Welcome Week - Monday - August 31, 2020

Michigan State’s Independent Voice FALL WELCOME WEEK 2020

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Things you missed at MSU this summer From protests to Michigan State’s switch to online, get up to speed with the stories that never stop. Check out our summer in review.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

CONTACT THE STATE NEWS

EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Evan Jones

The fewer dead Spartans, the better

By Evan Jones ejones@statenews.com

None of this is easy.

No, seriously. This is tough as hell.

You might be frustrated you can’t enjoy the college experience you desire or equally frustrated that you’re stuck in a lease you signed in October.

Maybe you had a friend or loved one who became infected with COVID-19, worried that with each passing night they might not wake

up in the morning. Maybe you protested systemic racism this summer. Maybe you just want to party. Maybe you partied anyway.

Perhaps you think this education we signed up for should cost less than it does, without the need to take out student loans.

Whether you’re new to the college experience, taking the first steps of adulthood, or whether you have one foot out the door already, taking the first steps of real adulthood, The State News is the publication for you.

Daily life is different. College is different. What we’re doing this fall is different.

It is what it is.

Some things will stay the same. Our vigorous pursuit of the truth will continue this fall, with coverage of the stories that matter to this campus, this city, this culture that we’re all a part of.

And when we can, we’ll

write about sports too.

Some advice that still rings true — find a schedule that works for you, don’t be afraid to change your major, actually go to office hours, and ask questions whenever you can.

If you’re in East Lansing this fall, I hope you find ways to be involved in the community, however temporary it may be. If you’re at home, I hope your family avoids interrupting your Zoom calls.

For everyone, I sincerely hope you stay safe, keep your circles small and mask up, for the benefit it brings to your surrounding community.

This virus might not kill you, but it could. Young people are at risk too.

Experts sometimes disagree on certain aspects of the coronavirus pandemic, which is the consequence of watching the scientific method play out in real-time, but experts all agree on one thing: We need to know more about

this virus before resuming to business as usual, whatever that may be when this chapter of history has turned its final page.

No matter your circumstance, we will get through this together and maybe even come out on the other side as better people.

Let’s be honest about our personal responsibility to limit potential infections of COVID-19, and let’s get serious about our commitments to racial justice, equity and inclusion because there is no vaccine to cure racism and white supremacy.

Find friends, allies and colleagues with shared goals, reach out to your professors because this is undeniably difficult for them as well.

College is not an experience to be embarked upon alone.

None of this is easy.

But let’s be honest. Was it really that easy before?

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EDITORIAL

MSU goes remote: Right decision, wrong timing By the summer State News Editorial Board feedback@statenews.com

W

hen we’ve been surrounded by constant unknowns, MSU kept from us the one answer they always had.

Since the announcement that MSU was making the transition to online schooling in March, students had their lives irreparably changed.

They had to pack up dorms and head to their hometowns. They watched as the number of COVID-19 cases skyrocketed in the state. They watched as the number of confirmed cases connected to Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub began at 14 and then rose to over 180.

Students knew this year wouldn’t be the same. They knew when most classes transitioned to an at least partially online format.

They knew when football was canceled.

One thing would remain, however: College students would be college students.

Instead of packing onto lawns for tailgates, they’d crowd living rooms. Instead of a midafternoon ‘darty,’ they’d work their way into a fraternity basement. This was confirmed when there were eight violations regarding gathering limits a week before classes were set to start.

Everyone knew what the solution should’ve been. And we know MSU made the right decision, but it was made at the wrong time.

Things have not gotten significantly better since March. If we had to shut down then, what made now any different?

The university did not need to see other schools open, only to have clusters of con-

People ride scooters on campus by Shaw Hall on Aug. 11. Photo by Annie Barker

firmed cases grow and then frantically send people home. We shouldn’t have needed to see an editorial from The Daily Tar Heel describe the reopening of the University of North Carolina as a “clusterfuck.”

Students have lost normalcy completely during key years that set up the rest of their lives. These are the years where they form some final friendships, take every last networking opportunity before graduating. Now, students are forced to watch the job market

shrink just months before they’re set to be entering it.

We’re still surrounded by constant unknowns, so why wait so long to make the decision we anticipated anyways?

The decision came just days after the first tuition payment was due,just days after students have confirmed their attendance, declaring that for the semester they would be Spartans.

International students and out-of-state students alike would have to deal with time-zone

FE E DBACK@STAT E N EWS.COM

differences if asynchronous classes are not offered. First-year students were excited to start their experience as Spartans on campus, only to find out they’ve thrown thousands of dollars at an online education.

Once again, we’re left asking for transparency. There’s even a lawsuit about this. MSU announced that it intended to bring students back to campus in May, just two months after COVID-19 reached Michigan.

It was irresponsible to create false hopes when there were so many unknowns.

So what’s next? How will MSU support their students during these unprecedented times?

You protected our health and safety, now protect our education. Make it worth those thousands of dollars, even remotely.

So here we are, writing to you, MSU, for what feels like the thousandth time. We are asking you to do better.

We don’t want written statements and apologies. We want open communication. Honesty.

You always alluded to “pulling the plug,” but you waited too long when you knew what the answer would be the whole time.

College students were going to be college students. You should’ve known better.

Do better.

The Summer State News Editorial Board is composed of Editor-in-Chief Evan Jones, Managing Editor SaMya Overall, Audience Engagement Editor Karly Graham, Copy Chief Mark Ostermeyer, Photo Editor Annie Barker, Staff Rep. Wendy Guzman, and Diversity and Inclusion Rep. Devin Anderson-Torrez.

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COLUMN: A look into an international student’s experience at MSU

By Kaishi Chhabra kchhabra@statenews.com

“Dear Dream, You’re finally happening!”

That was the first thought in my mind when my father told me that I had been accepted to Michigan State University. My life-long desire of wanting to go to the United States was finally coming true. It was a proud moment for my family and me.

I took to my social media and posted the exact same quote to my feed as I was boarding for my flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to East Lansing, Michigan. I was all by myself, flying to a new country. My parents could only afford the airfare for one person, so I had to move to the U.S. alone.

For a teenage girl who’s never been to another city without her family, relocating to a whole new land was just as exciting as it was scary.

I’d never been to this side of the sea — never stepped a foot in this continent before — and when I did three years ago, it was a surreal moment. One that I still remember clearly.

Giddy with excitement almost to the point I could throw up, I maintained a steady face.

Scared to my bones, yet trusting of the strangers around me, I immediately felt I could belong here — even if just for a short while. No matter how hard it was moving away from my family, I looked forward to finally being independent and following my “American Dream.”

I was excited to live on MSU’s beautiful campus and learn new things. The multicultural environment and the huge diversity of international students were some of the major deciding factors for me. That, as well as the fact that I’ve never seen snow before in real life. Coming from a tropical desert to one of the coldest regions in the U.S. was definitely not a fun transition, but it was worth it.

Now as I step into my senior year, all I can think about is how much I’m not ready to leave my Spartan family behind yet. I didn’t even realize it, but somewhere during my time living on campus, East Lansing became more of a home to me than my actual home. Every summer that I went back to visit my family, I’d mutter to myself, “This is how Harry Potter felt leaving Hogwarts for the breaks.”

In a way, this university has been my very own magical boarding school. I’ve made some of the best and most beautiful memories of my life here, gained friends that I know I’ll grow old with and most importantly, became a Spartan, which gave me the solidarity I was longing for.

Not many international students choose the

“...What kept me strong and fearless was the support of my fellow Spartans.

As we all know, life is not always easy. But what makes bouncing back easier is when we have someone to lean on.” major that I came here to study. Thus, there have been more times than not when I was the only international student — or even the only woman of color — in my classes. As much as I’m thrilled to share my learning environment with students who are different from me, there’s always a little fear in the back of my mind that we might struggle relating to each other and that could affect my experience here.

But I quickly realized that my perspectives not only matter to my professors but are also very much valued by my peers. The diversity I bring with me to the classroom has never made me feel out of place but rather solidified my individuality. My fears and nerves have long been vanquished since.

It hasn’t been an entirely smooth and happy journey though. From the culture shock to debunking stereotypes of being a Brown woman while being an international journalism student,

these past three years could only be described as an emotional rollercoaster.

The fact that I came here shortly after the 2016 elections certainly didn’t help my multi-layered identity. Neither did the Larry Nassar scandal that shattered MSU’s reputation during my very first semester, the same semester the Las Vegas shooting tragedy occurred. Throughout these hardships, my parents got extremely worried.

My mother asked me to come home on multiple occasions, worrying about my safety. Needless to say, things have only got more heated since then to magnify her distress.

But what kept me strong and fearless was the support of my fellow Spartans. As we all know, life is not always easy. But what makes bouncing back easier is when we have someone to lean on. Over the years, my professors and friends have acted as my crutch to — at times — my life support. I can confidently say I wouldn’t be half the woman I am today had I not been given a chance to form these cherished bonds.

From the exam stresses to mental breakdowns and extreme crises, my MSU family has not only been there for me but has helped me, protected me and encouraged me to stay strong through and through. Pandemic or not, they have given me strength during every step I took.

Recently, for instance, the ICE regulations were updated where any student taking online classes would be forced to return to their home country for the semester or until the administration deems it safe to return. The added layer of that issue was facing the risk of my student visa being terminated if I were to reside outside of the U.S. for more than five months.

This was a true testament to what it meant

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OPI N I ON for me to be a Spartan. I was terrified I would be forced to leave when I had come this close to attaining my dream of graduating from an American university. I remember my coworkers at The State News and my classmates reaching out to me. They kept telling me to stay strong, asking me if they could help me in any way. The faculty were signing multiple petitions in the support of the international community.

