Thursday 6/18/15

Decisions that greatly impact MSU students are being made behind closed doors, offering no chance for community input or transparency. SEE PAGE 6

E D I TO R I A L

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Decriminalized marijuana does not change much for East Lansing

East Lansing City Council introduces ordinance regulating building height downtown

Detroit baseball runs in the family for MSU’s Cam Gibson

Marijuana legalization may appear on the 2016 statewide ballot — PAGE 2

If approved, buildings would be required a minimum of four stories — PAGE 4

The recent Tigers draft pick follows his father’s legacy

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Rachel Fradette Opinion editor opinion@statenews.com @thesnewsopinion

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AJ Moser OPINION EDITOR Rachel Fradette CONTENT EDITOR Michael Kransz STAFF REPRESENTATIVE Jessica Steeley

E D I TO R ’ S N OT E The State News Editorial Board underwent a few changes last week. Reporter Jessica Steeley and content editor Michael Kransz sat in for the designated Staff Representative and Inclusion Representative during this meeting.

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O P I N I O N P O LL W E D N E S DAY ’ S R E S U LT S

Have you ever been major shamed by a peer?

53% — Yes. I always have to hear comments about my major choice.

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EDITORIAL: City decriminalization a misstep for actual marijuana reform On May 5th, Proposal 1 passed and marijuana was decriminalized in the city of East Lansing. The time is finally here and you can light up in the streets, right? Wrong.

The recent decriminalization has had no real effect except causing confusion among citizens because the packaging misrepresents the package.

“The new charter amendment restricts the city from from having any local regulations regarding the use, possession or transfer of less than 1 ounce of marijuana, or the transportation of the same amount, by a person at least 21 years old,” as stated in a previous State News article.

The State News Editorial Board believes that this recent amendment has mainly brought more false hope than anything. East Lansing could have been a real sign for change when it comes to more tolerant marijuana legislation, but the area still falls under state law. So the amendment essentially means nothing.

Except that the recent charter amendment will help East Lansing Police Department not take up resources Change at a local level can show legislators in the Capital that this is what the people want, however state legislation has several examples of more tolerant legislation within their state, but no pro-marijuana laws have been passed or really considered.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a among the examples of relaxed laws. Ann Arbor has some of the most lenient marijuana laws in the state and country.

MSU community accepts, welcomes members of LGBT community

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The possession of marijuana is considered a civil infraction with light fines, like a parking ticket.

The charter amendment is a muddled, unnecessary attempt for modification. The city should mirror Ann Arbor, if marijuana use and possession tolerance is what citizens want.

Essentially nothing changes for East Lansing under this charter, until marijuana is made legal or decriminalized at a state or federal level. Marijuana use in the United States will remain a hot button topic for years to come particularly if the legalization is put on the 2016 ballot, which is starting to seem more and more likely.

Under Michigan state law, first time marijuana use offenders face jail time or fine of up to $100 plus court fees. First time possession offenders face up to one year in jail and a maximum fine of $2,000 plus court fees.

Michigan’s harsh marijuana laws will not transform if this type of legislation is the key example at a local level.

This is not the type of legislation that creates room for modification or even consideration of new laws.

As a an institution located in East Lansing we want to see a revelation in marijuana regulation and reform within the city, this time with a lot more consideration of the future.The State News wants to see a change in East Lansing’s weed culture and have the laws follow suit on a much larger scale.

BY JESSICA STEELEY JSTEELEY@STATENEWS.COM

Being a part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community at MSU has never been a challenge for me.

In fact, I didn’t realize I was part of the community until after I came to college.

Since high school I had always been questioning myself, even though I claimed that I was heterosexual.

My first real exposure to the LGBT community was in high school when I joined my school’s gay-straight alliance.

These meetings mark the first time, in my life, when I learned the struggles that LGBT people face, and it was the first time that I had the chance to know and become friends with people within this community. During this time, I always thought of myself as an ally to the community.

Since then, I have always been more keenly aware of the lack

of representation and discussion the LGBT community gets.

I have often gone out of my way to introduce the perspective of LGBT people, especially in my classes at MSU. In journalism classes I’ve wrote articles which pertain to news involving the LGBT community, and I included a lesbian couple in a script I wrote for a screenwriting assignment.

These are small acts, but I’ve noticed they’ve often contrasted what other people have written.

It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college, four years after I joined my high schools’ GSA, that I began to realize I wasn’t just a supporter of the community, I was a part of the community.

It was during this time that I first developed a crush on a girl.

I never acted on these feelings, and for a while I wrote them off to the fact that it was the first time I’d been single in two years.

I didn’t really fully accept my sexuality until I went on a study abroad trip to Europe last summer. During this trip there were a few other girls who had boyfriends, but had either dated girls in the past, or wanted to in the future.

Talking with them was the first time I really admitted to not being heterosexual, and as soon

as I said it, it felt true.

I immediately told my best friend about my discovery and she was totally accepting and even encouraging.

My boyfriend was also understanding and quick to accept my sexuality. They never second-guessed me.

I haven’t told everyone in my life yet, but I don’t fear rejection because my initial experience with acceptance has given me a support group.

Since then I’ve had more experiences with women and I now have a better understanding of my sexuality.

I’ve never reached out to any LGBT groups on campus, and I’ve only visited the MSU LBGT Resource Center a few times, but knowing these resources exist help me feel as though I’m accepted on campus.

The knowledge that MSU has resources and communities which cater to LGBT students was a stepping stone in my journey to find my sexual identity.

