Thursday 04/23/20

‘THERE’S A LOT OF WORK TO STILL DO’ MSU’s class of 2020 is headed into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Now, seniors are worried about finding post-graduation opportunities in the middle of a financial crisis — PAGES 6-7

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‘Tiger King’ and TikTok: How students pass time

MSU community’s biggest news of 2019-20

Stay with The State News online this summer

In an informal survey, MSU students detailed how they’ve spent their time in quarantine

We take a look back at the major stories from this academic year, from resignations to COVID-19

This is the last print issue of the semester, but we’ll continue to provide news on our website and social media

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T H U R S DAY, A PRI L 23, 2020

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Congratulations, Spartans!

Graduating from college is a huge accomplishment. As you enter the next phase of your life, remember MSUFCU is here to help make that transition as smooth as possible.

The same friendly and convenient service you’ve grown to rely on doesn’t have to end when you graduate.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020

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A senior’s final month of college Photos by Matt Zubik mzubik@statenews.com

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In the past two weeks, I’ve managed to catch up with a few of my friends who’ve remained in East Lansing despite the shift to online classes. I didn’t think the highlights of my final month of college would be playing with my friend’s pets, some games of Uno over a few drinks or bonfires with my roommates.

Things that my friends and I would’ve done to pass the time in the fall have become the way that we spend it now. It isn’t the end to the school year that we had imagined, but it’s the one we have.

FULL GALLERY AT STATENEWS.COM

RIGHT: My roommate, Ryan Laorr, stokes a bonfire in our backyard.

MIDDLE LEFT: My friend Alex watches on as my friend Max and I finish a game of Uno. MIDDLE RIGHT: My friend Arlene holds her cat, Winston.

BOTTOM: My roommate’s dog Ophie waits for her ball to be thrown.

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How students spend their time during quarantine

By Brendan Gumbel bgumbel@statenews.com It's been a little more than a month since Michigan State's campus was operational, and students have been passing the time at home in all sorts of different ways. I don't think I'm alone in saying that I feel like I've been living the same day over and over again. I wake up around noon, grab something to eat, then I blink and all of a sudden it's 8 p.m.

Where did that day go? I have no idea.

In an informal survey, MSU students detailed what their lives are like and where their heads are at during this unprecedented time.

While this survey is likely not representative of the entire student body, 351 MSU students weighed in. Here are the results.

FAVORITE NETFLIX SHOW TO BINGE WATCH:

1) "Tiger King" (10.2%) 2) "The Office" (9.4%) 3) "New Girl" (8.2%) 4) "Grey's Anatomy" (7.1%) 5) "Ozark" (6.2%) Not surprised about the leader for this one. "Tiger King" has captivated all of America, and I think it has to do with tigers and murder. I'm not sure though, I'm one of the few that hasn't watched it yet. My favorite on this list has to be "The Office," a timeless classic to this day.

WHAT TIME DO YOU GO TO SLEEP?

1) Between 1 a.m. - 3 a.m.

(40.1%) 2) Between 11 p.m. - 1 a.m.

(34.7%) 3) After 3 a.m. (19.1%) 4) Between 9 p.m. - 11 p.m.

(5.9%) Now that students really don't have to be anywhere at a specific time (except for maybe a Zoom call), everyone's sleep schedule has taken a hit.

Sleeping from 4 a.m. to noon still equals eight hours though, right?

HOURS SPENT PER DAY ON SCHOOLWORK:

1) 1-2 hours (29.9%) 2) 3+ hours (28.2%) 3) 2-3 hours (26.2%) 4) 0-1 hour (15.6%) Once it was announced that the minimum GPA needed to pass a class was a 1.0, I thought that would be the selling point for a lot of students to mail it in for the semester. It seems like a lot of them are going for more than just satisfactory, though.

NUMBER OF DAYS PER WEEK YOU EXERCISE:

1) 1-2 (31.6%) 2) 3-4 (29.9%) 3) 5-7 (23.1%) 4) 0 (15.3%) About 85% of students are

“To the brave souls risking their health and safety for the sake of others, the Spartan community thanks you.”

trying to do at least some sort of physical activity and the other 15% are telling the truth.

I guess we'll find out when it's legal to see other people again.

WHICH APP HAVE YOU SPENT THE MOST TIME ON?

1) TikTok (41.3%) 2) Snapchat (18.8%) 3) Twitter (18.2%) 4) Instagram (14.5%) 5) Facebook (7.1%) I knew TikTok was going to overwhelmingly win this one, and it's for that same reason I had to delete it off of my phone. Once you open the app, it will quickly take up 2-3 hours of your day.

Student survey respondent

WHICH SPORT WILL BE THE FIRST TO COME BACK?

1) MLB (39.3%) 2) NFL (38.1%) 3) NBA (11.3%) 4) NHL (11.1%) The MLB was right on the cusp of starting its season just as the coronavirus was settling in. There's a lot of uncertainty regarding every sport, but as of right now it seems that the MLB is being the most proactive in terms of starting back up.

FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTIST TO LISTEN TO DURING QUARANTINE:

1) The Weeknd (4.5%) 2) Harry Styles (4.2%) 3) Frank Ocean (3.1%) 4) Dua Lipa (2.8%) This one had the largest variety of answers, but The Weeknd took the top spot with 16 votes. The Toronto native dropped his fourth studio album, "After Hours," on March 20 and it was well received by many, climbing to the number one spot in more than 16 countries.

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF DAYS YOU’VE GONE WITHOUT SHOWERING:

1) Two (31.3%) 2) Three (19.6%) 3) One (15.9%) 4) Four (12.8%) 5) Zero (11.6%) Hygiene has also taken a hit in all of this, it appears.

Hopefully everyone is well stocked with toilet paper.

HAVE YOU GIVEN YOURSELF A HAIRCUT YOU REGRET?

1) No (94.5%) 2) Yes (5.5%) A lot of my friends bit the bullet and shaved off all of their hair, and I eventually caved in and participated. I can confidently say I regret that decision.

A THROWBACK VIDEO GAME YOU’VE PLAYED WHILE QUARANTINED: 1) “Mario Kart” (9.9%) 2) “Minecraft” (4.8%)

ILLUSTRATION BY HOPE ANN FLORES

3) “The Sims” (4.2%) 4) “Webkinz,” “Animal Crossing” and “Grand Theft Auto” (3.7%) Mario Kart will be fun no matter how old you get, and every game on this list is very nostalgic. I dug up the game “Madagascar,” which was based off of the movie, for the PlayStation 2. Very underrated game and I don’t think I played anything else when I was 7 years old.

HOW FAR DO YOU THINK THE MSU BASKETBALL TEAM WOULD’VE GONE IN THE TOURNAMENT?

1) National Championship (win) (40.7%) 2) Final Four (31.9%) 3) Elite Eight (14.2%) 4) Sweet 16 (6.5%) 5) National Championship (loss) (4.8%) 6) First two rounds (1.7%) This will be one of the ultimate “what-ifs” in Michigan State sports history, as the team was looking good heading into the Big Ten Tournament. A lot of students were very high on the team’s chances, joining ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, who had the Spartans winning his simulation of the NCAA Tournament.

FAVORITE SNACK FOOD DURING THIS TIME:

1) Chips (14.5%) 2) Popcorn (11.1%) 3) Cheez-Its (6.8%) 4) Fruit (5.9%) 5) Goldfish (5.4%) The chips that received the most votes were Cheetos and Pringles. When you’ve got nothing to do, eating is usually the time-filler that people seek out. I’m averaging a box of peanut butter-filled pretzels per week.

STUDENTS THANK ESSENTIAL WORKERS

Just under 30% of students who took part in the survey marked that they have a family member working

in the medical field on the frontlines caring for COVID-19 patients. Here are some of the anonymous messages of thanks that students left for first responders.

“My dad is a truck driver and has had to deliver to Detroit and Chicago and all the way to Arizona. I understand what

your families are feeling and going through. We are so proud of you and the sacrifices you are making to help others like not being able to live with your families...thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“During these strange times, it seems terrifying to leave our houses. Thank you to those going out and risking their safety for the well-being of

others. You guys are so brave and have inspired future generations to be just like you guys, saving the world one life at a time! Thank you for your service, you are loved!”

“First responders could never have anticipated something like this happening when they took their positions, but they have handled it with incredible poise, courage, and personal sacrifice. Thank you to everyone who is putting themselves in danger to help those in desperate need.”

“To the brave souls risking their health and safety for the sake of others, the Spartan community thanks you.

Without selfless humans such as you, this world would be nothing. We stand by you in all things. Do not stop being the superheroes we need, but do not deserve.”

“Thank you. Thank you for being out there. Thank you for risking your health. As someone with a compromised immune system, I am concerned for what’s to come.

But I know if something was to happen I would have people there ready to save me no matter the risk. So thank you.”

CONGRATULATIONS! The Department of Economics congratulates:

The 2019-2020 Economics Award Winners: Adnan Barazi Jacob Loukota Ian McGuire Catey Regis

Ryan Sears Katie Stocker Chelsea Wein

Our Graduating Econ Scholars: Adnan Barazi Ben Conte Anna Howey Tyler Kramer Riley Latham Jacob Loukota Josh Moog Gillian Myers Vince Nguyen

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY T H U R S DAY, A PR I L 23, 2020

Ashton Pallottini Quintin Pittendrigh Catey Regis Ryan Sears Katie Stocker Isaac Updike Chase Warner Chelsea Wein

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THE GREAT LOCKDOWN: MSU SENIORS

By Sara Tidwell stidwell@statenews.com

ECONOMIC FALLOFF

The Great Depression. The Great Recession.

And now, the Great Lockdown.

That's the term being used to describe the economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which an article from the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, describes as the worst financial crisis since the early 1930s.

Amid this impending recession, Michigan State's class of 2020 is graduating, and seniors are concerned about finding postgraduation opportunities.

CONGRATS TO ASMSU’S GRADUATING SENIORS! ED STUDE AT NT CI S O O

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Thank you for all your hard work throughout the years.