It was through sheer optimism of my peers that I stayed sane until the news came that MSU — along with over 200 other universities and 17 states had filed an amicus brief in support of Harvard and MIT’s lawsuit against the Trump administration. A week later, the policy was rescinded and I felt like I could breathe.

But it wasn’t so much the legal aspects as much as the emotional support that helped me get through this rough spot. Over the years, as a student and a journalist, I’ve been fascinated to see how quickly the Spartan community all over the nation unites to stand together if even a single student or worker is in need. Or if the world needs them.

So, to my fellow international and domestic Spartans, I would like to say thank you. For being fearless and loyal. For holding your peers and fellow professionals accountable.

For courageously attempting to bridge the global differences and uniting us all no matter where we are. For fighting for what is right and for giving me a chance to dream and keep on dreaming. But most importantly for being who you are.

As a senior, I look forward to spending my last year on this campus during these unprecedented times while having confidence in the fact that we will do right by each other.

We will protect each other and help each other to get through this. After all, we are each other.

We are Spartans. And Spartans will.

Illustration by Daena Faustino

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‘Into the unknown’: 1st-generation students navigate college, pandemic

By Devin Anderson-Torrez dandersontorrez@statenews.com

Seven months ago, incoming freshman Jimena Garcia’s college plans looked vastly different Seven months ago, incoming freshman Jimena Garcia’s college plans looked vastly different. She was excited to head out-of-state on a new adventure and attend Loyola Chicago on a partial scholarship.

Then her life — like the rest of the world’s — was sent spinning in confusion as she tried to navigate a global pandemic. Seemingly in an instant, her senior year of high school, senior season of track and all she looked forward to for years were just gone, with a drive-by graduation as a feeble consolation to the end-of-year experiences she deserved.

Garcia knew that she had some decisions to make financially. So, with the care Michigan State provided and the less-costly in-state tuition, she found herself enrolling to become a Spartan.

Planning to major in environmental engineering, Garcia is one of many first-generation students taking the plunge into the unknowns of college, being the first in their family to attend and navigate their way to a higher education. Statistically, first-generation students make up nearly a third of all undergraduate students, according to the Education Advisory Board.

Many first-generation students also struggle to find their way through college compared to their counterparts with parents that already experienced the trials and tribulations of college life. Now, Garcia and her peers have the challenge of maneuvering through uncharted territory with school and the unprecedented times of a global pandemic.

Garcia said she has reached out to other students in her courses to prepare for her first semester at MSU. “I mean, it’s still going to suck not really being able to hang out with

them as much as I could be because of social distancing and stuff,” Garcia said. “It’s definitely going to be just really different and a bigger change now than what it usually is just because of all the rules and not knowing.”

While Garcia has been able to get into contact with some students to prepare, ask friends for advice and watch TikTok videos of what to bring to her dorm, she still thinks about the dozens of unanswerable questions, which has left her feeling out of the loop and worried about the foreseeable future.

“So, me completely going in with my eyes closed, hands tied, basically jumping into the ocean, it’s really scary in all honesty,” Garcia said.

“I’m really scared. So I feel like ‘oh no, maybe I’m not going to make it.

Maybe I should just go to a community college’ because the other thing is I don’t want to let my mom down. My parents have given up everything for me to get a good education and for me to have a good life and it’s just hard.

I’m scared.”

Garcia’s concerns are ones that many first-generation students share.

A 2018 study from the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, or NCES, showed that nearly 50% of first-generation students attend community college while only 26% attend public universities compared to their counterparts’ 45% attendance.

Incoming freshman Deborah Ileanna Hotupan is in a similar situation as Garcia. As a first-generation student, she has found herself on the outside looking in when comparing herself to other incoming freshmen.

Hotupan is not only a first-generation student, but also a first-generation citizen. Her parents came to America from Romania about 25 years ago in search of a better life for their family. Because her parents don’t have any experience when it comes to college, Hotupan has found herself preparing for college differently than others, working on her financial work alone and being her own navigator.

“I definitely feel like I’m out of that (loop),” Hotupan said. “A lot of people — their parents went to school and stuff like that, but I won’t have

“It really truly is pushing me, even though we’re in the pandemic, even though I don’t really know what I’m doing. I guess I’m just gonna go in and hope for the best because I really want to make a better life for myself.”

Jimena Garcia

Incoming freshman

Scenes of the Michigan State campus. Photos by Annie Barker

that either. There’s definitely a lot that I feel like I’m not able to relate to that other people my age are, especially at State.”

In 2019, 21.2% of incoming MSU students identified as first-generation.

Though all first-generation students don’t struggle transitioning to college, the lack of parental experience in college life makes them more likely to initially fall behind. Sophomore Alexandra LaLonde, who entered as a first-generation student in 2019, learned this quickly.

“I feel like, in general, college in the beginning, first semester, was pretty difficult for me,” LaLonde said, “I did struggle a little bit academically, which is something that I’ve never (done). I had over a four-point (grade point average) in high school. I did

“...Regardless if you’re a first-generation student or not, nobody really knows.

There’s not a guideline of how to handle anything right now.”

Alexandra LaLonde

Neuroscience sophomore

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everything I could. In college in my first semester, it wasn’t so hot. So, that was kind of an adjustment having to do everything on my own and stuff like that.”

LaLonde, who is majoring in neuroscience, did however adjust as quickly as she fell. She said she learned that no one could be great for her and that no one was going to hold her hand through this process. She learned she had to advocate for herself.

“I work on campus, so like I’m really close with my boss and she also helps me navigate things,” LaLonde said.

“I’m in a few organizations where I have advisers and staff that I reach out to, so I’m pretty much just advocating for myself. If there’s something I don’t know I try to figure it out because I know that no one else is going to do it for me. … Regardless if you’re a first-generation student or not, nobody really knows. There’s not a guideline of how to handle anything right now.”

Although the start to her college experience was a struggle, LaLonde found the resources she needed and utilized them.

“It was difficult in the beginning and even now. Because my parents didn’t go to college, they don’t understand the importance of stuff like even college life and the social aspect of that,” LaLonde said. “They also don’t know how to navigate anything like that, like student portals. … As a freshman there’s some things you just don’t know how to do, and your parents never have done it either. So, that was challenging, but again, advisers (helped) and there’s really good resources on campus if you utilize

them correctly.”

Self-advocating is a trend in these first-generation students. These students — through their experiences, parents and sharp, personal ambition for a better life — persevere through their time in college, learning as they go.

Coming from a small town, LaLonde said her drive comes from proving to herself and her siblings that despite someone’s background, they can achieve their goals.

Hotupan said she shares the drive of her parents who ventured here from Romania. She has talked about the future with them while still becoming independent.

“They’re pretty supportive on me going on my own because obviously they left their parents and went on their own to come here,” Hotupan said. “So, basically just talking about that aspect and how I’m doing what they did, but not to the same extent of leaving the country. It’s forced me to gain independence through their independence. I’m definitely a very independent person because of them, and it makes me feel more comfortable going on to moving to State for sure.”

After changing her college plans mid-quarantine, Garcia feels the pressure on herself to succeed. While she has support from her family, she also feels the external pressures of their pathways. Garcia’s motivation lies in the roots of her family and the desire for a better life.

“Lots of my family just kind of said ‘No, don’t go. Just stay and work’ type of thing and that’s also another thing that motivates me to go is I’m not just gonna follow their pathway,” Garcia said. “I’m not gonna live bill to bill, job to job, like I want to go to school. I want to get a degree. I want to get a nice high-paying job because I have a nice degree. It really truly is pushing me, even though we’re in the pandemic, even though I don’t really know what I’m doing. I guess I’m just gonna go in and hope for the best because I really want to make a better life for myself.”

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Lights, camera, Zoom: Performing arts students adjust to remote learning

By Devin Anderson-Torrez dandersontorrez@statenews.com With much of the performing arts emphasizing in-person interactions, feedback and connections, Michigan State's transition to predominantly remote learning led these students to doing what they do best — improvising.

When COVID-19 hit, performing arts students lost out on face-to-face acting classes or key coaching with their instruments. Because inperson contact is such a pinnacle in these students’ education, their daily lives and passions were affected in a unique way.

Fine arts senior Chaseton Cain feels his experience was halved with the switch to remote learning.

“I absolutely do not feel like I got the full experience,” Cain said. “Most of the real education of performing arts comes from the actual act of performing as a playground to perfect techniques we have developed in class so without that aspect we are totally stripped of about half of the experience. Not to diss zoom, but it sucks for anything performative unless it’s comedically bad (which happens too often).”

What’s left of it isn’t nearly as authentic, theatre senior Jay Gooden said. Without being able to have genuine reactions to his performances, Jay

has found it difficult to adjust.

“With acting specifically, it works off of reactions of your scene partner, scene partners or the audience,” Gooden said. “With it being online and us going through that, it definitely shifted how we were to think about performing arts as a whole and it definitely was not the best adjustment. A lot of that feedback and real-time reaction was lost, so it was kind of hard to be able to actually portray a character or do a scene authentically because we weren’t authentically there with each other.”

Theatre and acting weren’t the only arts affected. Clarinet education senior Stephen Rhodes has found similar disparities between inperson performance and MSU’s remote efforts as well. Rhodes said he experienced clarinet lessons in a new, comparatively less fulfilling way than what he had on-campus.

“A lot of my classes could be effectively transitioned into online formats and a lot of them were. Clarinet lessons in my opinion is not one such thing,” Rhodes said. “Anything that involves playing your instrument with anyone else had effectively been canceled and switched to a music analysis format. Clarinet lessons have to be clarinet lessons, and there are so many factors that go into a lesson that don’t translate well online.”