Though MSU is not perfect, its environment has been conducive and helpful in allowing me to feel accepted.

Jessica Steeley is a general assignment reporter at The State News. Reach her at jsteeley@statenews.com.

Contents INSIDE

MSU professor teaches online course on the zombie apocalypse

Community reactions to controversial adoption legislature

Track and Field finishes season with strong showing at NCAA championships

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MSU professor teaches online course on the zombie apocalypse

BY JESSICA STEELEY JSTEELEY@STATENEWS.COM

“Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse – Disasters, Catastrophes, and Human Behavior” is an award-winning class taught online every summer at MSU. Human geography junior Richard Wetzel said the course discusses disasters and catastrophes and how well people respond and retain their humanity in these situations.

After the first week, Wetzel said the class is put into a simulation which is based in the zombie apocalypse.

“The academic content is anchored in a story, a narrative, the students become a part of that story,” Glenn Stutzky, the course instructor, said, “and we’re finding that their motivation … appears to be more engaging and stronger.”

Stutzky actually becomes part of the story, the course’s instructional designer Keesa Johnson said, adding the narrative is teaching the classes objectives, as opposed to a lecture.

Stutzky said the course started as a response to the college of social work looking for interesting electives to appeal to students of all majors.

“I’ve always been interested in how people behave,” Stutzky said, “in particular how people behave during disasters and catastrophes.”

Stutzky got the idea to include zombies through searching the website for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

When he went to one page, there was a zombie girl peering through venetian blinds.

“It was actually my grandson who … gave me some of the best teaching advice I ever got, and he just said, ‘Gramps, just don’t be boring,’ and I thought, ‘Well, zombies are interesting,’” Stutzky said.

Johnson was assigned to work with Stutzky for the course, and she pulled in another instructional designer, Christopher Irvin.

“Glenn came to us with his vision, what he wanted … and I wanted to make it come to life,” Johnson said, adding that’s why she sought out Irvin for the course.

They all wanted to do something different for the course, Johnson said, so they essentially made a movie-style trailer.

Stutzky said it was the first college course in the country with a trailer, and it generated interest in popular culture.

Stutzky said they are trying to expand this course to South America and China.

Wetzel said some of the members of his six-person team are in China, so the group communicates mostly through an online group chat. He said all the groups are scattered in different places around the area, and his group is in a church in East Lansing.

The church’s power is out, Wetzel said, and his team is currently focused on gathering supplies and barricading their location. The locations groups are trapped in are all real-life places, so Wetzel said he went to the church to get the layout of it.

“I think I could get by with putting in less time, but it is interesting, so I’m getting really into it,” Wetzel said. “I think it’s fascinating, I think it’s been an enjoyable experience.”

Johnson said the simulation immerses students using social

media, communication, and teamwork. The groups also have to choose a leader who sends in a video report each week, Stutzky said.

“Leadership skills are being developed and critical analysis, because they have to do a lot of reflection in making a lot of decisions and choices,” Johnson said.

Once students become part of the story, they begin to add onto it, Stutzky said, and the role-playing simulation requires students to watch a new video, made by Stutzky, which relays what the challenge for that week is.

“They have to make a fateful decision that at the end will take them down one path or down another,” Stutzky said.

Wetzel is taking the course because he plans to have a career is disaster relief, but he think zombies are popular in our culture because people see the zombie apocalypse as an event they would be able to survive, whereas other apocalyptic settings may have lower survival rates.

Stutzky said the course idea is all their original work and everyone who helped create the course acts as co-instructors.

“I think sometimes in education we’ve just gotten lazy, it’s like, ‘Well, we’ve got important material, we’ve got books’, but the bottom line of it is that these students have to take the class no matter what,” Stutzky said, adding a challenge to instructors to ask themselves who would really show up if their course wasn’t required.

“We’re trying to take a whole different … type of approach,” Stutzky said, “education is a good product and as such it should be advertised.”

City Council introduces ordinance regulating downtown building height JAKE ALLEN JALLEN@STATENEWS.COM

St. Anne Luxury Lofts undergoing construction in 2012. The building is now one of the tallest in downtown East Lansing. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO.

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A denser, more lively downtown East Lansing was the vision in the minds of council members and city officials alike when the council approved the introduction of ordinance number 1348 to the planning commission. The ordinance, introduced and referred at the June 16 meeting, if approved will set a minimum building height of four-stories or 64 feet in the B-3 District.

The B-3 District, according to Tim Dempsey, director of planning, building and development and the city’s zoning map, includes the area from Collingwood Drive to the People’s Church of East Lansing. The southern boundary of the district is Grand River Avenue and the northern boundary is Albert Avenue and a couple blocks past in spots. The ordinance could contribute greatly to the future of the city according to officials.

City Manager George Lahanas said the ordinance will fight urban sprawl preventing the need for longer commutes, additional paved roads and taking away from farm land. It will cre-

ate a more vibrant and active downtown according to Lahanas, but won’t have a negative effect on businesses already settled in the B-3 District.

The ordinance will not require already-constructed buildings to make any changes, but if any new construction were to occur ordinance 1348 would have to be followed pending planning commission discussion and council approval.

Typically it takes about two meetings for an ordinance to work its way through the planning commission, according to Dempsey. There will be a public hearing and a chance for community input as part of the planning commission’s agenda. Afterward, the commission will make its recommendation to the council and the council will make its final decision on the ordinance. The ordinance has potential to change East Lansing for the better according to officials.

