Monday 10/05/15

SACRIFICING FOR THE SPARTANS: THE SELFLESS LIFE OF A FOURTH-STRING QUARTERBACK See Tommy Vento’s story on page 8

State News

Senior quarterback Connor Cook rushes for 22 yards and gains a first down in the third quarter during the Homecoming game against Purdue on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Boilermakers, 24-21. PHOTO:

The

JULIA NAGY

A NARROW VICTORY Injuries and poor weather affected the Spartans’ performance Saturday, but the win made Connor Cook the most winningest quarterback in school history. ­—See page 5

NEWS

ONLINE

Textbook costs still concern students While prices continue to rise, the relevancy of some books has not — PAGE 2 M ON DAY, OC TO B E R 5, 2 015

@THESNEWS

INSIDE

Check out photos and video from the weekend’s Homecoming festivities MSU rang in 100 years of Homecoming last weekend, as various student groups and alumni celebrated — STATENEWS.COM

STAT ENEWS .COM

Get insider info on living in East Lansing See this year’s edition of the Housing Guide, featuring advice on finding living arrangements for the 2016-17 year — PAGE 11

News

Josh Thall Ray WIlbur Student issues editor Public concerns editor news@statenews.com @thesnews

MSU students raise concerns about the neccesity for texbooks and their rising prices and relevancy

BY ALEX KURRIE AKURRIE@STATENEWS.COM

Join a growing profession. Become a chiropractor.

Speak with a Palmer College representative on campus October 7

www.palmer.edu/msu | The Trusted Leader in Chiropractic Education®

Once upon a time, an MSU student with a fade top haircut could moonwalk into a bookstore and purchase an economics textbook for $30.

As far-fetched as that story might seem, it was a reality. It may seem fantastical because textbook prices in the past 30 years have exponentially increased.

In fact, NBC’s review of the bureau statistics indicates that the price of textbooks has risen an alarming 1,041 percent since 1977.

Not only have MSU students noticed, but their bank accounts and wallets are weeping when the cash register chimes.

Accounting junior Taylor Law estimates her text books will cost anywhere between $650 and $700 this semester.

While upset with the price of the textbooks, she feels cornered and given no other option than to purchase the expensive books because many of them have online access codes that are required for the course.

“It’s a business and people are hungry,” she said, reiterating the fact that, like other students, she feels cornered into buying brand new textbooks.

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Source: LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute, Not-for-Profit Market Survey, first-quarter 2015 results. Average assets per participant based on full-service business. Please note average retirement account balances are not a measure of performance of TIAA-CREF retirement offerings. 2 The Lipper Award is given to the group with the lowest average decile ranking of three years’ Consistent Return ffor eligible funds over the three-year period ended 11/30/12, 11/30/13, and 11/30/14 respectively. TIAA-CREF was ranked among 36 fund companies in 2012 and 48 fund companies in 2013 and 2014 with at least five equity, five bond, or three mixed-asset portfolios. Past performance does not guarantee future results. For current performance and rankings, please visit the Research and Performance section on tiaa-cref.org. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc., and Nuveen Securities, LLC, members FINRA and SIPC, distribute securities products. ©2015 Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America–College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF), 730 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. C24849D 1

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Other students feel the price tag on the textbook does not equate to the worth they get out of it.

Packaging sophomore Will Stewart feels the high demand for these books could be a factor in their steep price. He also, however, wishes some of the mandatory texts were “more relevant.”

Stewart said he found little use of the some of the books he was forced to buy, saying he “never used them once.” If students are to spend this much money, Stewart said he wishes they “pertained more to the course.”

Finance junior Nicole Kovach laments sometimes she only needed the book “for a few points, and the rest of it is useless.”

Some older and more seasoned students have learned their lesson and sought ulterior ways to buy books.

Nursing senior Lindsay Hall-Burdick has used the Facebook group MSU Free and For Sale ever since she gasped at the total price of textbooks her freshman year. It is a Facebook group where students can sell their old textbooks and prospective buyers have access to significantly cheaper textbooks.

