And Liliana admits STEM fields can be difficult for women to enter, but she had faith as she watched Elizabeth go through her studies in high school and college.

“She understood and she has the capabilities of studying, so she’s succeeding,” Liliana said.

Liliana has noticed the divide between men and women in STEM fields professionally, too.

“It’s a place where it’s dominated by men and they seem to foster an environment where sometimes they make women feel uncomfortable because of little cliques or because they try to impress that they are smarter than women,” Liliana said.

But Elizabeth won’t let that effect her.

Instead, she puts her hair up in a ponytail and wields heavy machinery and tools like any of her fellow classmates of the male variety.

She talks about her dream of working for NASA, given the organization’s historical legacy.

But Elizabeth would be just as satisfied with a job that fulfills her, like Liliana’s job fulfills her. Liliana travels a lot for her job – all over the United States, Europe and South Korea.

“I think seeing her travel and getting all these experiences and her love for her job is also something I also want to do,” Elizabeth said.

There’s a lot of different people in my life who have pushed me toward what I’m doing today.”

Elizabeth Schester Mechanical engineering junior

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Digital Scholarship Lab teaches MSU community value of new technologies

BY RAY GARCIA RAY@STATENEWS.COM

The Digital Scholarship Lab offers technology-based workshops, teachins and assistance to instructors, students and the university community at large — serving as a space on campus where anyone can come to explore technology.

According to Digital Scholarship Technology Librarian Megan Kudzia, the reception to the lab — located in Michigan State’s Main Library — and the resources it provides has been positive since its opening last February. However, Kudzia said one of the biggest challenges has been making sure the community knows the lab is available to help.

“My suspicion is that there are probably a lot of instructors who don’t necessarily know (providing assistance) is a thing we can do,” Kudzia said.

The lab not only provides assistance to instructors, but educates them on how to design assignments that utilize various computer programs and other technologies. They are also able to recommend the best soft-

informational ware to use for cerresources at tain assignments. the lab to bet“Often when they ter their pracget to me, they tice. Oftenalready k now that times, the lab — they have a sense also attracts maybe of the kind of tourists assignment they want who come to do, but they’re not to check out totally sure either how the technolto do it or they’re not ogy offered. sure f rom a tech“It’s a way nical perspective,” to dissemiKudzia said. nate i n forKudzia and the othmation but if er data librar ians you’re interare open to assist in ested in that a variety of techniThe 360-degree immersive visualization room is pictured March 13, at Digital topic, we can cal projects. Kudzia Scholarship Lab in MSU Main Library. PHOTO BY CJ WEISS make t hat said they encourage students to get involved if they also all,” Terence O’Neill, head of Digi- connection with you through a worktal Scholarship and Maker Space Ser- shop,” O’Neill said. “You get that faceneed assistance.

Since opening, the Digital Schol- vices at the MSU libraries, said. “It’s to-face time, you create that shared arship Lab has held various work- to bring that barrier down so that vocabulary, and a lot of times projshops, including a series on storytell- you can engage with the technolo- ects then build out of that connection ing with wearable technology, anoth- gy. If (students) have anything they between the expert resource person er on geo-referencing, and a weekly want to bring in, we’d be super open and the person that wants to use it.”

Data librarian Scout Calvert hosts open house featuring virtual reali- to conversation,” Depending on what workshops are many of these workshops, includty training in the designated virtual offered, Michigan government offi- ing crash courses in data research reality room.

“This space is really to serve you cials sometimes use the data and management and how to write data

management plans. The workshops are open to the public, but typically cater to specific groups on campus. For instance, graduate students tend to get the most use out of data research, Calvert said.

During one of the lab’s recent workshops, Calvert offered tips and reminders on how best to go about preventing data loss. The information provided included reminders to use the free services provided through the university, such as SpartanDrive and Google Docs, but also to save things “in threes.” With important data, saving three copies ­— on two local spaces and one offsite — is key to ensuring nothing is lost, Calvert said.

Calvert’s workshop provides insight into just one of the many services offered through the lab, and he said he looks to create workshops that draw attention to the lab. He encouraged students, staff and faculty to contact the Digital Scholarship Lab for potential collaborations.