“It continues to push our downtown as a more urbanized downtown with more people living here which will bring more shoppers, helps businesses and creates a more diverse downtown in terms of level of activity,” Dempsey said.

News

RELIGIOUS GUIDE

East Lansing community reacts to controversial adoption legislature

BY CAMERON MACKO CMACKO@STATENEWS.COM

In a move causing widespread public outcry, Gov. Rick Snyder signed several pieces of legislation last week that would, among other things, allowed faith-based adoption services that receive public funding to deny service to same-sex couples.

With 13,000 children in the state’s care, one faith based adoption ser vice, Bethany Christian Services, said the legislation would continue a long-lasting partnership between religious agencies and the state.

“It doesn’t restrict anyone from participating in foster care or adoption, but it does preserve for faith-based agencies the freedom to be faithful to our convictions,” they said in a statement. “By helping the greatest possible number of kids connect with families, Michigan’s longstanding policy puts the best interests of children first.”

Though they weren’t granting interviews at this time, the service sent a letter to the governor saying that at the time, proposed legislation would go

a great distance in preserving the public-private relationship that exists with so many faith-based adoption agencies, allowing them to help children while maintaining their religious beliefs.

“It’s really disappointing that Michigan is making national news on issues like this, in particular, it really shows our state legislature’s mindset,” Wyatt Ludman MSU College Democrats

“Michigan’s system is a practical solution to working with private agencies that is a model for the nation because it strikes a balance — it ensures that there are private agencies available to work with all individuals and families throughout the state while allowing faith-based agencies to adhere to their religious principals,” the letter argued.

Look for this directory in the paper every Thursday and online at: www.statenews.com/religious

T hough t he MSU L BGT Resource Center doesn’t comment on political issues and the Alliance of Queer and Ally Students didn’t respond to request for comment, Wyatt Ludman, the president of the MSU College Democrats, had concerns with the legislation.

“I think that this bill enables government-paid, government-f u nded agenc ies to select which taxpaying citizens are able to utilize these services,” he said. ‘This isn’t on a needs-based issue, this is discrimination.”

He also said there is no conv incing ev idence t hat gays and lesbians make any worse parents, and the fact they can’t have children on their own and have to go through the adoption process ensures those parents are serious about the commitment. Instead of dealing with issues that make the state more inclusive, Ludman said the legislature is attacking few very people.

“It ’s really disappointing t hat Mic higan is ma k ing national news on issues like this, in particular, it really shows our state legislature’s mindset,” Ludman said.

People support same-sex marriage April 27 at the Lansing Capital. The vigil was held in anticipation of the same-sex marriage trials in Michigan’s Supreme Court. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO THUR SDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

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Ascension Lutheran Church 2780 Haslett Rd., E. Lansing Between Hagadorn & Park Lake Rds. (517) 337-9703 Sunday Worship: 10am Sunday School: 9am Adult Bible Study: 9am ascensioneastlansing.org Faith Fellowship Baptist Church 1001 Dakin St. Lansing, MI 48912 517-853-9897 Sunday Morning Worship: 11am Sunday School: 10am Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study: 6:30pm Van service available to church Campus Bible Study: Thursday at 7:30pm in Chemistry Bldg. www.ffbc.us First Baptist Church of Okemos 4684 Marsh Rd. Okemos, MI 48864 (517) 349-2830 www.fbcokemos.org/worship Sunday worship: 10:45am Zelos Wednesday: 7pm night worship for summer

Little Flock Christian Fellowship A Non-DenominationalEvagelical Church MSU Alumni Chapel (Basement Hall) Sunday Worship Service: 10am-12 Noon.

Fellowship Lunch after the service Weekly Bibly Studies & Students’ Meetings. littleflock.msu@gmail.com littleflock@hotmail.com www.littleflock.org Martin Luther Chapel 444 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-0778 martinlutherchapel.org Sunday: 9:30am & 7:00pm Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring) Okemos Community Church 4734 Okemos Rd. Okemos, MI 48864 (517) 349-4220 www.okemoscommunitychurch.org Sunday Worship: 10am Sunday School: 10am-11:15am Adult Studies: 9am & 11am

One Community-Lutheran (ELCA)/ Episcopal (TEC) Campus Ministry Greater Lansing 1020 South Harrison Rd. Church of Christ East Lansing, MI 48823 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. (517) 332-2559 East Lansing, MI 48823 www.facebook.com/on(517) 898-3600 ecommunitymsu Sunday Worship: 8:45am Sundays: 9:30am (at Sunday Bible Study: 10:15am University Lutheran Sunday Evening: Small Group Church) Sundays: 8am, Wednesday Bible Study: 10am (at All Saints 7:00pm Episcopal Church) www.greaterlansingcoc.org Peoples Church Hillel Jewish Student Center 200 W. Grand River Ave. 360 Charles St., E. Lansing East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-1916 (517) 332-6074 www.peoples-evolution.org Friday Night Sunday Worship: 8:30am, Services: 6pm, Dinner: 7pm 9:30am September - April Tuesday: Love Life: 7-9pm Wednesday: Dinner at Islamic Center of East 5:30pm, Journey at 6:30 Lansing 920 S. Harrison Rd., East Red Cedar Friends Lansing, MI 48823 Meeting (517) 351-4309 1400 Turner St. www.Lansingislam.com Lansing, MI 48906 info@Lansingislam.com (517) 371-1047 1st Friday Prayer: 12:15 pm redcedarfriends.org 2nd Friday Prayer: 1:45 pm Sunday Worship: 9:00am, 10:30am