Characters pose in different scenes during MSU Theatre’s production of The Bacchae in April 2019.

Photo courtesy of Jay Gooden

Rhodes said he was used to heading to his clarinet professor’s office for lessons and counted on his professor to circle around him as he played, inspecting everything from his face and posture to making sure he had the correct embouchure.

The clarinet player went from being critiqued down to the positioning of his mouthpiece to working from his apartment over Zoom.

“Suddenly I was receiving less of what is arguably the most critical instruction he could give me. But then there’s another issue, the sound quality simply really wasn’t there,” Rhodes said. “Because the transition was last minute and had little to no warning nobody was prepared.

My microphone quality was not up to par along with many of my other fellow underclassmen.

Because of this, there were probably certain instances where my professor was hearing things that sounded completely different than how

I was hearing them simply due to the nature of the online instruction.”

As eager as they are to get the experiencedriven education they require, these students understand the weight of the current circumstances of returning to campus.

“Honestly I really didn’t feel safe coming back to campus," Rhodes said. "Especially as a musician. The big thing for me was that the College of Music was still planning on trying to do in-person, large ensembles. Now there are plenty of facilities where we could get our large ensembles into a rehearsal space where we could all properly socially distance and then some, but I didn’t like the idea.”

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MSU off-campus students react to the shift to online learning Computer science and engineering freshman, Nikit Parakh, works in a computer lab in the Engineering Building on Jan. 23. Photo by Alyte Katilius

By Emily Bevard ebevard@statenews.com With Michigan State University’s shift to a remote learning model for the fall semester encouraging off-campus students to consider staying home, many who had already signed outside leases were left with confusion and frustration for the coming months.

In a letter to the Spartan community, President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. said they are working with partners in the city of East Lansing and the Ingham County Health Department to create the safest environment possible, though he urged students to consider where the safest place for them would be.

In a post last Wednesday, MSU Live On said it is not intended for students to obtain offcampus housing in the cancellation of their oncampus housing assignments.

The city of East Lansing launched the COVID-19 Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance Program Aug. 10 to provide emergency support to income-eligible residents experiencing financial hardships during COVID-19.

According to a release, applicants meeting income eligibility requirements can apply to receive up to $2,000 in grant assistance toward outstanding rent or mortgage payments.

Applicants must reside within city limits and provide documentation of a COVID-19 related hardship, the release said. Funding is currently in place to allow up to 100 households to receive grants.

For information science senior Chase Maples who had signed a lease with his brother at

The Tower apartments in East Lansing, he said he is hoping MSU does something to help their students who are now moving back unnecessarily.

“In actuality, MSU doesn’t have any sort of obligation to help us,” Maples said. “We are the ones who signed contracts, right. We are the ones who signed the leases. But on the other hand, we also had signed that not expecting there was going to be a global pandemic, expecting that we were going to be going to go to school full-time with in-person teaching.”

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a majority of undergraduate students will choose to live off-campus. With that majority signing housing contracts in the city because of MSU, Maples said they should have announced their decision significantly sooner.

“It is huge — it’s a multi-million dollar

school,” Maples said. “They knew that when football and basketball and all the athletics were canceled, they knew they weren’t going to be making much revenue, so why did they even bother having the dorm rooms? … The biggest thing that my brother and I have experienced is with these leasing companies, it’s a cash grab. Just like the school itself, they surround themselves by it. They don’t really (care) about the tenants.”

MSU senior Chandler Maples, Chase’s brother, expressed similar feelings, stating neither the leasing companies nor MSU are going to make any sort of reparations for these students. If he were to move into his apartment off-campus, expenses like utility bills would be heightened with no need to leave the apartment.

Journalism senior Connor Smithee said he had signed his lease back in December before anyone knew that COVID-19 would be an issue.

“Here we are now, I was unemployed for about four months, so you know, I’m trying to make ends meet paying rent on an apartment I don’t necessarily need,” Smithee said. “Like I said, no one ever heard of coronavirus, I’m not blaming the university … I signed the lease. I took full responsibility for that. The payments are on me.

It’s my fault, but nobody knew this was going to happen. So, I’m not blaming anybody for this.”

Had he known that classes would be going online, Smithee said he would have either not signed a lease at all, or he would have looked for someplace cheaper to live.

Smithee said he brought the issue up to his landlords, hoping they would be willing to compromise a small portion of the monthly rent, but he was not met with a warm response.

“It was very tone deaf the way they talked to me,” Smithee said. “It wasn’t kind. There was no sense of appreciation or kindness or anything.

It was very much like, ‘This is the way it is. You signed a contract. Deal with it,’ and that to me was very rude almost.”

Ultimately, Smithee said his biggest concern is in terms of students’ mental health.

“Just thinking about the fact that they’ll be alone in either their apartment or the couple of people that do stay on-campus in a dorm room, they’ll pretty much be alone all day, and I think that’s going to have a lot of long-lasting effects on students’ mental health,” Smithee said.

Moving forward, with many students who had planned to live on-campus seemingly looking to sublease apartments for the fall, Smithee said those students are going to run into problems if they sign a full year lease and MSU wants them back on campus in the spring.

*iClicker rentals and The Safe Ride Program will be suspended for the Fall 2020 semester.

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Student Affairs & Services

PHYSICALLY DISTANCED S O C I A L LY E N G AG E D No matter where you are, we are here for you Student Affairs & Services Visit our Consolidated Service Center between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday–Friday, in Suite 113 on the First Floor of the Student Services Building, or connect with us by calling 517-355-7535 or emailing us at studentaffairs@msu.edu.

Find more information on our website, studentaffairs.msu.edu, where you can learn about each of our units: • Career Services Network • Center for Community Engaged Learning • Community Liaison • Fraternity & Sorority Life • Graduate Student Life & Wellness • IMPACT 89 • Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay & Transgender Resource Center • Multi-Racial Unity Living Experience and Intercultural Aide Program

• Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions • Recreational Sports & Fitness Services • Student Government • Student Life • Student Parent Resource Center • Student Veterans Resource Center • Women*s Student Services

Visit involve@State – the home for your engagement and activity while at MSU. Discover our 900-plus Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) and find opportunities to be Socially Engaged with your fellow Spartans even as we are Physically Distanced.

The Division of Student Affairs & Services is here to support you inside the classroom and beyond. No matter how you find us – through one of our offices or via our website – we are here to help you connect with any services you may need.

Follow us on

@msu_sas to stay in the know!

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OPI N I ON

Column: ‘You’re not alone’: My experiences with mental illness with. These include anxiety disorders, schizoaffective disorders, bipolar disorders, dissociative disorders and depression, among many more.

MY (VERY SUMMARIZED) EXPERIENCES WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

By Sara Tidwell stidwell@statenews.com

Dear diary, Mental illness is scary, but actually following through by reaching out for help is scarier.

Why is that, do you think?

I’d have to say because of the long-taught, institutionalized societal stigma, romanticization and ignorance around what it’s truly like living with mental illnesses and needing therapy or medication, probably.

TYPES OF MENTAL ILLNESS

Mental illnesses are not adjectives. They are not a bandwagon media trend. It is not cute, relatable or quirky to have a mental illness.

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), there are 12 different conditions a person could be diagnosed

For those of you that suffer with mental illness and like me, who rely on holding the hand of several different medical professionals while you analyze your past and present in order to rebuild your future, I know your brain can be a scary place, especially when it acts against you.

My brain often goes so far as to try and convince me that I’m lying about what I go through, even though my medical records state otherwise.

You’re not alone.

NAMI reported that 1 in 5 U.S. adults will experience mental illness each year, while 1 in 25 will experience a more severe level of it. One in 6 U.S. youths ages 6-17 will also experience a mental illness each year – 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses begin in this age group, around 14 years old, and 75% by 24 years old.

I was diagnosed with anxiety at the age of five, depression at 16 and OCD at 19. Now at 20, though I’m not diagnosed with anything else, my weight is also being monitored, and I’ve been offered trauma recovery resources a handful of times.

I never truly noticed how bad my anxiety was because, up until 12th grade, it came in subtle forms — stomach aches, profuse

DO YOU LIKE WORKING WITH PEOPLE, THE ENVIRONMENT, OR TECHNOLOGY? MAJOR IN GEOGRAPHY BS Economic Geography For students interested in the roles of space, place, location, scale, key agents and forces in the economic sphere.

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sweating, an inability to speak out around or to strangers, bathroom shyness, etc. And it still does.

However, I have also started to experience the more severe end of the spectrum — panic attacks with dry mouth, hyperventilating, heavy chest pain, lightheadedness, nausea and sometimes even vomiting.

I vividly remember my first panic attack.

It was shortly into my final semester of high school. I had to leave math class because my entire body felt light and hot, and I sobbed in the bathroom while shakily texting my best friend, asking her to come find me.

There was no trigger, sometimes there isn’t, and I believe that’s the hardest part to grasp.

When I was diagnosed with depression, a disorder that often goes hand-in-hand with anxiety, I put myself through my first round of therapy.

My experiences with depression are, more often than not, specifically tied to loss, though I don’t discredit the days where getting out of bed, socializing and completing menial tasks feels almost impossible for no reason.

It feels almost shallow to say, but my first episode, for lack of a better term, was tied to my first breakup.

High school relationships are naïve, but it was the terms he ended things on where the toxicity really messed with my head.

While I’ve learned to cope with my depression better than my other conditions, I still have to remind myself daily that I’m not too much to handle, that I’m worthy of receiving the same type of love I give others.