“I hope that the workshops encourage the improvement of the data habits that (people) have,” Calvert said.

the

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SPORTS

Family honors late son at Michigan State basketball games

BY GENNA BARNER GBARNER@STATENEWS.COM

Dr. Eric Larson’s name being drawn for the Michigan State basketball free throw competition brought him and his family comfort after the loss of their son Andrew “Andy” Larson.

Andy was an energetic, goofy teen who loved sports and music.

“He was a great kid,” Eric said.

“When you look at our family he was sort of the spice of the family. ... He always brought a lot of energy.

“That’s the thing we’ve noticed with him gone. That sort of intensity for life is a little diminished because there isn’t someone that has that much energy or zest for life.”

Andy, 14, was just named at started on the JV soccer team at his new high school when he died in a car accident in August 2018.

A mong ever y t hing he was dedicated to, Andy was also a lifelong MSU basketball fan.

“When he was in preschool I used to always want the Spartans to win because I knew if they lost, Andy would cry,” Andy’s mother, Dr. Marcy Larson, said. “I remember one year, it

was the last game of the season and they lost to Ohio State. Andy was devastated and sobbing and I just didn’t even know how to console him.

It was awful. He took everything to heart because it just meant so much to him.”

The family let Andy choose their season ticket seats for the 2018-19 season, but he died before attending a game.

“We thought about giv ing up his seat, but I just couldn’t do it,” Marcy said. “We invited somebody different to go to every game because I couldn’t handle there being a stranger in the seat that he helped pick out.”

W hen E r ic entered t he f ree throw competition he did not think anything of it. But he soon received a phone call asking if he would be able to participate.

“I’m thinking to myself, ‘Well, I don’t own a basketball, I don’t have a gym membership, I don’t have a basketball hoop. I haven’t really shot a basketball in about 25 years.

So, I probably need to practice somewhere,’” Eric said.

Eric practiced at a friend’s house nearly every day. He would often bring his youngest child, 12-yearold Peter with him.

The competition brought the family joy and has helped them cope with the loss of Andy.

“When Eric got selected to do this free throw thing, nobody would have been more excited about it than him.

I mean he just got excited about everything,” Marcy said. “It was kind of hard to have to do it without him.”

When Eric won the first round of the competition, he was reminded of Andy’s love and support.

“The first game when I won the round and I was going to get to go to the next round, I was crying in the car a little bit thinking about what it would have been like had Andy been around to experience that,” Eric said.

“He would have been floating on a cloud for weeks as I kept advancing through the rounds. Those are the things that are hard about him not being around. You can imagine what it would still be like with him there.”

During the final round, at halftime of the game against Michigan, the

Dr. Eric Larson of Grand Rapids shoots free throws during the final round of Michigan State Basketball’s free throw competition March 9. PHOTO BY ANNTANINNA BIONDO

Larson family brought Andy’s teddy bear along with them to the Breslin Center. When it was Eric’s time to shoot, he brought the bear to the court with him and set it under the basketball rack.

“Andy would have thought it was the best thing ever to be down

there on the court in Breslin,” Eric said. “So, then I took him, the bear, to midcourt and had him kiss the (Spartan logo).”

Er ic was defeated in t he competition 11-7. Andy’s memory lives on as the family plans to attend the Big Ten championship March 15.

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PUZZLES

ACROSS 1 Loop in old Westerns 6 Kind of purpose 10 Future J.D.’s exam 14 Putting green border 15 Welding sparks 16 Sicilian smoker 17 *Arm, to an ace pitcher 19 Turkey or fox follower 20 Opposite of ecto21 “Moonstruck” Oscar winner 22 Valerie Harper role 23 Statement of agreement 24 *Issue that halts negotiations 26 Sluggish 28 What a goldbrick does 29 Cooking aids 30 Cry of surrender 33 *Monetary love, in Timothy 38 French wine region 39 “Hands off!”

40 Deck crew boss 43 Full of spunk 45 *One in the infantry 49 __-Aztecan languages 50 Finish by 51 Bird along the coast 52 Beat it 53 Pinball goof 54 Unswerving, and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues

56 Fit to __ 57 “Come Back, Little Sheba” playwright 58 Asian vine leaf 59 Stockholder’s concern 60 Former OTC watchdog 61 Bobrun runners DOWN 1 “You’ve got carte blanche” 2 Nondiscriminating immigration policy 3 Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” for one 4 Unaided 5 Tolkien giant 6 Russian country home 7 “Family Matters” nerd 8 Biting 9 WWII carrier 10 Deadly 11 Butterfly, e.g.