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WELCOME 2020-2021 STUDENT GOVERNMENT NEW LEADERS Abii-Tah Chungong Bih President Jordan Polk VP for Finance & Operations Brianna Aiello VP for Academic Affairs Maysa Sitar VP for Governmental Affairs Nora Teagen VP for Internal Affairs Dylan Catalano VP for Student Allocations

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According to a memo from the National Bureau of Economic Research, a recession is spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months and is normally visible in real gross domestic product, real income, employment, industrial production and wholesale-retail.

A recession begins just after the economy reaches a peak of activity and ends as the economy reaches a trough, according to the organization. The in-between period on the wave shows how the economy is doing, whether it is declining — a recession — or inclining — an expansion.

"March 2020 was the beginning of a stupefyingly fast drop in the economy," MSU Professor of Economics Charles Ballard said. "In the last month, we have given back all of the jobs gained in the past 10 years."

Ballard said one estimate is that national output has dropped — in just a few weeks — by a percentage similar to what it dropped during the Great Depression over a period of three and a half years.

Ballard called the event unprecedented in American economic history, in the sense that the speed of the falloff of economic activity is significantly higher than anything else we've ever seen.

The Great Lockdown marks the 15th economic crisis in the last century, inflicting high and rising human costs worldwide.

The IMF's "World Economic Outlook," released April 14, predicts the global economy will decrease 3% in 2020, much worse than during the Great Recession in 2007-09 and a stark 6.3% downgrade from the organization's January prediction.

In a baseline scenario that assumes the pandemic fades in the second half of 2020 and actions taken to prevent more financial strain are successful, the IMF projected that we are looking at a potential rebound with a 5.8% growth in 2021.

Despite that, the IMF also stated the risks for more severe outcomes are substantial. They suggest policymakers will need to implement targeted fiscal, monetary and financial market measures to support affected households and businesses.

Ballard said the number of job losses in the last month is two and a half times as large as the job losses during the entire Great Recession.

"The best that we can hope for is that we ... flatten the curve," Ballard said. "Although, I think we need to go beyond ... we need to have the curve going down substantially before we can, in good conscience, do a whole lot to open

up the economy."

However, Ballard said even when we move past the pandemic, nothing will look the same as it did before.

"I wish I could sugar coat it," Ballard said. "But this is not going to be a great job market."

UNPREDICTABLE OPPORTUNITIES

As a first-generation college student, Collin Sudderth, 22, will graduate this spring with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology.

However, after his four years of hard work, it is his mother who is more disappointed about her son not getting the experience of walking across the stage and receiving his diploma in hand.

"Graduating college is definitely an accomplishment," Sudderth said in a text message. "But it doesn’t come with a good job or a guarantee for anything. I feel like there’s a lot of work to still do."

Following MSU's decision to move all classes online, President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced spring commencement ceremonies would be postponed indefinitely. On April 21, the university announced it would hold a virtual commencement ceremony on May 16 to celebrate graduating seniors' accomplishments.

Despite the cancellation of his last two months as a Spartan, Sudderth has stayed in East Lansing to continue working at his internship with Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Sudderth's original plans were to head back to his parent's home in Boyne City for the summer and work at a country club he's held a position at in the past. However, Sudderth said the country club closed for the season in response to the pandemic.

"I applied to a master's program in Arizona, but I've also been considering taking a gap year or maybe (attending) law school," he said.

Sudderth said he's concerned about graduating seniors having the money to support themselves, especially students who don't come from wealthy families.

"I got my stimulus check. After paying rent, half my credit card bill, groceries and utility bills, it's already gone," he said.

"All thoughts of staying home this summer to save money and work extra are pretty much gone."

Sudderth said he applied for another stimulus package through MSU and is waiting to hear back. He said he wonders if it's even worth it to continue school given the current job climate.

Josh Cassady, 23, will gradu-

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLIN SUDDERTH

ate with bachelor's degrees in theatre and economics.

Cassady has two paths he can take after double majoring, though his first choice is in stage management. Because theatre is all person-to-person contact work, and there is a huge uncertainty on when the social distancing boundary can be broken, Cassady said he's taking everything one day at a time, choosing to focus on the "right now" rather than the "down the road."

"I'll get there when I get there," Cassady said.

For the time being, he said, he has sorted his decisions into tiers.

"Tier one ... this is me pursuing my goals and dreams of what I want to do ... if no pandemic was going on right now and I could just do anything," he said. "That would be pursuing stage management, moving to a new city, applying for more jobs."

Cassady said, realistically speaking, theatre won't be happening for a while. Because of this, Cassady said he will pursue a job in economics, ideally a remote desk job.

"Knowing what is going on, being aware of it and knowing what I'm getting into is helpful for me," Cassady said. "Just knowing that everybody is in this position basically and it's not me versus the world on this — we're all kind of going through it in terms of job uncertainty."

A TIME OF TRANSITION

Matt Kremke, now manager for compensation classification at Penn State, graduated from MSU with his bachelor's degree in marketing and international business in 2008 and with a master's degree in human resources and labor relations in 2010.

In fact, graduating during the

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GRADUATE INTO LOOMING RECESSION “Knowing what is going on —­ just knowing that everybody is in this position basically and it’s not me versus the world on this — we’re all kind of going through it in terms of job uncertainty.”