When I was diagnosed with OCD, it felt like the clouds had parted to a clear, blue sky. I know, why would I be relieved to know I have another mental illness?

Because it made some of the abnormal things I was doing on a daily basis feel validated. I was able to put a label on it and understand another piece of myself.

Things like checking that doors were locked and burners on the stove were off six times before I left the house or went to bed; sensory overload; violent what-if scenarios in innocent situations; excessively list making; the overwhelming desire to tell my thoughts to anyone or touch and fiddle with things in sight; obsessing over my health and panicking over any minor ailment, etc.

Recently, I met with a psychiatrist for anxiety medication and a nutritionist for weight restoration. Therapy used to make me feel abnormal, but today I’m in search of my third therapist.

Mental recovery and self-awareness is a marathon, not a sprint. Same as physical recovery, it cannot be hurried or ignored. It’s OK to not be OK and to need an extra push.

There are countless ways to cope and treat these conditions and symptoms. If you feel like any of this information may apply to you, I encourage you to reach out to MSU’s Counseling and Psychiatry Services (CAPS) for consultation to learn what might suit you best.

TO READ MORE VISIT STATENEWS.COM

fal l

BS Environmental Geography Provides academic training in the environment and how its many aspects interrelate across the landscape.

BS Geographic Information Science For the students interested in the application of information technology to the spatial dimensions of the Earth’s human and physical systems

MAP YOUR FUTURE LAND A GREAT JOB DOING SOMETHING YOU LOVE MSU Geography graduates are employed as:

Environmental Consultants GIS Analysts Strategic Planners

Climatologists I.T. Directors Cartographers

Location Analysis Earth Scientists Urban Planners

Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences College of Social Science T U ES DAY, S E PT E MBE R 1 , 2020

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Things you missed at MSU this summer

By Wendy Guzman wguzman@statenews.com A majority of the Michigan State University community has been physically distant from campus since mid-March, but the lack of people on campus hasn’t stopped news from developing in East Lansing.

For those that have been out of the loop and those who like to reminisce, here is what you missed in East Lansing this summer:

about her knowledge of a 2014 Title IX complaint concerning Nassar’s abuse.

The judge dismissed the charges due to lack of evidence.

However, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced she is planning to appeal the dismissed charges on July 20.

Ex-MSU gymnastics coach Klages was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 18 months probation Aug. 4. Klages’ charges also stemmed from the investigation into MSU’s handling

CHARGES AGAINST EX-PRESIDENT LOU ANNA K. SIMON DROPPED; KATHIE KLAGES SENTENCED FOR KNOWLEDGE OF LARRY NASSAR’S SEXUAL ABUSE

An Eaton County judge dismissed the charges against Simon May 13 for alleged knowledge of Nassar’s decades of sexual abuse.

After a years-long preliminary hearing which concluded last summer, Simon was charged with two misdemeanors and two felonies, accused of lying to Michigan State Police during a 2018 investigation

Former gymanistics coach Kathie Klages at Veterans Memorial Court on Feb. 5.

State News file photo

of Nassar’s abuse. At her sentencing, the defense argued grounds for appeal, mentioning the dismissal of Simon’s case.

However, the judge explained she did not believe Klages’ case has grounds for appeal.

MSU RESUMES CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER SEARCH; FORMER DIVERSITY DIRECTOR PAULETTE GRANBERRY RUSSELL RESCINDS OFFER FROM CAL POLY

Michigan State is implementing the vice president and chief diversity officer, or CDO, position, to replace the Senior Adviser to the President for Diversity position, previously held by Russell. The CDO position will be at the level of vice president for the first time in the university’s history, and all the responsibilities that fell under Russell will now fall under the CDO. The search was announced in January after it was announced Russell would be shifting administrative roles; however, it was paused when MSU moved online. At the May 15 Board of Trustees meeting,

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Phone: (517) 432-0700 or email techstore@msu.edu Address: 450 Auditorium Rd #110 East Lansing, MI 48824

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President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced the search was resuming.

The four CDO finalists are visiting MSU between Aug. 28 and Sept. 9. Their names and curriculum vitae will be announced prior to each visit.

Russell left MSU in July after being offered the position of vice president for diversity and inclusion at California Polytechnic University but later rescinded the acceptance after receiving backlash from the Cal Poly community.

MSU TARGET OF RANSOMWARE ATTACK

On May 28, Michigan State was the target of a ransomware attack by a group called NetWalker that claimed to have stolen files from the university, including financial and student information. The attackers’ blog post included a week-long timer that then automatically released files if the university did not pay off a bounty, mirroring other attacks at universities nationwide.

The attack was isolated to the Department of Physics and Astronomy. MSU IT worked

with the Michigan State Police Department, who recommended they not pay the bounty.

PROTESTS AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY IN EAST LANSING

A series of protests happened throughout May and June at the Michigan State Capitol and in East Lansing amid widespread unrest against police brutality across the country.

The first protest took place June 1 at the Capitol, which escalated with police using tear gas against protesters. Multiple people were arrested, and thousands of dollars in damages resulted from that night.

This protest also resulted in a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for the city. The following day members of the community gathered to clean up what was left.

On June 3, Paul Birdsong began organizing larger protests in East Lansing. Birdsong and his followers took their calls to action to the doorsteps of Lansing Mayor Andy Schor’s house, demanding for changes or his resignation. A few days later Lansing created a racial equity anti-racism fund.

Australyah Coleman, president of the Central Michigan University chapter of the NAACP and vice president of the Michigan State Conference Youth and College Division of the NAACP led a group of protesters to the steps of the Capitol to list the organization’s demands.

The Lansing Black Lives Matter chapter sponsored protests in the area June 22 and 29.

Schor announced plans for Racial Justice and Equity Plan webinars to encourage dialogue in the community.

VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH STEPHEN HSU RESIGNS

After the Graduate Employees Union, or GEU, shared a Twitter thread with calls for his removal, Hsu resigned from his position as MSU’s vice president for research and innovation.

The thread denounced Hsu’s scientific racism, sexism and eugenicist research through blog posts and podcasts he was involved in.

Calls for his removal came from members of the community including hundreds of facul-

CU LT U R E Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, left, and organizer Paul Birdsong, right, talk outside Lansing Mayor Andy Schor’s House in a protest organized

by Paul Birdsong on June 6. Photo by Annie Barker

ment received backlash from the Michigan State Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Association, or BFSAA. In beginning her role, Woodruff sent an introductory email to the community with a road map on her goals for students’ education amidst coronavirus and promoting diversity at MSU.

Coach Tom Izzo speaks at the Breslin on March 8. State News file photo

A man smokes a cigarette as a car burns behind him, letting off black smoke in Lansing May 31 at the protest over the police killing of George Floyd. State News file photo

ty and the Associated Students of Michigan State University, or ASMSU. There was also a petition for Hsu to remain in his post, which reached equal attention, with signatures from professionals across the country and some abroad.

Following the backlash, Stanley ultimately asked Hsu to resign on June 19.

Stanley recommended Assistant Vice President for Research and Innovation Doug Gage as interim vice president for research and innovation. His appointment was approved at the June 26 Board of Trustees meeting. A search for the vice president has not yet been formally announced.

TOM IZZO NAMED BIG TEN COACH OF THE DECADE, SECURES FIVE-STAR COMMITS

Michigan State’s men’s basketball coach Izzo was named Big Ten basketball coach of the decade.

Izzo was given the honor June 25 by a voting panel of 24 members, who highlighted the Spartans’ consistent high-level play and success, going a total of 264-95 in the decade.

Just five days later, Izzo managed to secure the top prospect from the 2022 high school graduating class, Emoni Bates. The 6-foot-8 small forward from Ypsilanti, Michigan is one of just seven players to ever receive a perfect rating by

247Sports and has already been compared to players of the likes of LeBron James.

Following Bates, Izzo landed another top recruit with 2021 five-star shooting guard Max Christie. 247Sports ranks Christie as the No. 1 shooting guard in the 2021 class and the 13th best player overall.

Izzo then secured a third fivestar, center Enoch Boakye, joining Bates in the 2022 recruiting class. Boakye is considered to be the highest-rated prospect from Canada for the 2022 recruiting class by 247Sports.

COVID-19 CASES LINKED TO HARPER’S RESTAURANT AND BREWPUB

On June 8, bars across Michigan were able to reopen their doors at 50% capacity. Crowds gathered at East Lansing bars on opening night, including Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub.

Two weeks after opening, 14 positive cases of COVID-19 were linked to the bar, causing them to temporarily close their doors June 20. Eventually, this amounted to 192 cases in connection to Harper’s.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer then signed an executive order for Michigan bars to close their

indoor seating again.

Harper’s owners Trisha and Patrick Riley were subject to a show cause hearing by the Michigan Liquor License Commission, or MLCC, on July 23 regarding the COVID-19 outbreak that occurred from their reopening on June 8.

At the hearing, the owners were asked questions regarding their protocols in reopening their establishment in compliance with the original executive order for reopening bars and restaurants, and to demonstrate how their plans for reopening will prioritize the safety of staff and patrons.

TERESA WOODRUFF BEGINS AS NEW PROVOST

Woodruff officially began her tenure as Michigan State University’s provost and executive vice president of academic affairs Aug.1. The former dean of The Graduate School at Northwestern University is succeeding interim provosts Teresa Sullivan and Thomas Jeitschko, following the resignation of June Youatt last September.

Her selection for the role was announced on April 27, after an open search began in October.

She was one of three finalists that were publicly interviewed via Zoom in early April.