St. John Catholic Church and Student Center 327 M.A.C. Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 337-9778 stjohnmsu.org Sunday: 8am, 10am, Noon, 7pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12:15pm Trinity Church 3355 Dunckel Rd. Lansing, MI 48911 (517) 272-3820 Saturday: 6pm Sunday: 9:15am, 11am trinitywired.com Unity Spiritual Renaissance 230 S. Holmes St. Lansing, MI 48912 (517) 484-2360 or (517) 505-1261 Sunday: 10:30am Wednesday: 6:30pm meditation Office: Monday-Thursday 9:30-12:00 University Baptist Church 4608 South Hagadorn Rd East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-4144 www.ubcel.org 10 AM Worship service 11:15 Coffee Hour 11:30 Sunday School University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-5193 universitychristianwired.com Sunday: 11:15 am Sunday Bible Study: 10:15 am University United Methodist Church MSU Wesley 1120 S. Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-7030 universitychurchhome.org msuwesley.org Sunday: 10:30am 9:00am Garden Service in the summer TGIT: 8:00pm Thursdays Sept. - April WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbott Road East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 580-3744 www.msu.edu/~weisluth 6:00pm Saturday

Religious Organizations: Don’t be left out of the Religious Directory!

Call 517-432-3010 today to speak with an Account Executive

Spotlight

Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews

Lawsuit, legislation calls Michigan’s public universities into question Long have the governing boards of Michigan’s public universities, including the MSU Board of Trustees, been able to skirt the Open Meetings Act and meet in private to hammer out policy decisions. But a lawsuit against U-M and a resolution is looking to change that.

BY JOSH THALL JOSH.THALL@STATENEWS.COM

On important issues such as tuition increases, upgrades to campus buildings and major personnel appointments, governing boards of Michigan’s public universities often hold the serious discussions and deliberations away from the public, and when they emerge to take a vote, they appear decided, offering those attending little insight into the rationale and resolved contention of the decision.

This is the problem that faces students attending and communities housing Michigan’s 15 public universities, the public gets to see what is approved or rejected, but is rarely able to be a part in these decisions. While there is time for public comment, the difference it makes to an already-reached decision is what’s in question.

The public universities in the state of Michigan have a power that only two other states, California and Minnesota allows their public universities — total state constitutional autonomy.

“Ever since the 1999 Federated Publications

case involving (MSU), university boards have felt that they do not have to follow any of the restrictions or requirements of the Open Meetings Act,” said Jane Briggs-Bunting, the president of the Michigan Coalition for Open Government and former president of The State News Board of Directors.

The Michigan Supreme Court in that case ruled the legislature does not have the constitutional authority to force the Open Meetings Act onto the universities. The Michigan Constitution does require the public universities in Michigan to hold “formal meetings” that are open to the public, but this does not preclude the governing boards from holding “informal meetings” in which they can deliberate and iron out policies and resolve differences.

“There’s not a city council in the state, there’s not county board of commissioners in the state that could operate like the 15 public university boards operate. They’re getting millions of dollars in tuition, millions of tax-payer dollars, and yet the public is totally shut out except for these formal sessions — that’s just wrong,” Briggs-Bunting said.

RELATING TO MSU The MSU Board of Trustees holds six open board meetings each year where they vote on important decisions affecting all areas of the university, including its students.

During public meetings, members of the community have an opportunity at the beginning and the end of board meetings for public comment. If you sign up for public comment, usually required 48 hours before the meeting, you are granted three minutes to address the board.

It is stated on the Public Participation in Meetings page, “The Board regards the opportunity for expression of public views on issues before the Board as an important part of its deliberations.” But when those deliberations are made in private beforehand, the role of public input appears negligible.

“The universities should be a place where there is an open ended discussion with lots of ideas and people sharing differing opinions, and then either reaching a consensus, or not — and that doesn’t happen at the board level in public,” Briggs-Bunting said. “It may happen in private, but it’s certainly not happening in public.”

The MSU Board of Trustees discusses issues June 17 at the Hannah Administration Building. PHOTOS: JOSHUA ABRAHAM

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However, the MSU trustees have not been shy in the past in admitting that they do hold closed -door work sessions in which they sometimes have in-depth discussions that are important and would affect everyone at the university.

“They’re not willfully breaking the law, they’re just doing what they were told they could get away with,” Briggs-Bunting said. “And what they can get away with is having pre-meetings, retreats, anything.”

SHRINKING MEETING TIMES Briggs-Bunting said that while board meetings used to take three or four hours, many of them now only take around an hour or two due to the decrease in discussion that happens.

In fact, according to the public minutes from two of the three meetings this year, Jan. 8, 2015 and Feb. 6, 2015, those meetings did not last even one hour in length. The Jan. 8 meeting lasted 11 minutes, with the Feb. 6 meeting lasting 50 minutes, according to the minutes from those meetings. Full minutes from the last meeting on April 17 are currently unavailable.

During the Feb. 6 meeting, nine separate reso-

lutions were voted on, all of which passed with a unanimous vote.

“They all operate that way,” Herschel Fink, the attorney representing the Free Press and LSJ said. “(They) make all of their deliberations, their discussions and their decisions in secret sessions and then they appear perhaps once a month and they vote on what they have already decided in an open session. “(Universities) don’t want to be accountable, they don’t want to be transparent. They feel that they should be different than any other public body that’s spending our money.”