Josh Cassady Theatre and economics senior

PHOTO BY ALYTE KATILIUS

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSH CASSADY

Great Recession was part of the reason Kremke decided to pursue a master's degree, he said.

During that time, the job market was also uncertain.

"I think one of the big ways that I've noticed it being an impact is that I had to pay for most of my education on my own," Kremke said. "My parents certainly helped some, but I graduated — like many people my age — with an absolute mountain of student loan debt ... and it's something that I'm still paying off today."

However, even after receiving his master's degree, he said it was still a challenge to get that first professional job, as it is for everybody, no matter the circumstances. "(The first) six months after I graduated with my master's, it was a bunch of lower-level jobs, a bunch of temp agency things," Kremke said.

One of the biggest things Kremke said he would recommend to the class of 2020 is to just keep going.

"You might need to apply for a lot of different jobs, you might need to look for a lot of different housing opportunities before you're going to find what really works,” he said.

Erin Fish, now a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, also graduated during the Great Recession. She graduated from MSU with a bachelor's degree in international relations in 2007.

Fish said she initially planned on attending law school, but because she graduated at the beginning of the recession, it was a lot harder to find an internship.

"I wasn't making a lot of

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN FISH

CONGRATS COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCE PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT KREMKE

money, but I had what I needed and my friends were in the same boat, so it felt normal to us," Fish said. "It's a transitional time anyway when you're coming out of college, not really knowing necessarily what you want to do."

Fish said she recommends graduating seniors stay connected with others.

"Make sure you have as much support as you can," she said.

"Trying not to isolate, trying to reach out to others — not only folks who are going through the same thing, but other people who are in positions that could potentially help you."

During this time, MSU's Career Services Network, or CSN, is working to help seniors make that post-graduation transition.

CSN is made up by a collection of career service professionals in career centers across campus. It helps MSU students with resume and cover letter reviews, career advising, interview preparation and more.

The network also hosts pro-

grams, including career fairs and networking events.

CSN Executive Director Jeff Beavers said there are two different groups that make up the class of 2020: There are those who secured employment offers early, whether that was in the fall semester or January, and then there are those who were planning to finish their job search this spring.

CSN has created a virtual center that includes online services, which they increased by 400% to help provide resources and support to students.

Beavers said the network still has a large number of employment opportunities posted on its job board, though in most cases they're with smaller companies.

"We're making students aware that there are still roles available,” Beavers said. “And that although it may not be their initial employer of choice, potentially we can get them into a role that is ... adjacent to that.”

GRADUATES! #IHeartNatSci CLASS OF

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2019-20 YEAR IN REVIEW investigation could not go forward due to a split vote among trustees.

In her resignation letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Schlichting wrote she could no longer serve on the board because of the decision.

In December, Whitmer appointed Renee Knake to fill the remainder of Schlichting's term, which ends in 2023.

In an interview with The State News, Knake said she wants "to see changes made to encourage a culture of transparency and accountability, where survivors are taken seriously and heard. When survivors come forward, they are brave, and they need to feel that they can come forward. It also needs to be an environment where there's due process for all individuals involved."

By Hannah Brock hbrock@statenews.com The 2019-20 academic year marks a time of uncharted territory for Michigan State and the surrounding East Lansing community. As the COVID-19 crisis continues, it can be hard to recall what happened before the universityturned-statewide shutdown.

As the spring semester comes to an end, here is a recap of this year's biggest stories.

PRESIDENT SAMUEL L. STANLEY JR. BEGINS HIS TENURE

After a year-long search for the next university president, Samuel L. Stanley Jr. began his tenure on Aug. 1, 2019. Stanley permanently replaced former MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, who resigned in January 2018 amid allegations against the university's handling of former MSU doctor Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse.

In an August interview with The State News, Stanley said his goals are to create a safer campus, establish a culture that’s more accountable, emphasize sexual assault prevention, promote sexual assault education and awareness, meet with survivors of sexual misconduct, restore trust in the university administration and be more inclusive and transparent.

MSU MOVES TO FLAT-RATE TUITION

MSU instituted flat-rate tuition last fall. This model means all undergraduate students taking between 12 and 18 credits are charged at the same rate.

FORMER HEAD FOOTBALL TRUSTEE GEORGE PERLES DIES

New head football coach Mel Tucker speaks at his introductory press conference at the Breslin Student Events Center on Feb. 12. PHOTO BY MATT ZUBIK

This change was met with disapproval by MSU's Black Student Alliance, or BSA. Flat rates benefit those taking 15 to 18 credits, but it raises prices for those taking 12 to 14. BSA group members called on MSU to charge students for 12 credits instead of 15 to make the model more affordable for students.

For the 2020-21 school year, Stanley has

moved to freeze tuition rates amid financial concerns due to the COVID-19 crisis.

OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS FINDS MSU IN VIOLATION OF TITLE IX

In September 2019, the U.S. Department for Education's Office of Civil Rights, or OCR, found that multiple MSU employees failed to respond to and prevent abuse from Nassar and former Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine William Strampel.

Ultimately, the report determined that MSU violated Title IX regulations and required the university to pay a record $4.5 million fine.