Following her selection and approval at the May 15 Board of Trustees meeting, the appoint-

FALL SPORTS CANCELED; ATHLETES AND STAFF TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

T h e B i g Te n f o r m a l l y announced on Aug. 11 that they were canceling the fall 2020 sports season, following a summer of practices and COVID-19 outbreaks among players.

Days before, there were speculations from multiple media outlets that the conference would cancel following a 12-2 vote from Big Ten presidents.

Stanley was among those who voted not to play in the upcoming season.

Student-athletes were permitted to return to MSU’s campus in June.

The football, men’s and women’s basketball, and volleyball teams were the first to undergo testing, with one student-athlete testing positive in the first round. In the second round of testing, two athletes tested positive out of 114 tested.

Voluntary football workouts were paused in July after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 during surveillance testing. Before the sudden pause, the Spartans were preparing to begin their first 20-hour practice week following a mid-June NCAA plan that allowed Division I football teams to conduct up to eight hours per week for weight lifting and conditioning, six hours per week for walk-through practices with no pads or helmets, play with a ball allowed,

Harper’s Restaurant and Brew Pub closed temporarily due to links to a number of COVID-19 cases on June 20. State News file photo

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and up to six hours for team meetings including film study and meetings with coaches.

T he football team was asked to quarantine for two weeks after a second staff member tested positive at the end of July. In addition, 16 student-athletes and four staff members in total also tested positive.

In the midst of the pandemic, the Big Ten pieced together a conference-only football schedule, which was set to start on Sept. 5.

Prior to the cancellation, some football players including starting defensive tackle Jacub Panasiuk and starting right tackle Jordan Reid had opted out of the season.

MICHIGAN STATE GOES REMOTE FOR FALL SEMESTER

The news most of the community was likely looking out for was MSU formally announcing their plans for the fall 2020 semester.

Following the work of the committees within the Reopening Campus Task Force, May 27, the university announced they planned to open campus for a mixture of in-person and online instruction for students and cancel the pilot fall break that they originally planned.

However, follow ing the reopening of schools all over the country causing outbreaks across student bodies and cancellation of classes, MSU announced, on Aug. 18, undergraduate courses would be held remotely. University administration said all students planning to live in residence halls should remain in their permanent home, and a small amount of housing would still be available to those who absolutely need it, including international students, graduate students with on-campus labs, and students with on-campus jobs directly relating to their degree program.

MSU was planning to hold 75% of courses at least partially online this semester, with all courses moving entirely remote for the last three weeks. Students living in dorms were able to opt out of their fall housing contract throughout the summer through the Learn From Home program, where they were to continue their studies while residing with their parents or guardians.

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From student to mayor: Aaron Stephens reflects on his journey

By Emily Bevard ebevard@statenews.com Just a 20-year-old student at Michigan State University when he announced his campaign for East Lansing City Council and just 23 years old when he was appointed mayor pro tem, Mayor Aaron Stephens has always wanted to do good for his community.

When the July 14 City Council meeting saw the resignation of former Mayor Ruth Beier and Council Member Mark Meadows, Stephens found himself 24 years old and mayor of East Lansing, navigating a global pandemic with COVID-19, calls for police and public safety reform and an evolving economic crisis.

Stephens ran for City Council as a student, hoping to give a voice to young people and serve his community.

“I obviously did not expect to be in the position that I am right now. I didn’t even expect to be mayor pro tem,” Stephens said. “Being mayor pro tem was a really big honor in itself because that showed my fellow council members had some faith in me to be a leader on the council already, which was really, honestly, very, very humbling for me — and I was proud of that.”

While becoming mayor at this age was not necessarily part of the plan, Stephens said it offers him a much-needed perspective with his connections to the young people in the community, many of whom have a lot of the same thoughts and perspectives as he does. The hope, he said, is to be able to somewhat bridge the gap between the government structure in

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Mayor Aaron Stephens (Mayor Pro Tem at the time) on Feb. 1. State News file photo

East Lansing and the people they are supposed to serve.

“I actually remember very specifically, it didn’t hit me that I had actually become mayor until probably a week, maybe two, after it happened,” Stephens said. “And I did just have somewhat of a crystallizing moment while I was driving down

TU ESDAY, SEPTEMBE R 1, 2020

U.S.-127 where I thought to myself, ‘holy heck I’m actually mayor.’ But it was mostly because the work didn’t just stop and I didn’t sign up for a job to be someone that served in office and kept things the way they were. I signed up because I wanted to change this community for the better, and I wanted to serve in the best capacity that I could and that means you have really tough conversations. You come up with creative solutions to things, and you become a leader, not only for your community, but you try to lead the city in a great direction so that other communities can follow your example.”

On Aug. 1, City Council unanimously appointed Dana Watson and Ron Bacon to fill the two seats left vacant by Beier and Meadows, making history by creating the first council with people of color in the majority.

Stephens, previously the only standing council member of color, said the process of selecting two applicants to serve was both long and hard, but the gravity of it all hit him after the meeting ended.

“I cried that night, I’m going to be honest,” Stephens said. “I sat in my office and I understood that I got elected and I was the only person of color on the council. We have a global movement to represent BIPOC people and lift up voices of underrepresented folks, and in East Lansing, we made history.”

That night, Stephens recalled a moment sitting on the couch watching Netflix with his significant other when she looked over at him and asked, “what do normal people do after they make history?”

“I really didn’t know what to say to it because I don’t know,” Stephens said. “I really didn’t know how to react. I think it was an extremely proud moment for myself, but I think it’s also an incredibly proud moment for this community, and I’m just happy I had a little hand in it.”

Moving forward with council, Stephens said his goal is to put East Lansing on a trajectory for being truly sustainable, financially stable and equitable. The goal might not necessarily be to get all of the work done, but rather to get a new perspective and to shift priorities in the right direction toward change.

At the July 14 meeting, as he became mayor, Stephens said he did not intend to run for reelection. He would love to see another young person run for office, saying they had a lot of incredible candidates that were a part of their interview process who would do great to move the city in the right direction.

“I think it’s important for leaders to know when it’s time to step aside and when it’s time to let the next generation of people come take the reins,” Stephens said. “I know I say that as I’m 24, but I do think it’s important to make sure that public service for leaders is about public service. … I had a lot of people tell me that I shouldn’t run for office when I did. I was 20 years old when I announced my campaign. I had a lot of people tell me that I couldn’t win. I had a lot of people tell me that it wasn’t time, that I needed to wait my turn. And I think that that kind message is — it’s just a faulty message. Because it’s always the time for change, and it’s always the time to step up and serve your community.”

e m o c l We k c a B ns! a t r a p S

rha T U ES DAY, S E PT E MBE R 1 , 2020

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Protesting through the generations: The differences of movement

By Eli McKown emckown@statenews.com The world mourned after the death of civil rights icon John Lewis passed away in July after his battle with cancer. Lewis was a major contributor to the civil rights movement in the 1960’s, joining Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the March on Washington in 1963 and participating in “good trouble” to try and create meaningful change in our nation.

Flash forward to today, it is a new generation of protestors and activists.

Instead of leaders taking charge, it is a collective effort from many different backgrounds. Rich, poor, celebrities, college students, athletes, the list goes on of those fighting for change.

Comedian Dave Chappelle in a short YouTube stand-up said “this is the streets talking for themselves.”

The diversity and varying demographics among the protesters is one of the first things that is different from the previous generations, according to Professor Victoria Wolcott, a history professor at the University of Buffalo who has a focus in civil rights history.

“One major difference is the numbers of white people involved in the protests,” Wolcott said in an email.

“During the civil rights movement there were definitely some white

“The phenomenon of the past couple of months has been nationwide, not just confined to one region like the South or the North, but sort of infiltrating small towns as well as big cities across the nation.”

Jason Sokol

History professor at the University of New Hampshire allies, but the numbers were much smaller compared to today. There is also much more widespread support for the movement today — another contrast to the earlier movement.”

Professor Jason Sokol, a history faculty member at the University of New Hampshire who has studied and written three books on the civil rights movement, said that another key part is how widespread the movement has been, stretching across the world as well as the demographics of the protesters.

“The phenomenon of the past couple of months has been nationwide, not just confined to one region like the South or the North, but sort of

infiltrating small towns as well as big cities across the nation,” Sokol said.

Over 40% of those taking part in protests are in the age range of 18-29, with the next closest being the age range from 30-49 at 38%, according to a study done by the Pew Research Center. Sokol said the high participation is because of the constant attention this issue has received during their lives.

“That generation was probably about nine or 10 years old when Treyvon Martin was killed, so these kinds of shootings of Black people have been going on as long as they can remember, which isn’t necessarily different from the civil rights generation,” Sokol said.

“Remember, Emmett Till was brutally murdered in 1955, which was a killing that burned into the consciousness of many in the civil rights generation.

African Americans being killed is not a new thing in American history. It’s a very old thing with a long legacy.”

Sophomore biology major Emma Rankine, who studies at Central Michigan University has been active in protests, petition signing and donating to causes for the movement.

Rankine believes social media has played a huge impact on the movement for her age group.

“Social media is so readily available for people to see,” Rankine said.

“There was a whole week on Twitter

where every single thing was about the Black Lives Matter Movement, and that got me really riled up, and I know it did for a lot of other people too.”

The key difference between now and the civil rights movement is the growth of social media, which allows anyone to record and post a video online like in the case of George Floyd in May, sparking the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement.

“The cell phone footage that is readily available nowadays, for instance, the fact that somebody has cell phone footage of George Floyd being murdered by the police officer is the reason that the outcry was what it was,” Sokol said. “If you had that kind of intimate footage of all the slayings in history, who knows what might have been different.”

For Rankine, social media has allowed her to find out more about the movement.