A study by US News and World Report estimates that students could pay as much as $1,200 for textbooks — a sum of money students are finding hard 75004 to grapple with.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2 01 5

Contents INSIDE

Takeaways from this weekend’s narrow victory over Purdue

Get to know the MSU women’s rugby team

Local band Desmond Jones forms friendships through funk

PAGE 5

PAGE 6

PAGE 7

The LeFrak Forum

and Symposium on Science, Reason, & Modern Democracy in the Department of Political Science present the keynote titled

The Forgotten American Egalitarian Tradition

Professor Sean Wilentz Princeton University

Thursday, October 8, 7:30 p.m.

Kellogg Center Auditorium Sean Wilentz is the George Davis 1886 Professor of American History. His research is on U.S. Social and Political History

Psychology freshman Brenna Myers makes a catch during a rugby practice on Sept. 28, at the Service Road fields. “It’s a great way to get active,” Myers said. PHOTO: ALICE KOLE

4

BY TH E N U M B E RS

“I mean, I had always loved football so much and just watching it and playing with my brother... once I was playing it for real I felt like it was the only thing I wanted to do.”

Tommy Vento, Fourth-string quarterback for MSU See page 8

Commits to the 2016 MSU basketball team, with the addition of Miles Bridges.

See statenews.com

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Olivia Dimmer MANAGING EDITOR AJ Moser PUBLIC CONCERNS EDITOR Ray Wilbur STUDENT ISSUES EDITOR Josh Thall SPORTS EDITOR Ryan Squanda FEATURES EDITOR Meagan Beck DESIGN EDITOR Emily Jenks PHOTO EDITOR Julia Nagy COPY CHIEF Casey Holland Copyright © 2015 State News Inc., East Lansing, Mich.

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News

No rain on this parade

English junior Katie Cox laughs as she is engulfed by balloons during a windy moment before the Homecoming Parade on Friday on Abbott Road in East Lansing.

Cox was walking with UAB during the parade.

PHOTO: JULIA NAGY

ONLINE Check out our online photo gallery from Friday’s Homecoming parade at statenews.com

Students grapple with increase in classwork early in the semester

BY ASHANTI SEABRON ASEABRON@STATENEWS.COM

During the beginning of the school year, some students might simply want to tailgate and enjoy the last bit of decent weather before it takes a turn for the worse.

Some students, however, have noticed an increase in the intensity of the work early in the semester.

Applied engineering senior Sarah Niezabytowski has experienced the sudden change this semester, and was caught off guard by it.

“They started quizzes the second week, and that caught me off guard,” Niezabytowski said. “You’re kind of just getting into the material, and then the second week of class you have a quiz and you’re not really well aware of all

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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY Institute of Health (NIH) funded research scholarship for MSU undergraduate & health professional students.

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the information and how the class is exactly set up yet.”

Un for t unately, Niezabytowski wasn’t the only student to go through this rough transition Advertising freshman Katherine Harry was also caught off guard by the excess amount of work during her first month of college — despite her expectations that college work would be on a different level than high school work.

“It’s more than I expected,” Harry said. “Just as far as the amount of reading per week that we have to do. I wasn’t expecting that. I have quizzes and exams coming up this week, and I believe that it’s definitely a bit too early for all of that. I feel like we just got over the syllabus, and then all of a sudden we just get right into the course.”

Interdisciplinar y studies junior Mackenzie Hinsberg says that her classes had syllabi, but they weren’t properly read over in class during syllabus week.

“In my classes, we had syllabuses but we didn’t even go over them” Hinsberg said. “It was basically just lecturing on the first day of class.”

Public policy senior Celestina Reyes also was taken aback by the level of work she encountered during her first few weeks back up at Michigan State.

In order to help students with heavy classloads, MSU of fers a w ide va r iet y of resources, such as the Math Learning Center, or (MCL) and neighborhood engagement centers.

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THE STATE N E WS

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Application Deadline: October 15

Union basement Rm 30 Monday - Thursday 5:45 - 8:15 p.m.

ph: 517.432.8653 • email: repid@msu.edu web: www.repid.msu.edu

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6:20 - 9:50 p.m.

Friday 11:20 a.m. - 2:50 p.m.

Sunday 5:10 - 8:40 p.m.

