Spring has sprung! Enjoy the first day of spring
Tunnel of Oppression highlights social issues
Competition kicking up in spring football
CAMPUS + CITY, PAGE 3
SPORTS, PAGE 6
Sophomore quarterback Tommy Vento JULIA NAGY/THE STATE NEWS
Weather Snow High 25° | Low 18° Three-day forecast, Page 2
Michigan State University’s independent voice | statenews.com | East Lansing, Mich. | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
ASKING FOR MORE Thousands flock to Breslin Center for near sold-out show featuring popular artist Macklemore By Katie Abdilla abdillak@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■
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ADAM TOOLIN/THE STATE NEWS
Macklemore performs on stage in front of thousands of fans Tuesday at Breslin Center. The concert was Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ third time performing in the Lansing area.
ven before he sauntered onto the stage, a packed Breslin Center awaited his presence. Chicago rapper Rockie Fresh was long gone. With 10 minutes left until show time, fans chanted “Go Green, Go White!” to welcome their guest — but this was no sporting event. They craved the presence of Seattle native Ben Haggerty, now known as Macklemore. Upon his entrance, the rapper instantly felt the love. “You people put goosebumps on my arms already,” he screamed to the crowd. “There is nothing like performing at a place like Michigan State and seeing an arena full of people.” Sponsored by ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, Macklemore and his producer Ryan Lewis co-hosted a concert Tuesday at Breslin. Although not quite sold out, concertgoers filled a majority of the upper and lower bowls. “We wanted to do something students would love,” said Kiran Samra, ASMSU’s director of marketing. “There was a huge buzz on campus with Macklemore, so we knew he would be a good route to go.” A loyal fan base Ever since she bustled her way through a sold-out show in Ann Arbor to see Macklemore in 2011, there was no turning back for advertising freshman Amy Ruimveld. “He has so much energy on stage, and you can tell in his songs that See MACKLEMORE on page 2 X
DANYELLE MORROW/THE STATE NEWS
ABOVE: Macklemore trumpeter Owuor Arunga laughs as lead singer Macklemore addresses the audience between songs on Tuesday at Breslin Center. The Macklemore and Ryan Lewis concert was presented to students by ASMSU. RIGHT: Concertgoers talk with one another before the show begins Tuesday at Breslin Center. Thousands of fans came to watch Macklemore and Ryan Lewis perform.
To see a video from the concert, visit statenews.com/ multimedia later in the day today. ADAM TOOLIN/THE STATE NEWS
SPARTAN BASKETBALL
The Spartans’ head coach always is intense — don’t get that twisted — and rarely is one to mince words, but usually he’ll wait more than two seconds before angrily venting his frustration. In this instance, the source of rage stemmed from a player JOSH MANSOUR not running off a screen hard mansou13@msu.edu enough in the possession’s opening seconds, and after stressing all day the extreme necessity of attention to detail and a focus on the little things, this normally mundane infraction couldn’t be tolerated, not even for a moment. For Izzo, it needed to be The squeaks of sneakers nipped in the bud and sprinting across MSU’s made an example of ba sketba l l prac t ice 2013 instantly. court suddenly stopped T hat ’s what hapas the 2009 Final Four pens when the NCAA banner billowed Tournament briskly against TOURNAMENT arrives. the wall Monday Pressure is afternoon. It wasn’t from a soft breeze, ratcheted up, intensity is magbut rather the force of a bas- nified and every single element ketball Tom Izzo had just punt- is critical. Anything could be the difed high into the air after an offensive set wasn’t run the way he wanted. See COLUMN on page 2 X
Spartans have great chance for historic run
NCAA
BUDGET
House approves funds, still in jeopardy By Kellie Rowe rowekell@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■
Although a House subcommittee approved a 2 percent funding increase for Michigan universities Tuesday, funding could be at risk if unions enter new contracts before the rightto-work law takes effect in about a week. The Michigan Legislature’s House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education approved budget increases that would mean about 2 percent more in funding for MSU, or about $5 million , for university funding, a 4-3 vote in favor of the Republican majority. Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposal would increase funding about 1 percent for MSU. Under the committee’s budget, MSU will receive
a funding increase as long as it does not raise tuition more than 3 percent, among other requirements. “This budget protects Michigan students from burdensome tuition increases by creating incentives for the universities to hold tuition down,” said state Rep. Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville, chair of the subcommittee. However, additions to the bill’s language could put funding for universities in jeopardy if schools attempt to establish new labor contracts prior to when the right-to-work law takes effect March 28. Michigan lawmakers passed the right-to-work bill in December, which granted employees the ability to opt out of joining unions at their workplace. Hundreds protested at the Capitol last December, concerned that employees will be able to receive the benefits of collec-
ADAM TOOLIN/THE STATE NEWS
Michigan state representative Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, addresses the audience Tuesday at the Capitol. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education approved a $31.3 million tenative increase for university funding.
tive bargaining without paying union dues. The House’s budget bill would cut funding by 15 per-
cent at institutions that sign labor contracts prior to March See BUDGET on page 2 X