“I feel like it’s been helpful to the movement,” Rankine said. “I’ve read news articles and watched news stories on television and they are not necessarily always covering exactly what’s happening, exactly on time, exactly the right bias depending on where you see it. I think if you see something on Twitter for example, from someone who is actually there and it’s not necessarily going through an outlet, things can get misconstrued.

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However, I think it’s a better outlet for people to show what actually is happening on the scene.”

One of the other key differences between this era of protests and the others is the overwhelming amount of issues happening outside of the Black Lives Matter movement like the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Another important piece of this is the fact of the Trump presidency and the inhumanity and the cruelty of this administration,” Sokol said.” “I think that’s what sparked a lot of the energy in the streets. People are not just protesting the killings of Black people, but it’s at a moment when an administration’s most consistent policy has been white supremacy, and I think that’s what a lot of resistance is against as well.”

The political climate is especially turbulent, 2020 being an election year.

Rankine knows she will be casting her ballot in November.

However, Wolcott said she’s a bit more pessimistic on younger people like Rankine voting considering in recent years how small the voter turnout has been for the younger generations.

This moment in American history with the pandemic and current Black Lives Matter movement is clearly one of the more unique moments that will be studied for generations to come.

T U ES DAY, S E PT E MBE R 1 , 2020

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APPLY TODAY! BE A STATE NEWS BOARD DIRECTOR 2020-2022 The Board establishes the policies and budget of The State News. Members attend monthly meetings during the academic year and serve two-year terms.

Professionals, MSU students, faculty and staff are encouraged to apply “I joined the board as a freshman at MSU. I am glad to be a part of an organization that touches the lives of all MSU students.

Providing a unique voice and perspective is important to me.”

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History: How Michigan State lost the College of Urban Development

By Annie Barker abarker@statenews.com Though Michigan State is planning a stand-alone multicultural building following multiple racist incidents in fall 2019 and widespread protests following the murder of George Floyd this summer, the last space the university created to serve minority students did not last much longer than a decade.

After the passage of the Civil Rights Act and Detroit race riots of 1968, former MSU President John Hannah realized MSU needed to help the advancement of civil rights from a university level.

Hannah created the Committee of 16, responsible for a report that offered goals and suggestions for MSU’s role in advancing civil rights.

According to The 50 Year History of the Center for Urban Affairs, the committee’s goals were to determine how MSU should “make a useful contribution to the solution of the societal problems ‘in the area generally referred to as Civil Rights.’” This included an increased effort to enroll more Black students, faculty in all colleges and departments, and administrators, as well as the creation of a Center for Race and Urban Affairs.

The center would have academic, research and project functions.

The committee also noted the willingness of faculty to donate time and expertise to aid in getting more Blacks into higher education. MSU students at the time also supported the center.

Once Walter Adams took over as interim president in 1969, he listened to Black students’ demands and helped increase funding for the College of Urban Development as an academic offshoot of the Center for Urban Affairs. “(Administration) followed through with (the report) really quite ... quickly and thoroughly, with the exception that they changed the name from a Center for Race and Urban Affairs to just a Center for Urban Affairs, which was kind of a political move, you know. It really was designed around race,” said John Schweitzer, professor in the Center for Community and Economic Development.

THE CREATION OF THE CENTER FOR URBAN AFFAIRS In

20

March

1969,

MSU

From the left, Clifton Wharton and Robert Green, undated.

Courtesy of MSU Archives

established the Center for Urban Affairs, which focused on researching and creating solutions to address urban problems.

According to Schweitzer, to help fund the center, Adams took 0.005% of funding from every department and college across the board. This also funded a minority fellowship program that helped train role models for different areas of academia. However, according to Schweitzer, the center couldn’t offer its own classes or degree program.

After The Center for Urban Affairs was created, a proposal was crafted for the College of Urban Development, or CUD. According to a press release from 1973, the college was made to solve issues that stemmed from “racial and ethnic discrimination and prejudice.”

Students enrolled in the college could study with the department of urban and metropolitan studies or the department of racial and ethnic studies, which partners in administration with the College of Social Science. Within the former, students could learn about urban health science, urban education systems and urban community development.

Those who chose the latter had the options of conflict intervention and change, and racism and ethnocentrism as areas of study.

Support for the college was mixed. In The Educational Policies Committee 1971 report on the college, the committee agreed that

T H E STAT E N EWS

Headshot of Dr. Robert Green, 1971. Courtesy of MSU Archives

MSU needed to focus on establishing better academic offerings in “urban-human problem solution.” However, they were unclear if achieving college status would benefit the solving of urban-human problems.

Those in favor of the college believed the unit would show MSU’s commitment to the issue, creating a body of knowledge to address problems in urban areas, also guaranteeing a seat for faculty and students in the academic governing process.

Those against the college argued it wouldn’t enhance communication with other units, wouldn’t improve problems in urban areas and would increase administrative costs.

Robert Green, former College of Urban Development Dean said his colleagues in the College of Social Science felt the college would be more focused on activism and not be academically strong.

“And that was not true,”

TUES DAY, S EPTEM B ER 1 , 2020

CA MPU S

“Here we have young people who are smart and intelligent, men and women, black and white, walking the streets seeking social justice...

The need for a College of Urban Development is more so today than it was when I was around as dean.”

Robert Green Director of the Center for Urban Affairs

Ladies standing in front of the Center for Urban Affairs Community Development Extension Office holding certificates from Lansing Community College, undated.

Courtesy of MSU Archives

“It was upsetting to have to cut the colleges... But it had to be done. And it wasn’t just Michigan State. It was, I don’t know about the entire country, but I remember the Midwestern universities, many of the Big Ten universities, were going through the same kind of situation.”

Carol Meyer-Lick Former MSU Board of Trustee

Green said. “We had people in the college who were scholars who wrote to publish in refereed journals, who put out books ... We had a strong academic background, but the fact that we were concerned with race and social justice issues at that time, there was always concerns. Are you going to be academic? Will you hire a faculty member who’s a scholar?”

MSU’s first Black President, Clifton Wharton, wrote in his book, “Privilege and Prejudice: The Life of a Black Pioneer” that the college received resistance particularly from Board of Trustees Warren Huff and Clair White. Wharton says this was most likely due to Director of the Center for Urban Affairs Robert Green’s work in challenging and advancing Big Ten athletics.

Warren Huff could not be located and Clair White is dead, therefore unavailable to comment.

Meeting with Clifton Wharton and Robert Green, undated. Courtesy of MSU Archives

Nevertheless, the college was approved on May 19, 1972, in a Board of Trustees meeting and courses began the following fall semester.

FINANCIAL STRESS

“Quite soon after that, now we’re talking into the middle 70s the recession started hitting,” Schweitzer said. “The oil shock and deterioration of, you know, from the late 70s. I mean, things really collapsed.

And the university was under dire straits, really ... trying to (figure out) how are we going to manage.”

Former Board of Trustee member Carol Meyer-Lick recalled the challenges of managing the budget. She recalled having to cut $16 million from the budget.

She also recalled other universities having to make similar budget cuts.

“And while that’s a lot of money anytime, it was a lot more back, 40 years ago, and it was just devastating trying

to come up with where to cut,” Meyer-Lick said.

Meyer-Lick remembers people informally lobbying to save their colleges. Her mailbox was flooded with statements, adding pressure to the board’s decisions.

“It was upsetting to have to cut the colleges, to have to cut anything like that, to that extent,” she said. “But it had to be done. And it wasn’t just Michigan State.”

Jan. 23, 1981, the Office of the Provost received the dean’s summary of the CUD Program Reduction Planning Report. The document listed several goals, including maintaining college status and adding a graduate program.

The college suggested combining the two degree programs within the college and separating from the College of Social Science, among other items to reduce administrative costs and strengthen academic programming.

Despite a positive report from the College of Urban Development Study Committee and terminations of programs and faculty within the college, the Select Advisory Committee recommended to terminate the college’s status and remove funding for Urban Development programs.

To try and form a compromise for the future of the College of Urban Development, a Coordinated Proposal Recommendation was presented to the Board of Trustees March 22, 1981.

The proposal would allow the creation of the Urban Affair Programs, which would be administered by a dean, have different graduate levels, and receive around $710,000 annual support for minority and female graduate students.

Dr. George L. Cornell, professor emeritus, History, American Studies and American Indian Studies,

along with others, were disappointed with the change.

He, along with Green and Schweitzer, also questioned if the elimination of the college was primarily due to budget cuts or if the university had ulterior motives.

Wharton’s book stated that the college had low enrollment, causing the elimination. However, Green disagreed with this statement, stating that enrollment numbers were skewed due to the partnership with the College of Social Science. “(The university) came after the College of Urban Development and eliminated it basically,” Schweitzer said.

“It was, I felt, a racist thing to do. I mean, I really, there was an aura around the university that I could feel, and as a white person in a unit, which was primarily people of color, I sort of had an experience of kind of being in a minority in the majority area. But going around the campus, I could get the vibe of what, how people thought about us.”

Cornell wrote a letter to The State News editor-in-chief earlier this year after MSU’s statements following protests against police brutality nationwide.

“It’s like Black Lives Matter today,” Green said. “Here we have young people who are smart and intelligent, men and women, black and white, walking the streets seeking social justice. And to a great extent, you have a lot of leadership, who are hoping that it will go away.

It will not go away. The need for a College of Urban Development is more so today than it was when I was around as dean.”

Green also expressed

T U ES DAY, S E PT E MBER 1 , 2020

interest in collaboration with President Stanley on a new college if asked As MSU phased out the College of Urban Development, they started the Urban Affairs Programs in 1981. According to an 19851986 MSU Academic Program packet, the program would function similarly to the CUD but instead facilitated interdepartmental degrees in urban studies and areas such as forestry and criminal justice.