Junior cornerback Darian Hicks fails to catch Purdue running back Markell Jones before Purdue’s first touchdown during the third quarter of the Homecoming game against Purdue on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

The Spartans defeated the Boilermakers, 24-21. PHOTO:

MICHIGAN STATE VS. PURDUE

24-21

CATHERINE FERLAND

9 28 MSU has won

Connor Cook has won

consecutive games — the second-longest winning streak under Mark Dantonio (behind an 11 game streak in 201314) and the fourth-longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

games and is now the winningest starting quarterback in MSU history, surpassing Kirk Cousins.

PASSING YARDS

MSU is now ranked number

4

in the AP Poll. They dropped two places from last week.

“When you look at the history of this football game, it’s been very, very close. That’s the nature of it. I think Coach (Darrell) Hazell and his staff had a game plan coming in. They made plays. I thought they played hard. They played physical football. We won the football game, but this game has always been an extremely contested game.”

- Mark Dantonio

139

136

TWEET OF THE GAME @Sadler_3: This is like shaving without shaving cream. Might get away with it.

Might not. Yikes.

RUSHING YARDS

267

3

165

301

FIRST DOWNS

20

TOTAL OFFENSE

406

TURNOVERS

16

LET’S GO

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TH E STATE N E WS

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Sports

Ryan Squanda Sports editor sports@statenews.com @thesnews_sports

Women’s rugby team ‘a big family’ to players

BY NATHANIEL BOTT NBOTT@STATENEWS.COM

Rugby is a full contact sport, and at times can be physically draining and mentally exhausting.

Athletes in this sport can wind up nearly trampled at the bottom of a scrum or sent flying after a menacing hit from an opposing player. Bruises and blood are almost a sure consequence of rugby competition.

UPCOMING INFORMATION MEETINGS

That doesn’t slow down the women of MSU’s Rugby Club.

Many of the girls on the team have played rugby in the past.

Meg Piavis, a senior majoring in studio art, as well as the captain for the forwards unit of the team, is one of them.

“I have been around rugby my entire life,” Piavis said. “Back in high school we had a club team that we played, and I came to MSU looking for the rugby team.”

Taylor Stablein, a psychology senior and the backs captain, said that the team she has been a part of the last four years is always competitive in either season.

“We do play all of the Big Ten schools in the fall,” Stablein said. “It’s our more competitive season. In the springtime we play the smaller schools, but we go to big tournaments.”

But it’s not just the competitive spirit which brings these girls together. From simply viewing a practice, it is easy to tell the team is very close to each other.

GERMANY, NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM Dairy Husbandry and Environmental Stewardship Summer 2016 Mon., Oct. 5 • 6:00 pm 1320 Anthony Hall

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The women’s rugby team runs a drill during practice on Sept. 28 at the Service Road fields. This drill consisted of only using feet to get the ball from the front of the line to the back. PHOTO: ALICE KOLE

BOX LUNCHES

“This rugby team in particular, we are a big family,” Piavis said. “We fight, we defend each other, we laugh, we cry, all this crazy stuff. When I do anything outside of class, it’s with the rugby team. We are always around each other, even when it’s not practice.”

Corrine Devlin, actuarial science senior and head coach of the rugby team, is in the middle of a transition from being a player on the squad to coaching both newcomers and former teammates alike.

PARTY SUBS

English Literature in London Summer 2016 Wed., Oct. 7 • 7:00 pm C607 Wells Hall

COSTA RICA Ecological Engineering in the Tropics Winter Break 2015-16 Thurs., Oct. 8 • 6:00 pm 103 Farrall Hall

“The rugby team in particular, we are a big family. ... We fight, we defend each other, we laugh, we cry, all this crazy stuff.”

Meg Piavis, studio art senior and women’s rugby player

JAPAN Business and Culture in Japan Summer 2016 Fri., Oct. 9 • 2:30 pm 301 Eppley Center

BELGIUM Global Finance Studies in Belgium Summer 2016 Fri., Oct. 9 • 3:00 pm N21 Business Complex

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2 01 5

©2014 JIMMY JOHN’S FRANCHISE, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

“I played for about eight years,” Devlin said. “This is my first year coaching. The whole time I’m just yelling on the sideline, and none of them hear me during the game, but I always end up losing my voice over the weekend.”