MSU Board of Trustees Chairman Joel Ferguson had no comment when asked about the meeting policy of MSU’s trustees. The rest of the trustees were unavailable for comment.

CURRENT BATTLE FOR TRANSPARENCY The battle for greater transparency is currently being fought on two fronts in the state of Michigan. The first being in a lawsuit with the Detroit Free Press and Lansing State Journal suing University of Michigan’s Board of Regents.

The claim from the Free Press and LSJ is that UM’s Regents were violating the Michigan Open Meetings Act by having policy discussions behind closed doors, and only holding public sessions to vote on issues they have already decided upon.

12 places in the opinion emphasized that it was in the context of presidential selection, we felt that it was a meritorious argument that other contexts were not precluded.”

Fink said the Free Press will likely appeal the decision to the Michigan Court of Appeals and that the case could eventually end up being heard by the Michigan Supreme Court.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION The second front in which this battle is being fought, and the one that Fink believes is the best way enact any change, is the legislative side with a House Joint Resolution to amend the Michigan Constitution to require that all the meetings and records of governing boards of public universities are open to the public.

House Joint Resolution “O” is currently in the Michigan House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Ethics.

HJR O, if passed by a super-majority two-thirds vote in the House and Senate, would be placed on the next general election ballot where a simple 50 percent majority would be required to enact it.

Sponsor of HJR O, Rep. Martin Howrylak, R-Troy said, “Consistent with the principles of open and transparent government, whether it is written or implied, the public has a right to access meetings and information.”

TI M E LI N E 1963

Michigan constitution states, “Formal sessions of governing boards of such institutions shall be open to the public.”

1988

U-M hires new president using closed meetings: James Duderstadt

1992 Lawsuit: Booth

Newspapers & The Detroit Free Press vs. U-M for violation of Open Meetings Act: U-M lost case in Michigan Supreme Court

1993

MSU hires president through closed door process: Peter McPherson

1996

Chairman of the MSU Board of Trustees Joel Ferguson speaks at the board meeting June 17 on the 4th floor of the Hannah Administration Building.

On June 10 Michigan Court of Claims Judge Michael Talbot ruled in favor of the Regents of UM. In his opinion, Talbot cited the decision from the Supreme Court in a 1999 case between Federated Publications INC. and Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees in which the Federated Publications claimed that MSU’s presidential search committee was violating the open meetings act by holding meetings not open to the public.

The judge in that case ruled that in the case of presidential searches, the university was allowed to hold non-public meetings without violating the Open Meetings Act. The claim from the Detroit Free Press and LSJ for the current case is that the ruling only applied to the case of a presidential search, while UM’s Board of Regents argued that presidential searches were not the only thing that case exempted from the Open Meetings Act. “I’m not shocked, that he came to that conclusion because that was the obvious argument that U-M would make,” Fink said. “There is some language in Federated that certainly refers to a broader context, but because the (Michigan) Supreme Court in Federated, in something like

Co-sponsor of HJR O, Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, said that the problem has been getting worse ever since the 1999 supreme court ruling.

“The constitution set the policy regarding open meetings for the universities, and the courts have currently interpreted that in such a way that disallows the Open Meetings Act to dictate how those open meetings are facilitated.”

The Resolution would not change the provision in the Open Meetings Act that allows for an exemption for university presidential searches, or exemptions in other specified situations.

ONLINE

The MSU Board of Trustees met on June 17 and approved a tuition increase of 2.7 percent as well as a campus-wide ban on tobacco, effective August 15, 2016. For more details on the results of the meeting, visit statenews.com

Open meetings act amended to allow presidential searches to be private — Public universities governing boards petitioned to appeal to the legislature to provide an exemption for the selection of presidents.

The claim was having to do that process entirely in the open would limit the pool of potential candidates to run Michigan public universities because the best candidates might not want their current employers to know they were looking elsewhere. And they needed privacy to do at least the early stages of the employment search.

Legislature responded by giving them pretty much what they asked for. There is now, currently in the Open Meetings Act an exemption for the selection of university presidents.

1996-1997

FEDERATED PUBLICATIONS INC v.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY went through the Trial Court followed by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Trial Court found the OMA could not be constitutionally applied constitutionally established universities in their selection of a president. Found in favor of the Defendant BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. Appeal Court found that the OMA could be constitutionally applied constitutionally established universities in their selection of a president. Found in favor of plaintiff FEDERATED PUBLICATIONS INC

1999

Supreme Court ruled in Lawsuit between Federated Publications INC. and MSU trustees regarding the 1993 selection: Supreme Court Decision — Supreme court ruled that in context of electing a president, public university governing boards were exempt from having to do any part in public.

Since Then

The university governing boards have been interpreting that to mean that they are exempt in every context. This has become the root of a serious transparency problem.

GRAPHIC: LAUREN SHIELDS

T H U RS DAY, J U NE 1 8 , 2 01 5

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Crossword

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

Features

Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews

HUMANS OF EAST LANSING

BY JORDAN HOLLEY PHOTO: WYATT GIANGRANDE

ACROSS

1 Military decoration 6 Supporting structure 11 Leading 14 Solitary 15 Silent brother of comedy 16 Valuable deposit 17 1996 Fox launch 19 NFL players, e.g.