The Urban Affairs Programs ran its course offering educational field trips and other opportunities, but ultimately came to an end in 2003.

The Center for Urban Affairs, now called the Center for Community and Economic Development, still remains.

WHAT’S LEFT OF THE INITIATIVES

The Center for Urban Affairs, now called the Center for Community and Economic Development, still remains.

Now retiring, Schweitzer said he is concerned for the future of the center but feels it will continue in some way.

“I’m not sure what the university is going to do with us and what’s going to happen because we’re now part of university outreach and engagement, which is, we don’t have a head person,” Schweitzer said. “We have an acting director. We have a new provost (and) we have a fairly new president. ... The director is in his seventies and (so is) the other person that works there. So, we don’t know what’s happening to us. So, something clearly, it’s kind of coming to an end in some way. I don’t know.”

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T HE STAT E NEWS

TU ESDAY, SEPTEMBE R 1, 2020

CU LT U R E

The local music scene vs. COVID-19

By Emily Bevard ebevard@statenews.com For 15 years, Lansing-based musician Dan Laird has been playing music with his friend Mark Collins.

Originally a part of a fourpiece band and operating as a duo on the side, Laid and Collins decided to commit to performing together once the band went its own way in 2013 Now, the two operate as The Swift Brothers, an acoustic duo whose shows bring an array of banjo, ukulele, guitar and harmonica to live performances.

“We’ve kind of advanced to the point where we play a lot of festivals now — which is why in the summertime, especially right when COVID hit — was the worst time for it to happen,” Laird said. “That’s when all the festivals and things were really ramping up, and we lost all of them this year.”

With COVID-19 guidelines, shows that had been booked months prior saw postponements and cancellations — the need to get creative grew stronger than ever.

“Our whole 2020 calendar from February on, if you looked at our website, basically would

list a gig and then all the festivals and places trying to hold on as long as they could because we thought ‘Well maybe it’s just a couple more weeks and it’ll all be over’,” Laird said.

“And then it would go from gig posted to gig canceled to not even listed on the website anymore, and that was this entire schedule all the way from March until now.”

Like other musicians, Laird said they put out a virtual tip jar offering viewers a way to use money-sharing services like Venmo or PayPal to support local artists, but there’s only so many times you can do that when tips are an artist’s main source of income.

To keep their name out there and give back to their community, the two hosted a Lansing Gift Card Day Giveaway on their website, entering patrons who bought takeout or gift cards from participating venues into the giveaway.

Moving forward as things slowly begin to open up, Laird said there is a hesitation to get out there and perform again.

On Aug. 22, Sarah Wallace, an East Lansing based vocal performer, organized Quantum Harmonies, an eclectic

Courtesy photo from The Swift Brothers

music show presented by the Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art. Alongside Wallace, the show featured a variety of other professional artists including pianist Liudmila Bondar, violinist Dilek Engin-Stolarchuk, trumpet player Jordan Lopez, scratch artist Matthew McCoy and poets Ruelaine Stokes and Jeremy Hurt.

Originally scheduled for May, Wallace said she had been planning the show under the name Eta Aquariids — an homage to a meteor shower that occurs each year in May — to symbolize the idea of the per-

formers as stars. As the show got pushed back, she changed the name to Quantum Harmonies to keep the celestial theme and moved the event outside.

One performer even decided she was not yet comfortable performing during COVID-19.

“It became more about we really need to inspire people right now, we need to lift them up,” Wallace said. “People have been quarantined, people have been depressed, people are afraid. So, it kind of changed in that regard and we gathered the content to really focus on ‘let’s make this a joyful event’.”

72 people watched the show from its outdoor venue with masks and distancing enforced.

One of the biggest learning curves, Wallace said, was figuring out how to use Zoom to practice music.

“There’s latency, there’s a delay, there’s so many things that happen. It would distort the sound for music. And we were trying to collaborate, our group was trying to collaborate online, so that we could play together even though we weren’t together and that was really, that was hard,” Wallace said. “… I think it’s a real testimony for all of the musicians to stick together through not being able to work actually in-person together. And we only had two group rehearsals and to pull this whole event off, we were rehearsing on our own so we had to rehearse on our own very well.”

Anonymous Phone Call, a band born out of Grand Rapids with a prominence in East Lansing, decided to use the time of quarantine to prepare for producing their album.

Lead singer Chaseton Cain, guitarist Jack Emaus, drummer Ben DeWitt and bassist Matt Burdick met in high school

and started playing music together. Eventually, they decided to put a name to the project when Cain and Burdick moved to East Lansing to attend Michigan State University.

“It’s been weird, we haven’t actually really practiced since quarantine, but we were in the process of recording an album that just came out,” Burdick said. “We thought like once quarantine hit, once everything started happening, we thought we can’t play shows, but this might finally give us time to finish the album. Then we realized that it wouldn’t even be possible for the four of us to be in a room together for a while.”

Though the traditional model of playing shows isn’t possible, Burdick said the band has been in contact with “Stream Forest” in Grand Rapids who hosts weekly or monthly live streams of bands from a multi-camera set up in his basement.

“Mostly we just really miss shows. It’s fun doing live streams, but it’s not the same. I just really miss that live human interaction that comes with playing live shows and getting that energy from the crowd,” Burdick said.

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SPORTS

The state of MSU sports during a global pandemic

By Elijah McKown emckown@statenews.com Following the Big Ten's cancellation of fall sports with the "possibility to play in the spring amid COVID-19 concerns, Michigan State's two highest revenue sports — football and men’s basketball — are scrambling to figure out what's next.

MSU FOOTBALL

Mel Tucker’s first few months as the head football coach for the Spartans are unlike any others. For the first time since 1995, Tucker will be on the sideline for football this fall. This moment in college sports history is tough for all involved, but Tucker said his players and coaching staff were prepared for this to happen. “(Players) handled it well. (They’re) a mature group,” Tucker said. “They’re following our lead as coaches and staff; we're positive. We put forth a plan to move forward, and they’re excited about it.”

With the Big Ten’s decision to cancel, Tucker is beginning to set plans for whenever the Spartans do take the field for the first time since defeating Wake Forest in the Pinstripe Bowl.

“Zoom press conferences, recruiting, signing footballs,” Tucker said about how he will fill that time. "I worked out this morning at 7 a.m., had two donor meetings scheduled today and recruit, recruit, recruit.”

Michigan State was only able to participate in a couple fall camp practices before getting shut down, making it hard to make strides in game plans and schemes moving forward. For now, Tucker said he is trying to establish his culture in the weight room as they have chosen not to continue with on-field activities.

“I believe that your team is built in the weight room,” Tucker said. “The foundation of your team is built in the weight room.

The mental and physical toughness of your team, the culture, the chemistry, the attention to detail, the sense of urgency, that all starts in the weight room.”

Despite the disappointment of no fall college football while other conferences try to press on, Tucker said zero players have approached him about potentially transferring elsewhere at this time. For now, the focus is on gaining in the weight room.

“We're laying a foundation and it's going to be a strong and solid foundation of strength and conditioning,” Tucker said. “Our players are very excited about it. They're embracing what we're doing in our weight room, they're seeing gains daily and we're just going to continue to build.”

The time that will be spent in the weight room will be similar to January, a time directly after when the previous season has ended to build a foundation for the upcoming season.

“Our strength conditioning staff is outstanding,” Tucker said.

“Coach (Jason) Novak and his guys are ready to work with our players. We've already begun our offseason conditioning program and we're treating this time like January, so we're building a broad base of strength and conditioning and that will allow us to be prepared for whatever's next.”

Another part of a team's culture is off the field, and Tucker is attempting to set that culture as well.

“Hustling on and off the field, shirts tucked in, shoes tied up, being punctual, ‘Coach me, coach,’ ‘Yes, sir’ and ‘No, sir,’ giving great effort, technique and fundamentals, all those things are part of how we operate day to day,” Tucker said. “When we're at the cafeteria, ‘Yes please and thank you’, that's all part of culture like how we study tape, how we how we take notes in meetings, how we walk through, attention to detail, organization, sense of urgency. Those are all things that can be worked on on a day-today basis.”

The question that remains is what will that foundation be set for, and what will that look like. Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said that the spring is not ensured. Just as he emphasized last week prior to the cancellation, Tucker said the team be willing and ready to do whatever comes their way.

“Our guys are here to compete and play,” Tucker said. “We love to coach, we love to play and so whatever is next for us, whatever is presented to us, we'll be ready for that. There are a lot of capable smart people at the conference level that are working on the plans for the spring and so whenever that is unveiled to us, we'll prepare for that and we'll be ready.”

In a press conference, Michigan State Athletic Director Bill Beekman said he is hoping for a full 2021 season to go along with the potentially shortened season in the spring for health and safety reasons.

“From my perspective, the highest priority as we think about planning is making sure that we can have a robust 2021 season, 24

T H E STAT E NEWS

“The foundation of your team is built in the weight room. The mental and physical toughness of your team, the culture, the chemistry, the attention to detail, the sense of urgency, that all starts in the weight room.”

Mel Tucker Michigan State head football coach

Scenes from the 2020 football training camp. Courtesy of MSU Athletic Communications

and my hope would be that we are able to play full 12 games in the 2021 season that looks and feels like the season last year,” Beekman said. “... That may push us to have a spring season that is a little shorter in nature than we may have otherwise hoped, or that maybe runs a little bit earlier.”

The spring season remains in doubt for now. Tucker hopes his athletes can remain in East Lansing to work with the staff while they await a return to normalcy.