12 Voltaic cell terminals 13 Golden Horde member 18 Treated, as a sprain 22 Christ the __: statue in Rio 24 Have little faith in 25 Little stream 27 Gaza Strip gp.

30 Sci-fi vehicle 31 One of the Bobbsey twins 32 A.L. Central team, on scoreboards

34 Cry of woe 35 Sundial number 36 Protect against heat loss, say 37 Made it big, as in school athletics 40 Mackerel relative 41 Truckloads 42 Conditions 43 Charges for services 44 Alpine airs 45 Like a curled-up position 46 Soprano Mitchell 47 Pharmacy inventory 48 How a 59-Across is typically shown 52 Pumped product 54 Five smackers 55 Ones taking hikes: Abbr.

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SPORTS

MICHIGAN STATE SOFTBALL TO BEGIN HOME PLAY NEXT WEEK

BY LAUREN DEMAY LDEMAY@STATENEWS.COM

Michigan State softball will play its first home game of the season March 20, after a stretch of away games to start the season.

T he tea m holds a 7-15 record after playing teams l i k e A l ab a m a , M e mph i s and Auburn.

The home game has been postponed from March 14 to March 20 because Secchia Stadium does not meet the p r op e r g a m e c on d it ion .

Players said they cannot wait to start playing at home once the weather cooperates. “(We’re looking forward to) that home feeling,” sophomore first baseman Riley Paxson said. “We don’t really get that, we travel places where people are from and that’s cool, but we came here for a reason.

We love this campus and there’s nothing like playing at home and getting in front of your parents. We’re all here for each other, we live here, (its) just a great feeling

playing here.”

Jacquie Joseph gained her 700th win as the Spartans’ head coach in their game against Mercer, where the Spartans won 6-5. Joseph has more t han 800 w ins in her career and is in her 26th season as MSU’s head sof tball coach. Joseph is also a member of the NFCA Hall of Fame. She said she is excited to see what her team can accomplish while on their home field and through the rest of the season.

“I think we’re an exciting team, I think we can create a lot of offense,” Joseph said.

“We’re a young team, but we play with a lot of hustle and enthusiasm. I think we’re a fun team to watch.

“I think we’re a work in progress, we graduated a lot and we’re just trying to figure ourselves out. I think anyone who comes out to see us will have a great time.”

The team will start conference play March 22, with Penn State traveling to

Secchia Stadium for a threegame series. T he Nittany Lions have a 13-12 record and an away record of 1-3. The Spartans look for ward to playing Michigan the most at home April 16, junior second baseman Melanie Baccay said.

Michigan has a 12-10 record and a 2-4 away record. The Spartans defeated Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in May 2018.

“I think it’s always really exciting playing Michigan at home just because it’s a huge rivalry game and there’s a lot of history between the t wo teams,” Baccay said.

“Everyone gets really pumped about it, not just the players but fans. We usually get a little bit (of a) fuller stadium for the Michigan game.”

While the team has faced triumphs and challenges on the road, they said they their games so far have prepared them for what is to come at home.

“We’ve learned different things about each other and

Junior outfielder Ebonee Echols (3) hits the ball during the home opener game on March 28, 2018 at Secchia Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Broncos, 6-1. PHOTO BY SYLVIA JARRUS

our team in general and each different game,” sophomore third baseman Joanna Bartz said. “I wouldn’t say there’d been a specific one, but I would say pretty much all of them have helped us prepare to get to where we are today.”

Softball games are great to bring friends and family out to, as the team loves its

supporters, Joseph said. The players sign autographs after every weekend game, and kids get to run the bases from time to time.

“It’s really a great event,” Joseph said. “It’s very fanfriendly. It’s easy to get to and super fun to watch. I don’t think there’s any downside to coming out to the park,

for sure.”

The Spartans play their final non-conference tournament of the season in Oxford, Ohio for the Miami Invitational from March 16-17. MSU will face Dayton twice, Austin Peay and host Miami in the twoday affair. The Spartans will play Western Michigan at 4:30 p.m. March 20, at home.

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Employment

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