Among employees listed were Simon and then-MSU Provost June Youatt. Youatt resigned a day later.

JUNE YOUATT RESIGNS, MSU SEARCHES FOR ITS NEXT PROVOST

Congratulations Go forth and transform the human experience.

College of Social Science

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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Youatt resigned in September 2019 amid OCR’s report that MSU failed to comply with Title IX regulations.

The report pointed to multiple people, including Youatt, to be reviewed for not following the laws and policies at the time. Others under review included Simon, employees of the Office of General Counsel, former MSU gymnastics coach Kathie Klages and the associate vice president for academic human resources.

In response, Stanley created an oversight committee for ensuring that MSU follows the steps outlined in agreements with the department and OCR. In October, former president of the University of Virginia and MSU alumna Teresa Sullivan took office as interim provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. Sullivan will remain the interim provost until the end of the academic year.

The three finalists seeking to fill the provost position held virtual public forums this month.

The candidates — Wanda Blanchett, Antonio Tillis and Teresa Woodruff — answered questions from the MSU community via Zoom.

TRUSTEE SCHLICHTING RESIGNS, RENEE KNAKE APPOINTED

In October 2019, MSU Trustee Nancy Schlichting resigned, citing MSU's failure to move forward with an independent investigation into Nassar's abuse. Schlichting had been appointed in December 2018 by then-Gov. Rick Snyder to fill former Trustee George Perles' seat following his resignation.

In June 2019, the Board of Trustees announced the law firm McDermott, Will and Emery would conduct the independent investigation, but in the first meeting of the 2019-20 academic year, Board Chairperson Dianne Byrum said the

COACH,

MSU alumnus George Perles died in January at 85. Perles was a former MSU football coach, athletic director and trustee.

Perles served 12 years on the MSU Board of Trustees and resigned in 2018, citing health reasons.

As a coach, Perles was described by his former assistant Mark Dantonio as exuding confidence, conviction and toughness. Perles led the Spartan football team for 12 seasons, bringing the Spartans to two Big Ten conference titles, seven post-season bowl appearances and a 1988 Rose Bowl victory, the first since 1956.

Perles served as the MSU athletic director for two years before resigning.

MARK DANTONIO RETIRES, MEL TUCKER BECOMES NEW FOOTBALL COACH

Former MSU football coach Mark Dantonio announced his retirement in February. Dantonio led the Spartans to a 114-57 record during his tenure, the most wins of any MSU football coach.

Dantonio's resignation followed months of involvement in a lawsuit filed by former MSU football staffer Curtis Blackwell. The lawsuit alleged Dantonio pushed for the admission of then-recruit Auston Robertson, despite his history of sexual misconduct, and of dismissing warning signs from other staff members.

The lawsuit was dismissed last month.

Dantonio's position didn't remain empty for long. Mel Tucker, who was previously head football coach at the University of Colorado, became the Spartans' 25th football coach in the same month Dantonio announced his retirement.

Tucker spent his first week as coach recruiting, making appearances at Spartan athletic games and assembling his staff.

Tucker promised to "bring the juice" to the MSU football program in a press conference on Feb. 24.

KATHIE KLAGES FOUND GUILTY OF LYING TO POLICE, WILLIAM STRAMPEL RELEASED FROM JAIL EARLY

Ex-MSU gymnastics coach Kathie Klages was found guilty of lying to police on Feb. 14. Klages' charges stem from her denying knowledge of Nassar's abuse prior to the 2016 MSU investigation.

Klages marks the second former MSU employee charged in connection to Nassar.

The other former MSU employee is Strampel, who was sentenced to one year in Ingham County Jail. His charges involve two counts of willful neglect in his role as Nassar's boss and a count of misconduct in office, a felony.

Strampel was released early from Ingham County Jail on March 23. Strampel was originally set to be released on April 3 on "sheriff's good time," but his release came two weeks earlier than scheduled. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Ingham County Jail released dozens of lowlevel offenders to reduce the risk of the disease spreading, but the Ingham County Sheriff's Office did not confirm in a statement whether this was the reason Strampel was released early.

COMMU N I T Y SPRING SEMESTER ENDS ABRUPTLY DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

FALL BREAK APPROVED FOR 2020-21 ACADEMIC YEAR

When COVID-19 surfaced in Michigan, MSU students were met with total upheaval.

Plans to handle the coronavirus began in February, though students' worlds were turned upside down after Whitmer declared a state of emergency on March 10. The following day, MSU made the decision to transition to online instruction, which has been extended into the summer semester.

Following the announcement, MSU students packed East Lansing bars, despite university and Centers for Disease Control instruction.

Later, the state implemented regulations on the number of people who could gather at once, and eventually closed bars and restaurants.

Cancellations and postponements soon spanned nearly every event that couldn't be transitioned to Zoom, including all spring athletics and graduation commencement ceremonies.

On March 23, Whitmer announced the "Stay Home, Stay Safe" order, which remains in effect until the end of April, pending extension.

Many students returned to their permanent addresses and those who could not return are being provided for on campus.