Despite it being her first year in charge, Devlin said the team is coming together nicely despite an early season defeat at the hands of the Indiana Hoosiers last weekend.

“It looked really well,” Devlin said. “Even the sir (the referee) complimented us on how well we played as a team. We just kinda got to find our groove and stick with it.”

The club offers an unparalleled athletic and extracurricular experience and urges people to discover the reasons for being a part of the toughest sport you will ever love. Even newcomers are accepted into the women’s rugby family.

“I really like everybody that I met on the team a lot — we are all pretty close,” Stablein said. “And our rookies are pretty cool I guess too.”

The women’s rugby team is currently 2-2, and plays Notre Dame this Saturday at the Service Road fields.

Features

Crossword

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

Local band Desmond Jones brings the funk

Saxophonist and vocalist George Falk sings during a performance with the band Desmond Jones Friday at The Loft, 414 East Michigan Ave., in Lansing. Desmond Jones is a local band currently on tour in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. To see the full story and more photos, visit statenews.com PHOTO: ALICE KOLE

T AYL OR

JOH NSTON

Early Music Series The MSU College of Music’s inaugural Baroque- and Renaissance-era concert series featuring guest artist performances on harpsichord and period instruments.

ACROSS

1 Having been cut, as grass 5 Stage showoffs 9 “The Prince and the Pauper” author Mark 14 The “E” in Q.E.D. 15 Parisian gal pal 16 Salon dye 17 In a precarious situation 19 Fats Domino genre, briefly 20 Tales of __: misfortunes 21 Market shelves filler: Abbr.

22 Ambles 23 Pabst brand 25 Swimmer’s path 26 Like a lake during a dead calm 32 Dessert with icing 34 Mr. Rogers 35 __ Beta Kappa 36 Really mess up 37 Dude 39 Resting atop 40 State south of Wash.

41 Jury member 42 Struggle (through), as mud 43 Permanent 48 Exiled Roman poet 49 “Right away!”

52 Added financial burden for drivers 55 Bag for a picnic race

57 Massage reaction 58 Pretended to be 59 Art form in which the ends of 17-, 26- and 43-Across may be used 61 Glisten 62 Mr. Peanut’s stick 63 Pac-12 member 64 “The Great” king of Judea 65 Rec room centerpiece 66 Number one

DOWN

1 Cat conversation 2 “To be, __ to be ...”

3 One being pulled behind a boat 4 High degree, in math 5 “Don’t touch that!”

6 “London Fields” author Martin 7 “Three Blind __” 8 “Get my point?”

9 Big crowd 10 “Pop goes” critter 11 Novelist Brontë 12 “500” race, familiarly 13 Hauls off to jail 18 Texter’s “I think ...”

22 Live __: Taco Bell slogan 24 Black cat, to some 25 Soup servers

27 Fearful 28 Her face launched a thousand ships 29 Puréed fruit served with pork 30 “Scram!”

31 Perform a ballad 32 Gator’s kin 33 Ghostly emanation 38 Section describing the United States Constitution’s amendment process 39 Annapolis inst.

44 Cast a negative ballot 45 Dodged 46 New Jersey fort 47 Like a GI scraping plates 50 Viscounts’ superiors 51 Glance sideways during a test, maybe 52 Serious cut 53 Throbbing pain 54 Mix in a glass 55 Large amount 56 Marie, to Donny’s sons 59 63-Across, for one: Abbr.

60 Place for a soak

Get the solutions at statenews.com/puzzles

Edward Parmentier, harpsichord

Level:

Wednesday, October 07, 2015, 7:30 p.m.

Cook Recital Hall, Music Building Keyboard music of 17th-century composers, including Byrd, Frescobaldi, and L. Couperin performed on harpsichord in meantone tuning.

1

2

3

4

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk

The Oberlin Baroque Ensemble

The Italian Madrigal: Songs of Love and War

Fri, 1/29, 2016, 8:00 p.m.

Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium

Tues, 4/19, 2016, 7:30 p.m.

Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium

SOLUTION TO SATURDAY’S PUZZLE Get the solutions at statenews.com/ puzzles

The Early Music Series is generously sponsored by Taylor Johnston.

TICKETS & INFO: muSIC.mSu.Edu | 517-353-5340

10/5/15 MO N DAY, O CTOBER 5, 2015

THE STAT E NE WS

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

Spotlight On the team, not the field — MSU’s fourth string QB

BY RYAN KRYSKA RKRYSKA@STATENEWS.COM

Senior quarterback Connor Cook, 18, and senior quarterback Tommy Vento sing “Victory for MSU” after the game against Central Michigan on Sept. 26, at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Chippewas, 3010. PHOTO: JULIA NAGY

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THE STATE N E WS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2 01 5

It’s tough for a fourth string quarterback to eat the fruit of his labor. He plants, waters and nurtures so the depth chart No. 1 can feast. Sometimes the No. 2 guy will get a taste, other times the No. 3, but rarely the fourth string man himself.

It’s easy for him to question the “what if’s” and “why not’s”.

“What if I went to that other, smaller school?”

“Why can’t I be the starter?

What is stopping me?”

That is not Tommy Vento, though, and it never has been.

Vento, now in his fifth-year senior season, has a couple more months left of a sport he was introduced to just 10 years ago.

His path from then until now runs parallel and has

taken much of his time and patience, but it is the path he chose. From then until now, those who have taken a bite out of the fruit of his labor have all reached the same conclusion — it tastes pretty damn good.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Growing up in Farmington Hills, Mich., Vento spent the beginnings of his athletic leisure as a pitcher in baseball and a basketball player.

“Growing up, my mom was always afraid we were going to get hurt playing football,” Vento said. “So she always wanted us to play baseball, basketball, she said ‘whatever makes you happy, but not football.’”

Vento would have to wait until the seventh grade to get his chance at football.

His dad and family friends convinced his mom to let him

play, but Vento waited even then, as a broken ankle kept him sidelined until the eighth grade.

His first action on the gridiron would come as a player for the North Farmington West Bloomfield Vikings, a youth tackle football league in his hometown.

“I mean, I had always loved football so much and just watching it and playing with my brother, and then once I was playing it for real I felt like it was the only thing I wanted to do,” Vento said.

The next stop on his path was Farmington Hills Harrison High School. His current MSU teammate and senior wide receiver Aaron Burbridge would meet Vento at Harrison one year later, and it was there Vento met his Spartan destiny.

The Harrison program is led by National Coaches Association Hall of Fame

AJ Moser Managing editor amoser@statenews.com @thesnews

member John Herrington, a coach who has won 13 state championships — more than any other coach in Michigan high school football history.

Herrington has been developing young men into division one players since the school opened in 1970. Most notable on his list of all-star players is former Spartan quarterback and current NFL player Drew Stanton. “(Herrington) kind of taught me how to learn the game because I’ve always had a love for football, but up until you get into high school it is pretty much just what do you know how to do on your own,” Vento said.

Herrington admitted Vento is not in the same football category as Stanton, so when he said “I still have his picture on my fridge,” he was speaking out of respect for Vento’s character and hard work — accolades which do not have to show up on the field to be adorned.

“This kid walks through the counseling office and he said, ‘hey ladies, how’s it going? Do

you need anything?’ and I said yeah, I need you to got to class,” Harrison High School Guidance Counselor Amy Proctor said as she joked about her first time meeting Vento.

This spruced freshman Proctor met would go on to accumulate a 3.9 GPA over his four years and more notably would lead the school to an undefeated 2010 state championship.

“It was a ride,” Vento said. “It was just a blessing. We kind of started off and I don’t want to say we had some hiccups because we always played well, but at the beginning it was kind of like talent took over for more than how we played.”

FINDING MSU Vento got his shot at leading from the forefront as a senior in high school and capitalized in a historic fashion.

The championship team was stacked. Vento’s supporting cast was headlined by Burbridge, former-U-M tight end and current NFL player Devin Funchess and

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current-senior linebacker at U-M Mario Ojemudia.

Vento racked up 2,803 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and completed 156 of 276 attempts, but it was his supporting cast who garnered colleges’ attention.