20 Cozy lodge 21 Fail, in slang 22 Only city on California’s Catalina Island 24 As hidden in 17-Across, one of this puzzle’s 33-Down 26 Netherlands city near the Belgian border 27 Mork’s planet 28 Italian mathematician who was a contemporary of Euler 31 “Good Will Hunting” actor 34 Flightless birds 35 Small amount 36 Landed 37 As hidden in 57-Across, one of this puzzle’s 33-Down 39 Rice-shaped pasta 40 Latin law 41 Aloe __

42 “Breaking Bad” star Cranston 43 Restaurant freebie 45 One of the Pep Boys 46 Breaks bread 47 As hidden in 11-Down, one of this puzzle’s 33-Down 51 1976 Olympics decathlon gold medalist 53 Parched 55 Stop working 56 __ Claire 57 Seattle landmark 60 D.C. clock setting 61 Spa offering 62 Guide 63 Legal thing 64 California pro 65 Not likely to run on

DOWN

1 Highly excited 2 Justice Kagan 3 Eats 4 T or F, maybe 5 Speaker’s stand 6 “Better late __ ...”

7 General, e.g.

8 Coffee container 9 Fishing tool 10 Crossword enthusiasts

11 He and Don Shula share the NFL record of 36 playoff games coached 12 Creme-filled treat 13 Ivy League school 18 Swooping predator 23 Oral health org.

25 Real card 26 The Crimson Tide 28 Aptly named Renault 29 __ Strip 30 Black, to a bard 31 “The Persistence of Memory” artist 32 Actor Baldwin 33 Bar freebie, and this puzzle’s theme 37 Broadway flier 38 Cockney toast starter 39 Utah city 41 “Colors of the Wind” singer Williams 42 Most daring 44 Take the checkered flag 45 Chief 48 Farther out?

49 Frasier’s brother 50 Big name on the farm 51 Catcall 52 Comfort 53 Cause of adolescent angst 54 Unfeigned 58 Summer mo.

59 Somme summer

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 WEDNESDAY’S PUZZLE

Get the solutions at statenews.com/ puzzles

6/18/15

8

© 2015 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

THE STATE N E WS

THURSDAY, JUNE 1 8 , 2 01 5

Heather Frarey Owner of The Record Lounge Frarey has been selling and collecting vinyl records for years. Meeting and talking to different people everyday that are interested in music and sharing a connection with her customers are her favorite aspects of selling records, she said.

“(The East Lansing music scene) is always changing, it doesn’t stay the same for very long, a lot of people move on to make it bigger than just staying around here,” Frarey said. “With the students themselves, they come in and a lot of students put on shows in (the store), sell their CD’s if they’re in a band.”

Sports

Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews

MSU softball coaching staff under investigation after player-raised allegations

BY MATT ARGILLANDER MARGILLANDER@STATENEWS.COM

After a disappointing season in which the MSU softball team finished 19-36, recent allegations from Alyssa McBride who just wrapped up her senior season have surrounded the team with even more questions.

According to a story from The Detroit News, McBride alleged that assistant coach Jessica Bograkos targeted her with pitches during batting practice after word got back to the coaching staff that she told a reporter in a situation she believed to be off the record that she wished she had played somewhere else due to the amount of losing she had endured in her time as a Spartan.

According to the Detroit News story, head coach Jacquie Joseph gave Bograkos the thumbs up to target McBride.

“The allegations against me are categorically untrue,” Joseph said in a statement released by her attorney.

The Detroit News has since come out with another story alleging that MSU softball student manager Ben Hayden told his fellow manager Aus-

tin Krus about a conversation he had heard on the team bus between Joseph and Bograkos “while sitting in the third row of the bus on the way to the game, he overheard Joseph say, twice, to Bograkos, ‘You can hit her.’”

“We take all allegations involving our students very seriously,” MSU spokesperson Jason Cody said in a statement, ensuring that proper investigation was occurring.

The Detroit News exclusively obtained the police report of the incident and shared that sophomore Dani Goranson witnessed the incident and thought it was strange that McBride was hit twice in such a short period of time, especially considering that Bograkos is normally an accurate pitcher.

Goranson’s father James, who was at one of the games in which the alleged targeting took place according to the police report, told authorities he did not see anything unusual with the pitch, but he was surprised at the lack of a reaction from the coaching staff when she was hit.

Visit statenews.com for updates on the investigation as they happen.

Then-junior outfielder Alyssa McBride dives for the ball during the game against Michigan on April 13, 2014, at Secchia Stadium at Old College Field. The Spartans were shut out by the Wolverines, 14-0. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

Lansing club soccer has ties to MSU program

BY RYAN KRYSKA RKRYSKA@STATENEWS.COM

New members of Cap City Athletic 1847 register and celebrate at the Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe in East Lansing, June 16, 2015.

Cap City Athletic 1847, the first-year youth soccer club of Lansing, is primed to begin its inaugural season.

Cap City held tryouts this past weekend at the East Lansing Soccer Complex, for which club president Dan Jury said more kids showed up than expected. The club’s new members celebrated their registration Tuesday night with a World Cup watch-party at the Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe in East Lansing.

Jury said the club will field 11 teams with an expected two more after the boys’ high school season.

Allen Drouare and Gayle Durnin, parents of twins on the boys’ under-10 team, said they are excited for their kids to develop skills under great coaches.

The under-9 through under-12 teams will play in the Mid-Michigan Youth Soccer League, while the under-13 and older teams will play in the Michigan State Premier Soccer Program (MSPSP).

If the MSPSP teams qualify, they will earn an opportunity to play in the Mid-West Regional League. Jury said the girls’ under-17 team is good enough and should qualify for the league.