To compensate for the difficult transition to online instruction, MSU is offering satisfactory/ not satisfactory grading. Under this option, students are able to choose on a class-byclass basis if their grades are reflected in the typical 4.0 system or through satisfactory/not satisfactory marks.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold into uncharted territory for the university, as well as the East Lansing community.

Last month, MSU approved a pilot fall break for all undergraduate students. The break will take place Oct. 26-27.

The university will remain open, and all planned activities will continue during the break. As for graduate students, their respective colleges will choose if classes will remain in session.

SEVERAL RACIST INCIDENTS OCCUR ON CAMPUS

In October, two students in Bryan Hall reported a toilet paper noose hung on their door. The incident was initially described as a “Halloween prank" in an email from MSU Residence Education and Housing Services.

In the same month, a Sona survey distributed in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences included racist, homophobic, transphobic and xenophobic slurs.

Both incidents were followed by discussions hosted by BSA, the Associated Students of Michigan State University and the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

Racist incidents continued in February when a display of prominent African American figures was removed from the Wharton Center after complaints of its offensive presentation. The incident was featured on "Saturday Night Live's" "Weekend Update" segment.

In response, the Wharton Center agreed to racial bias training with employees and volunteers that centered its attention on the difference between intentional and unintentional racial bias.

The 50th annual Spartan Stampede drew complaints after a rodeo clown performed a racist skit in February. The incident involved a rodeo clown taunting a Mexican caricature,

Michigan State University Health Team members testing patients for COVID-19 at drive-through testing site on April 2. PHOTO BY DI’AMOND MOORE

calling him "Taco" and asked why he didn't go "back to the border."

The clown actor, a contractor for the show, was required to remove the language from all subsequent shows and MSU made the decision not to bring the actor back next year.

Also in February, a public forum with Stanley included racist comments in the online question submission platform. The Michigan State University Police Department, or MSUPD, reviewed the comments posted and determined it was not criminal.

EAST LANSING ELECTS NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS, BIDEN TAKES MICHIGAN IN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY

With six candidates vying for three open city council seats, East Lansing voted in Jessy Gregg,

Lisa Babcock and Mark Meadows — who held onto a seat by just two votes — in September.

Following the election, Ruth Beier was named East Lansing's mayor and Aaron Stephens became mayor pro tem.

On March 10, East Lansing voters moved to increase funding for special education programs in the Ingham Intermediate School District, Ingham County parks and trails, Potter Park Zoo and mental health services for low-income residents. Additionally, voters approved the millage of CATA transportation services for 2021-25. Voters also approved the sale of city land to MSU Federal Credit Union. The land will be used to build a commercial office space.

Statewide, former Vice President Joe Biden won Michigan's Democratic primary against Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2020!

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RELIGIOUS DIRECTORY

Q&A: President Stanley reflects on first year at MSU

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 Crossway Multinational Church 4828 Hagadorn Rd. (Across from Fee Hall) (517) 917-0498 Sun: 10:00am crosswaymchurch.org 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 Shabbat – Services@ 6pm / dinner @ 7, September–April www.msuhillel.org instagram: @msuhillel

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: 10:30am & 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 St. Paul Lutheran Church (ELCA) Worship with us on Sundays at 10am 3383 E. Lake Lansing Rd 517-351-8541 www.stpaul-el.org officemanagerstpaul el@gmail.com

St. John Catholic Church and Student Center 327 M.A.C Ave. (517) 337-9778 Sun: 8am, 10am, Noon, 5pm, 7pm M,W: 5:30pm T & Th: 8:45pm F: 12:15pm www.stjohnmsu.org University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd (517) 332-5193 Sun. Bible Study: 10am Sun. Worship: 11:15am www.universitychristianwired.com University Lutheran Church (ULC) “We’re open in every way” 1020 S. Harrison Rd (517) 351-7030 Sun. Worship: 8:30am & 10:45am Fridays@Five: Dinner, discussion & fun 5pm Mon. Bible Study: 6:30pm @Wells Hall Quad www.ulcel.org Facebook: ULC and Campus Ministry University United Methodist Church 1020 S. Harrison Rd (517) 351-7030 Main Service: Sun: 11am in the Sanctuary Additional Services: NEW contemporary service Sundays at 9am with band titled ‘REACH’ TGiT (Thank God its Thursday): Thur: 8pm in the Chapel of Apostles universitychurchhome.org office@eluumc.org WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbot Rd. (517) 580-3744 Sat: 6:30pm msu.edu/~welsluth

President Samuel L Stanley Jr. applauds new head football coach Mel Tucker (not pictured) after Tucker was approved by the Board of Trustees at the Hannah Administration Building on Feb. 12.

PHOTO BY MATT ZUBIK

By Mila Murray mmurray@statenews.com Michigan State President Samuel L. Stanley Jr.’s first year at the university is coming to a close.

He began his term as MSU’s 21st president before the start of the 2019-20 academic year, following a year-long search process. He permanently replaced former President Lou Anna K. Simon, who resigned in January 2018 amid fallout from the Larry Nassar cases.

Now, Stanley is running the university from his home at Cowles House on MSU’s campus.

“I’m very aware that for students, faculty and staff, this is a very, very stressful and trying time,” Stanley said in a recent interview with The State News Editorial Board.