“We would love for them to be here with us working,” Tucker said. “We have tremendous resources for our players here from nutrition, mental health practitioners, obviously strength and conditioning, coaching and teaching and just overall connection with our players. ... We have great protocols in place, a great medical staff and just people that care about our student-athletes.”

It may be awhile until the Spartans can take the field again in pads. For now they will look to establish a culture for seasons to come.

MSU MEN’S BASKETBALL

Despite the ongoing uncertainty in college sports as the Big Ten and Pac-12 have delayed fall sports to the spring, Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo is confident that there will be a college basketball season. Izzo expressed his confidence on WXYT-FM/97.1 The Ticket for The Morning Show with Stoney.

Izzo expressed his confidence that by the time basketball season rolls around, there will be a vaccine and more FDA approved testing methods.

TU ESDAY, SEPTEMBE R 1, 2020

One major discussion point in college sports currently on whether it is safer for college athletes to be on campus working or back at home. Izzo is not only a coach, but the father to Steven Izzo, who is also on the team. Izzo believes the environment they created is as safe as anywhere.

"If I had a son, which I do, and he’s actually playing a little bit for me, I can’t think of any safer place than where he spent the last six, seven weeks,” Izzo said on The Morning Show with Stoney. “We tested every week, we quarantined, we educated and supported."

TESTING AT MSU

Despite those protocols, MSU football still was forced to quarantine for two weeks after two staff members who were working closely with the athletes tested positive for COVID-19.

A total of 16 student-athletes from all Michigan State athletic programs would later test positive after the quarantine began.

In total, Michigan State has conducted 801 tests, according to the last released test results. Since June 15 when workouts and testing began, 30 student athletes and five staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, making up a 4.37% positivity rate.

Tom Izzo has been busy setting up for the future as his hot recruiting streak continues, bringing in three five-star recruits and four-star point guard Jaden Akins.

Michigan State basketball is hoping to begin their season in November as scheduled in the ESPN Champions Classic versus Duke.

T U ES DAY, S E PT E MBER 1 , 2020

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CITY

RELIGIOUS DIRECTORY

Students share their stories of adopting pets during quarantine

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

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Gumbo poses for a photo taken by owner Jillian Matasovsky. Matasovsky and her fiance adopted Gumbo in March from CAHS. Courtesy photo

By Kaishi Chhabra kchhabra@statenews.com A May 2020 graduate, MSU alumna Jillian Matasovsky and her fiance had been wanting to get a cat for almost a year now. But the timing never worked out because the couple was gone too often. It was right after they got back from the spring break and when the quarantining period due to COVID-19 began that they decided to finally get a cat.

“This is something we really wanted,” Matasovsky said.

“And now we don’t really have to worry about being gone, we’re going to be able to be here and help the cat adjust.

So, we (got a cat) and we are so glad. We love him very much.”

Named after the iconic soup from New Orleans, the city where Matasovsky and her fiance spent their spring break debating whether or not to get a cat when they return to Michigan, Gumbo — a oneyear-old cat — was adopted by the couple in March from Capital Area Humane Society, or CAHS, in Lansing, Michigan.

Matasovsky recalls walking around at the shelter with 26

her fiance as most of the cats played among themselves or ignored them, when Gumbo came running toward them and meowed as he stared at Matasovsky.

“So, he picked us and from that moment onward, he is the most friendly cat,” Matasovsky said. “He has no sense of stranger danger when he meets anyone. ... Whenever someone comes in, he’s instantly there. … We’re pretty convinced that he thinks he might be a dog.”

President and CEO at CAHS, Julia Wilson reported 277 pet adoptions in the month of March before the shelter was closed to public on March 24 for safety reasons due to the current global pandemic. “​I believe that the pandemic has really highlighted the importance of pets as companions,” Wilson said via email. “We have heard time and time again over the past several months, how pets have helped their owners navigate a time of isolation and uncertainty.”

The shelter has reported a 17% increase in adoptions over the last year ever since opening back in June with more than 805 pets adopted in the month of June and July 2020.

T H E STAT E N EWS

Assistant Manager at Constellation Cat Cafe, Mary Nella also reported 133 cat adoptions since May 2020 as they aim to maintain their average of an adoption a day record.

“Everyone needs a cat,” Nella said. “All these people that are out of their work and sitting at home bored, not knowing what to do — they should get a cat because cats help with anxiety and depression. ... They can be great for overall mental health and I know that a lot of people are struggling with that right now, especially with quarantine.”

“I think it absolutely helped, especially when we couldn’t see friends,” Matasovsky said.

“There were a lot of times when it’s just me alone with the cat and having him there curling up on my lap, purring — especially when he is so loud and present — it really helped me feel like I wasn’t alone.”

When the spring semester transitioned to online classes, human biology senior Calabria Kalaj had a lot of free time on her hands. She decided now would be the perfect time to get a pet she has been wanting to get for a while now.

TUES DAY, S EPTEM B ER 1 , 2020

CI T Y

“I believe that the pandemic has really highlighted the importance of pets as companions. We have heard time and time again over the past several months, how pets have helped their owners navigate a time of isolation and uncertainty.”

Julia Wilson

President and CEO at Capital Area Humane Society So, Kalaj went to her nearest Petco during the quarantine and got herself a pair of ferrets.

Oscar and Pip, both born in January 2020, have now been living with Kalaj for over four months.

“Originally, I just got Pip first, the girl, but then I felt like she needed a friend,” Kalaj said.

“So, it was a week later that I got Oscar … They are definitely more work than I thought there were going to be — cleaning the cage at the beginning especially was a lot of work — but they love to play like all day long. So, it’s great.”

Kalaj said her ferrets helped her immensely during the quarantine period as she was having a hard time with socially distancing herself.

Being mostly confined to her apartment was difficult in the beginning but having Oscar and Pip made it easier for Kalaj to be home all the time as they kept her thoroughly entertained.

“They like to steal my stuff and burrow the items,” Kalaj said. “Yesterday, I had my TV’s remote controller on the floor.

And (one of them) took it and hit it underneath the dresser in my room, and I couldn’t find it for a while.”

Already having a female 12-year-old dog, business sophomore Kaitlyn Mather wanted to get another dog to provide her older dog with a companion for its old days when Mather and her family is out for school and work. When the quarantine hit, Mather went back to her family in Walled Lake, Michigan and decided to get a puppy.

Within a week, Mather found a Pomeranian and Westie mixbreed, newly-born male puppy from an accidental litter and decided to take him home in the hopes he would get along with their preowned Cairn Terrier. And therefore, the 8-week-old Covey — named after author Stephen Covey — found a home with Mather and her family.

“My mom took us away to our cabin up north, so I was not able to see anyone even if they were quarantining for three months,” Mather said. “So, he definitely helped me during

Covey poses for a photo taken by owner Kaitlyn Mather. Covey, named after Stephen Covey, came from an accidental litter in March. Courtesy photo

that time. And that’s why I was so obsessed with him ... and (I was) bringing him with me everywhere. For the first couple weeks, I completely neglected any rules or any training that I was supposed to do, and I let him sleep in my bed. … I don’t recommend it.”

Mather said she adores Covey and has grown extremely attached to her puppy during the quarantine, which is why she would be taking him with her when she returns to East Lansing for the upcoming fall semester.

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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

WATER QUALITY REPORT Michigan State University’s 2020 Water Quality Report is now available online for review. The report is a general overview of the water quality provided in 2020.

See report at ipf.msu.edu/waterquality

Oscar and Pip play together in a photo taken by Calabria Kalaj.

Kalaj adopted the duo in April from Petco. Courtesy photo

Classified Class Your campus marketplace! statenews.com/classifieds TO PLACE AN AD …

DEADLINES

BY TELEPHONE (517) 295-1680 IN PERSON 435 E. Grand River Ave.

BY E-MAIL advertising@statenews.com ONLINE www.statenews.com/classifieds OFFICE HOURS 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

LINER ADS 2 p.m., 1 business day prior to publication (includes cancellations) CLASSIFIED DISPLAY 3 p.m., 3 class days prior to publication

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Houses/Rent

Rooms For Rent

Apts. For Rent

AUG 2020-2021 HOUSES. Lic. 3,4,5,6,7,8. Excellent Locations.

Top Conditions.

Extensive Updates. Call or Text: 517-4903082.

Bogue Street, Individual private rooms, shared common areas with provided weekly cleaning. All utilities paid including high speed internet, parking. Contact CRMC (517) 337-7577 www.crmc1.com

Horses and dogs are allowed. 10 miles from campus. $500/month for one bedroom and includes utilities. 517-203-8418 or chkellerman@mac.com

1 BR. home, best for single. Feels like up north. Close to shopping and bus routes. Pets ok with fee. $850. Available August 1, 2020. email: faes@comcast.net Great rent rates & locations starting at $450.00. 2 to 10 bdrm houses. FREE HI-SPEED INTERNET. Rent from CRMC this year and have your choice of prime locations next year. 517-337-7577 or crmc1.com.

2 females to share a nice room near MSU, near bus line. No lease. $225 each, includes utilities. Text 517-377-6232 Nice room near Frandor, close to bus line, nice and friendly neighborhood. 4 bedrooms available. $375/month plus utilities. Text 517-377-6232

T U ES DAY, S E PT E MBE R 1 , 2020

Walk to campus, but bring your car! Half the price of the newly built hi-rises, FREE hi-speed internet and parking! Great rates & locations. Rent from CRMC this year and have your choice of prime locations next year. 517-337-7577 or crmc1.com

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TU ESDAY, SEPTEMBE R 1, 2020