Jury is also coach of the Michigan State Women’s Soccer Club. In 2012, the team won the National Intercollegiate Recreational Sports Association National Championship. Jury said his experience with the team has helped set standards for creating a winning culture at Cap City.

PHOTO: RYAN KRYSKA

T H U RS DAY, J U NE 1 8 , 2 01 5

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Sports

Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews

Detroit baseball runs in the family for MSU’s Cam Gibson

BY MATT ARGILLANDER MARGILLANDER@STATENEWS.COM

Cam Gibson was always a Tiger at heart – even before it became official, when the MSU outfielder was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round of the draft, with the No. 160 overall pick.

Gibson’s father, Kirk, is a Detroit legend— Kirk spent 12 seasons with the Tigers, nine from 1979-87 and three more from 1993-95. Kirk, as many know, was a leader on the Tigers 1984 World Series championship team.

He was the MVP of the semi finals that year, known as the ALCS in the American league.

With a father that is so ingrained in the history of the Tigers, a part of Gibson would have always been a Tiger in spirit, but he was also a Tiger before he was drafted by Detroit.

“I’ve been a Tiger my entire life, not just because of my dad, but when I first started playing baseball, back when I was a little kid in little league, I played for the Tigers,” Gibson said. “It’s just crazy to have this thing come full circle.”

Gibson has decided to take his opportunity to play professionally and forgo his senior year of college eligibility. This seemed to be the writing on the wall for a few weeks now though, before the draft began the MSU coaching staff was hearing that he would likely

be a first day pick between rounds five and 10.

“We thought Cam would go somewhere between the fifth and the 10th round based on what we had been hearing from different organizations,” head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “Obviously him going at the front end of that was really exciting for him, especially to Detroit.”

Gibson waited with anticipation for his name to be called and after the initial excitement it was hugs and tears for his family to celebrate the moment.

“Draft day was a little bit stressful, I was kind of pacing around, laying on the ground,” Gibson said. “At the time I was actually in the other room laying on the ground and I could hear my last name and I shot up and ran into the other room to make sure what I heard was right and then everybody at my house started to scream.

“I went up to my dad and I gave him a big hug and I gave my mom a hug, she was crying and my brother was trying not to cry.”

Gibson’s mother gave him some advice to live by as he takes his next step in his playing career.

“What my mom tells me all the time is go to the field and play like it’s little league, like you’re having fun,” Gibson said. “When I was in little league running around having fun and getting dirty I was a Tiger and Junior outfielder Cam Gibson stands at home plate preparing to bat April 14 now I’m going to be a Tiger again, it’s going to be a lot during the game against Michigan at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Spartans defeated the Wolverines, 4-2. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO easier to go out there and have fun.”

MSU baseball program moves forward with record high number of MLB draft picks

BY MATT ARGILLANDER MARGILLANDER@STATENEWS.COM

Junior outfielder Cam Gibson points to the sky as he runs to home base April 9 at the Crosstown Showdown at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing. The Lansing Lugnuts defeated the Spartans with a score of 9-4. THE STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO 10

THE STATE N E WS

The recent MLB draft saw eight MSU players get selected, a record for the program and a positive sign moving forward. The previous high was five draftees, which was set in 2002.

Outfielder Cam Gibson was the first to get selected. He went to Detroit in the fifth round, No. 160 overall, and first baseman Ryan Krill went to the New York Yankees in the ninth round, No. 273 overall. They were both drafted on the first day of the draft.

The next day’s selections included: pitcher Anthony Misiewicz, selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 18th round, No. 545 overall; pitcher Cam Vieaux, selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 19th round, No. 580 overall; pitcher Jeff Kinley, selected by the Miami Marlins in the 28th round, No. 836 overall; pitcher Mick VanVossen, selected by the Washington Nationals in the 28th round No. 854 overall); designated hitter/catcher Blaise Salter, selected by Detroit in the 31st round, No. 940 overall and third baseman Mark Weist, selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 37th round, No. 1116 overall.

“Big couple of days for our program, I’m really happy for the guys, all eight of them,” head coach Jake Boss Jr. said.

“I’m really excited for them and their opportunity, I think that’s why guys come to Michigan State — they come to Michigan State obviously to get a good

THURSDAY, JUNE 1 8 , 2 01 5

education but to play some better baseball and to get a chance to realize their dreams to play pro ball.”

Gibson has already made his decision clear that he plans to forgo his senior year of eligibility to begin his professional career— but for Misiewicz, a junior, and Vieaux, a sophomore, the tough decision to decide between continuing their college careers, or taking a chance at becoming a pro looms.

“A couple of them will have some difficult decisions to make but it is a winwin all around,” Boss said.

Boss believes that this draft can show a lot to both the current players, and the future prospects on the recruiting trail.

“For the current team it shows the returning guys what hard work, passion and attention to detail will do for you,” Boss said. “I think it shows those guys how close they are to realizing their dreams provided they work hard at it.

“For recruiting, it shows recruits that we develop players here, guys come to Michigan State to get better. It shows recruits that they have a chance to continue to improve.”

The team just missed the NCAA tournament this past season with a record of 34-23, however the Spartans must replace several key pieces with eight seniors leaving and at least one junior, Gibson.

This team was led by its seniors and next year’s group of veterans will need to step up if the team hopes to build off of this momentum.