“I guess I had my heart set on coming here and when the coaches were recruiting Burb and Devin and Mario I kind of felt myself being in the background trying to step into the spotlight,” Vento said. “But you know, I just kept calling them,

kept staying on them.”

In the spring of 2011, Vento said the MSU football program told him there was a spot for him after the departure of quarterback Joe Boyster.

“That was just the best day,” Vento said.

Vento would join the team as a preferred walk-on and remains a player without scholarship to this day. Vento turned down an interested Northern Michigan University program and decided against Ivy League schools

Ʃ

%

Master of Science in Industrial Mathematics at MSU

due to the cost of attendance.

As a freshman and sophomore at MSU, his walk-on status never wavered his aspirations, but there was an adjustment period.

“I would say that my first and second year here it was definitely tough,” Vento said. “You know,

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DIRECT CARE worker. Assist children/adults with autism.

All shifts avail. High school diploma/GED, reliable trans. & valid driver’s lic. required.

Call 517-374-7670.

HIRING SERVERS and cooks at Reno’s Eastside Sports Bar and Grill. Apply in person at 1310 Abbot Rd.

1-12 PERSON Houses plus apts. Across from MSU. Visit us soon at housesforrent.com to tour our top quality houses through photos and videos and see their great locations.

332-8600. No pets. Signing leases now. We rent first come first serve basis.

100+ HOUSES & apts. May & Aug, Lic. 1-9. 517-3510765 or hrirentals.com. Now Leasing.

2016 HOUSES. LIC 3,4,5,6,8,9. msustudentrentals.com, email msurentals@ gmail.com, call 517-2020920.

FEMALE DRIVER to assist blind woman with errands.

Must have valid drivers license, reliable car. (517) 381-8454 GREAT PAY. Flex schedule around classes, Great resume builder. Fun work environment. 517.333.1700 workforstudentsnow.com GREEN DOOR now hiring wait staff and cooks.

Experience preferred. Apply in person at 2005 E Michigan Ave.

LANDSCAPE POSITIONSmowing, leaf clean up & snow removal. Will work around class schedules if you can work full days. $10.50/ hr for Landscaping & $15/hr for Snow Removal. Call 517339-8840 PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT. Phone and internet skills.

Resume building and team work environment. 10-15 hrs/wk. Contact Tara at 517374-0900

NOW HIRING for Delivery drivers/bikers (PT), Sandwich makers (PT), Managers (FT). All MSU campus locations. Stop in and apply or email resume to rgillespie@jimmyjohns.com

Apts. For Rent AUG ‘16 Studio, 1 and 2 bedroom Apartments. Heat/ water/parking inc. Downtown EL. Top cond. Check out our visual tours at hudginsrealty.com. 517-575-0008. No pets.

Duplexes/Rent 933 ANN St. Available immediately, 3 bdrm, Lic. 3, 1 yr lease. $1600/mo. 517-2904330

Go Green! Go White!

1031 DAISY Ln. Avail 08/16.

Efficiency and 2 bedroom.

W/d. Beautiful home. 9271338.

1230 LILAC. Avail 8/16. 5 bedroom/2 bath, w/d. New updates. Near Breslin. 9271338.

2016 HOUSES Lic. 3,4,5,6,7,8. Excellent locations.

Top conditions.

Extensive updates. 517-4903082

2016 LIC for 4-6 bdrm houses. Close to MSU. Craigslist. boydrentals. com. (517) 896-2247.

269 HAGADORN lic 4; Lrg 4bdrm/1600, W/D, parking.

312-550-6745 eclausen@ hotmail.com

‘16 AUG houses available.

Lic 2-6 people. www.gutowmgt.com or call 517-7494767.

5 BDRM, 2 Bath. W/d d/w.

210 River St plus other 4-6 bdrm houses. Call 2826681 or 332-5144.

‘16 AUG-Great homes.

Variety of prices. Lic. 4, 5, 6.

517-336-7006 homes4spartans.com

ACROSS FROM MSU. 5 BDRMS/lic, clean! Family owned. W/d, d/w. Avail Aug ‘16. 517-676-4641.