“But I’m amazed at the job people are doing. It’s really amazing to me how faculty stepped up on very short notice, as you’re all aware, to begin the transition to remote teaching ... I’m incredibly impressed by what the students have done, and the patience, really, that you’ve had.”

Editor’s note: Responses have been condensed for length and clarity.

What are you most proud of from your first year at MSU, and what is the one thing that you wanted to accomplish this year, but didn’t get to?

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I’m really proud of ... how people have risen to the occasion during this crisis.

Sometimes, this really is what tests people and tests an institution — how they

10

respond. And again, I’m so proud of the students. And I look not just at what we’re doing in terms of continuing teaching, continuing the normal functions of the university, but what we’ve been doing to reach out to the community as well.

Some of the students from the College of Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Nursing graduated early. They’ve just received their degrees now in April, so they can go out and help in the community. ... I’m really proud of that, ... I’m really proud that this is what Spartans do.

In terms of not getting things done, there are always things I haven’t finished so far that I would like to see done.

One of the things is, I still am concerned about intramural facilities for students. And that, to me, is a challenge.

At the beginning of your administration, you laid out some goals such as making campus safer, making it more accountable and making steps toward changing the culture surrounding sexual assault. Do you think you’ve been able to restore trust in the administration?

You know, you’d probably be better equipped to answer whether we’ve restored trust administration. ... I think that’s a challenging thing to do, because trust has to be earned. When you say you care about something, your actions actually reflect that.

And so I hope I’ve been good in that.

I do think that one of the

T H E STAT E N EWS

things we’ve done is really changed the personnel in those offices. So bringing in Tanya Jachimiak to lead the office that’s involved in Title IX essentially, and to be the single point of contact for all those issues around the university.

How would you identify the biggest issues that the university is currently facing?

So (the impact of COVID-19) is obviously one of them, and it’s just a safety issue, obviously — how do we do things and yet keep everybody as safe as possible?

And that’s been our goal from the beginning, it’s why we moved so quickly to distance people. And then (there’s) the financial consequences of this.

At the same time, selecting the provost for the university, I think, is an important challenge.

And then (diversity, equity and inclusion) continues to be important. We set up a very important committee to help drive that and we had a search on for a chief diversity officer to help lead that, (but) those things have been postponed, so I’m concerned about that, and I’m concerned in general that those things aren’t lost sight of during the crisis we face now.

So those are some of the things that I’m thinking about, but mostly, I’m thinking about the safety of everybody. ...

As difficult as this is, we will get through this. We’ll get through this as an institution, we’ll get through this as a state, we will get through it.

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University faces financial losses amid pandemic

By Karly Graham kgraham@statenews.com After the university transitioned to online learning and encouraged students to return to their permanent residences, concerns about layoffs and furloughed payments began growing among faculty and staff.

Michigan State University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. said during a virtual town hall April 20 that the impact of COVID-19 has resulted in unexpected hits to the university’s budget, such as the refunds granted to students who left their dorm rooms before April 12.

Due to the cancellation of basketball tournaments, the athletic department’s budget also saw reductions.

To mitigate MSU’s financial losses, Stanley and other university executives will take pay cuts for up to a full year.

It was announced April 20 that a group of students filed a lawsuit against the university, demanding refunds for tuition, room, board and fees.

When it comes to furloughs for tenured faculty, Interim Provost Teresa Sullivan said the budget is being reworked to avoid that possibility.

Changes include limited travel budgets for tenured

PHOTO BY MATT ZUBIK

Interim provost Teresa A. Sullivan speaks at the ASMSU meeting at the International Center Jan. 30.

PHOTO BY MATT SCHMUCKER

faculty, for example.

“Our strategy has been to seek to reduce other expenses first,” Sullivan said during the town hall. “We’re going to look for cutting expenditures in those places before we look to cutting faculty positions.”

While the university is expecting federal relief from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act, other high salary

members of the university might be asked to take temporary pay cuts.

“I do hope people will recognize that this is a time when all of us will need to make some sacrifices to help out and that this is the beginning of what we’re doing — there may be more,” Stanley said during the town hall. “It very much depends, and I’m talking about the

executives, on where we find ourselves. In this very tough time for the state, we feel very fortunate. We continue making contributions as part of MSU.” While current plans for fall semester classes are uncertain, Sullivan said she has begun planning measures in case travel measures prevent international students from coming to MSU.

“We anticipate that some of our international students may choose to wait a semester to see if travel looks more feasible,” Sullivan said.

“We’re also exploring options for offering courses that they could take in their home countries before coming here.”

When it comes to the future of MSU, Stanley said the university will continue to engage in communication to keep the public informed.

“We will get through this as an institution,” Stanley said. “We are a very strong institution. We are keeping with our principles: Our commitment to excellence, our commitment to access,

our commitment to our extension work and our land grant model — all of those things are things I think are things that abstain us in this time.”

The pandemic might still cause more jobs to be lost, but MSU will continue to teach students and develop research to be shared nationally, he said.

“During this time, I think we will continue to work to move MSU forward, continue to work to support the people who are so vital to this state,” he said. “Again, our students are the future of Michigan, and I think we need to do everything we can to support them.”