DRAFT PICKS

Cam Gibson Detroit Tigers Outfielder Ryan Krill New York Yankees First Baseman Anthony Misiewicz Seattle Mariners Pitcher Cam Vieaux Detroit Tigers Pitcher Jeff Kinley Miami Marlins Pitcher Mick VanVossen Washington Nationals Pitcher Blaise Satler Detroit Tigers Designated hitter/catcher Mark Weist San Fransisco Giants Third Baseman

Quick Reads Former Spartan Draymond Green wins NBA Championship

BY MATT ARGILLANDER MARGILLANDER@STATENEWS.COM

Draymond Green had doubters when he entered the NBA after a senior season at MSU in which he averaged 16.2 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game.

Despite improving ever y year at MSU and helping to lead the Spartans to two Final Four appearances, in 2009 and 2010, Green wasn’t selected in the first round of the draft.

Green was ultimately selected a few picks into the second round with the No. 35-overall pick and he has certainly proved his value.

With no true position— Green was considered to be undersized as a big man and not athletic enough to be a wing, he fell down draft boards.

Coming into a contract year it was a make or break year for the former Spartan and he made the most of it. At the beginning of the season Green was a reserve, but after a injury to David Lee Green assumed the starting role and

Former MSU hockey player Duncan Keith named MVP of Stanley Cup Playoffs

never looked back.

His frame ended up being his best weapon as Green is generally stronger than wings and quicker than the bigs he squares off against.

Green averaged 11.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.3 blkpg and 1.6 stlpg during the regular season a year in which he as named the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, an award many believed he would win.

Green’s play had already likely secured him a hefty contract in the off season but his performance in the post season cemented it.

Green will likely receive a max-contract offer this summer as a restricted free-agent after averaging 13.7 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.2 blkpg and 1.8 stlpg in the playoffs— capped off by a 16 point, 11 rebound and 10 assist triple-double effort in the championship-clenching game 6 of the Finals.

The Golden State Warriors would not be the 2015 NBA champions if it weren’t for Greens rise as a do-it-all twoway forward and now Green is going to cash in.

Classified

MARGILLANDER@STATENEWS.COM

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman and former MSU hockey player Duncan Keith has won the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Keith scored a goal in Monday’s series clinching 2-0 victory as the Blackhawks defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4 games to 2 in the best of seven series in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Keith played in 23 games during this year’s playoffs, scoring three goals and notching 18 assists throughout.

Keith played at MSU for parts of two seasons in 2001 and 2002, before hesitantly leaving the program during winter break in 2002 to pursue a professional career with the Kelowna (British Columbia) Rockets of the Western Hockey League.

Since then, the 31-year-old Keith has gone on to a nine-year NHL career with the Blackhawks that has seen him take part in three Stanley Cup Championships, including these last playoffs in which he was named MVP. Then-senior forward Draymond Green holds the Big Ten Tournament championship trophy up after the Michigan State Spartans won their first Big Ten Tournament in 12 years by defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes, 68-64, March 11, 2012 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

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SURVEY INTERVIEWERS needed. MSU’s Survey Research Lab is hiring telephone interviewers to conduct computer-assisted interviews in English for health and public policy studies. P/T, flex work schedule, evening and weekend hrs. req. Paid training. $9.00/hr to start, opportunities for advancement. To apply call 517353-5404 or come to Room 10, Berkey Hall with your resume.

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Sports

Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews_sports

MSU Track & Field finishes strong season with showing at NCAA Championships

BY RYAN SQUANDA RSQUANDA@STATENEWS.COM

Four first team All-Americans at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships highlighted the conclusion of one of the most successful years in history for the MSU Cross Country and Track programs.

The four individuals recognized as All-Americans for placing in the top eight in their respective events included a fourth place finish by Antonio James in the discus, a fifth place finish by sophomore Tim Ehrhardt in the decathlon, a fifth place finish by senior Tori Franklin in the triple jump and a third place finish by senior

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THE STATE N E WS

THURSDAY, JUNE 1 8 , 2 01 5

Teammates senior Leah O’Connor (right) and junior Katie Landwehr compete in the steeplechase competition at the Big Ten Conference Championships May 16 at Ralph Young Field.

PHOTO: WYATT GIANGRANDE

Leah O’Connor in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.

It was a banner year for the Spartans, beginning with Women’s Cross Country team in the fall, which finished the 2014 undefeated on their way to the program’s first ever national championship.

The successful year continued into track season, as numerous indoor school records were smashed. Among those who blazed their way into the record books was O’Connor, who won the national title in the mile in the second fastest time in NCA A women’s history — 4:27.18.

Outdoor season was all the more prestigious, as the MSU Women’s Track and Field team came away victorious at the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships on their home track at Ralph Young Field in East Lansing.

Led by an uncanny performance by O’Connor — who won the 1,500, 5,000 and the 3,000 meter steeplechase — it was a total team effort as the women won their first title since 1982.

“It’s hard to say,” MSU Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Walt Drenth said of what he was feeling at the time of the victory. “We had a vision for them at the end.

I told them I wanted them to just see what they are at their best. I said, ‘let the outcome be the outcome.’ They’ve learned and grown all year and to see this ... it was a total team effort and it was just a blast.”

To cap the successful season off, MSU sent 13 individuals to the national championship meet, where the four first team All-American records were recognized. And as for O’Connor, who finished third and wasn’t able to defend her 2014 title in the steeplechase, she still says everything the program has been able to accomplish this past year is amazing.

“The way that this just ended and how tough I was and how the race went; it was all perfect,” O’Connor told msuspartans.com. “Cross country started things in an amazing way.

I was on a team with some relentless powerful women.

We accomplished a goal that seemed hefty at times.”