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MSU’s pandemic-inspired final projects promote community understanding “An assignment like this really reminds us that history is not just heroes and holidays. What we are living through today, both in the United States and around the world, is unique.”

By SaMya Overall soverall@statenews.com With the transition to online classes causing a sudden change in students’ and professors’ daily routines, many classes have changed their end-of-semester projects to incorporate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some classes, instead of doing a final paper or project to assess their knowledge of the course, are creating websites that document the digital history of the COVID-19 pandemic through personal experiences and current events.

“About a week after we moved to virtual classes, I offered students in all of my classes the option of doing an alternative final assignment,” assistant professor in the Department of History Erin Graham said. “One of my students ... in my CLS class came up with the idea of writing about their experiences. Then, we talked it through and decided to add the current events component as well, and the website idea emerged out of that.”

Graham teaches four courses this semester: Two integrative studies classes, one Chicano/Latinx studies class and one women and gender studies class. Each class has its own separate website that examines the pandemic through the lens specific to that course — migration and Latin America, minorities and immigration or feminism and equality.

“This is really the application of the knowledge that students have learned in their classes thus far,” Graham said. “An assignment like this really reminds us that history is not just heroes and holidays. What we are living through today, both in the United States and around the world, is unique. We’re really in this very unique time. It’s really critical that we are creating contemporaneous records of this time and, at the same time, that students are using the lenses and theories we’ve learned about in class and applying those to make sense of this unique moment in history.”

Other classes, like a Lyman Briggs College course where students choose a group of people affected by COVID-19 — such as small business owners, doctors, nurses and minorities — and analyze how COVID-19 affects them personally.

“COVID-19 actually offered an opportunity ... in that what we wanted out of this last as-

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Erin Graham Assistant professor, Department of History

Websites designed by professor Erin Graham for one of her four courses. Photographed on April 21. PHOTOS BY LAUREN DEMAY

signment was an occasion for our students to grapple with science as it comes out into the world,” Director of Experiential Learning for Lyman Briggs Issac Record said.

“That’s exactly what is happening all around us with COVID-19. We have a lot of uncertainty. We have different sources of information giving us different stories about what’s happening. Different people are focusing on different aspects of the virus and its impact. No one is really certain how this will turn out and in that way, it makes for both a nerve-wracking but also an interesting case to look at.”

Record said he collaborated with three other staff members — academic specialists in Lyman Briggs Arthur Ward and Marisa Brandt and Associate Professor in the Col-

T HE STAT E N EWS

lege of Arts and Letters Sean Valles — to create a broad final project for all sections of the Lyman Briggs course.

Some professors, like Graham, initially had difficulty learning the technology needed to create a COVID-19 website and sharing that information with her students, Graham said.

Other professors had difficulty determining the logistics of the final assignment, Record said.

Students were initially apprehensive about bringing the discussion of COVID-19 into their classes as they were already being bombarded with COVID-19 news in the media.

“Everything is all on COVID-19, so when they said we were going to do COVID-19, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I cannot do more COVID-19,’” biology freshman

THU R SDAY, A PR IL 23, 2020

Tushya Mehta said. “I was already stressed with everything. But then, when I read the whole project and understood why it was happening, I really liked it.”

Graham said it was important to document this unprecedented time while it is happening not only for people today to relate to, but for future people to understand what was happening.

“I think it’s important for all of us to have a sense of what other people are going through,” Record said. “So this process of documenting helps us to do that. It helps us to exercise our empathy.

That’s really important in trying times because our tendency sometimes is to close off and to focus on ourselves.

Of course, to some extent, we must do that. We must make sure that we are safe

and secure, but it’s important to have structured ways of reaching back out to the world. This assignment ... provides some of that structure.”

Besides documenting history, the websites can help students deal with the isolation that comes from following social distancing mandates in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order.

“It can be a huge mental toll, but at the same time, to each their own. They can learn how to work with what they have to regain that mental stability to keep going and keep pushing forward,” Lyman Briggs freshman Dalin Roblero said. “Especially with us students who are having classes online, it is very hard to be in an environment where you can’t go out to your classes, you can’t go back to

your normal, regular routine.

Even when the fall comes, if we can go back to the university, it’s definitely going to teach us many things because we can’t just snap back to how things were.”

The COVID-19 websites foster a sense of community between the students, even though they cannot physically be in the same class, political science senior Erika Ramirez said. Her Chicano/ Latinx studies class — which is made up of mostly Chicano or Latinx students — had created a safe space to talk about their struggles and were able to continue doing so with the websites, Ramirez said.

“It was very much a safe space for all of us to be able to try to talk about the social codes of how we have to navigate being on a campus that is majority white,” Ramirez said. “But also being able to talk about the macro and microaggressions that we deal with on a daily basis. ... So, it was kind of cool to be able to be connected with them still and keep in contact and really just continue these conversations.”

The websites are meant to give students the support needed to come to terms with what’s happening around them and allow them to contribute towards getting through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m just incredibly proud of all of my students,” Graham said. “I think this is a very difficult time that many of them are experiencing, and I’m very grateful for all of them.”