AVAIL AUG Lic. 4-7. Walk to campus. msu-shrentals. com, call Julia at 517-2149354 BEAUTIFUL, CLASSY, clean and affordable. Updated homes, 4 bdrm, 2 bath, w/d, d/w, rec room, by campus. Lic 4. Fall 2016. 517.204.1604 mf2kessler@gmail.com HOUSES AVAIL Aug 2016Aug 2017. 2,3,4 bdrm houses. Call 517-290-7400 for more info.

HOUSES AVAIL. Near Campus. Lic. 4 bdrms. $1500-1600 per month.

Affordable. Call for List. 4823624 LIC FOR 4 and 5. Close to campus. Excellent rates.

Call 517-410-1198 or 517203-5157

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SPACIOUS 4 BEDRM. Close to campus. D/w + w/d. Call 517-599-5731 for apppointment.

Misc. For Sale YARD SALE for churchVBM. Sat 10/3. 7am-12pm.

Houseware, furn., toys, clothes, misc. 201 Columbia Mall Blvd, Ste. 129.

Textbooks COLLEGEVILLE TEXTBOOK Co. is your source for used books! 321 E Grand River.

517-922-0013.

Automotive 2007 SATURN Aura XR. V6 engine. Dark blue, fully equipped, leather adjustable seats, sunroof. 92,000 miles.

Well maintained $5,700 obo.

Close to campus. Call or text Don at 517-803-7109.

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Health care at the speed of life

Sparrow FastCare Frandor is your newest campus neighbor—offering convenient, affordable health care provided by Sparrow Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. But you don’t have to be a Sparrow Patient to come in—just someone who wants exceptional care without the wait.

It’s the ideal solution for Students seeking walk-in services for: Most insurances accepted. Co-pays apply. » Treatment of minor injuries and illnesses » Basic lab tests » High deductible plan or no insurance? » Camp/sports physicals Only Sparrow offers this level of care » Vaccines at an affordable price.

Patients must be 18 months or older. Some age restrictions apply for select services.

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10

THE STATE N E WS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2 01 5

THE KEY TO ALL YOUR HOUSING NEEDS MONDAY, OC TOB E R 5, 2 01 5

TH E STATE N E WS

11

Housing Guide Greek members benefit from living in chapter houses

BY JOHN LAVACCARE JLAVACCARE@ STATENEWS.COM

The Psi Upsilon fraternity house on Grand River Avenue houses about 25 brothers — which means there is always someone to study or hang out with.

Having friends around is just one of the benefits to living in the house of a greek organization.

“I live with 25 of my best friends, and there’s always someone there to do something with,” Jake Rayis, finance junior and member of Psi Upsilon fraternity, said.

Geneva Swanson, a journalism sophomore who lives in the Sigma Kappa sorority house, said another benefit is having people around to form study groups with.

“A lot of my friends in the

you want to be having fun all the time, and doing schoolwork isn’t exactly top on the priority list.”

The perks of living with such a large group of friends is not unlike those of stu“(Living in my dents living in non-Greek sorority house) houses with multiple friends — however, they are maghas enhanced since they typically both my sorority nified have 20 or more members experience living in the house.

One way Greek housing and my school differs from most off-camexperience,” pus housing is that many fraternity and sorority Geneva Swanson houses provide meal plans Journalism sophomore for their members to purchase. Those who live in the However, the social pres- house pay room and board sures of living in a chapter and houses offer two to house can also detract from three meals a day to their members included in that a student’s studying time.

“Sometimes it is hard to charge.

The room and board varstay focused,” Rayis said.

“When you’re with 25 of ies based on each house.

Some members of frateryour friends all the time,

From left to right, business freshman Jake Reitnour laughs with physiology freshman Joe Obi and finance freshman Bardh Elmazaj on Sept. 24, 2015 in the living room of their Psi Upsilon fraternity house.

sorority are in the same classes as me, so we get to study whenever we need to, right in our own home,” Swanson said.

PHOTO: KENNEDY THATCH

nities and sororities choose not to live in their chapter house, but Rayis said they might not be getting the full greek experience.

“I think they’re missing out,”

Rayis said. “There’s an aspect to literally being with those guys 24/7 that you can’t pass up.”

For Swanson, she said living in was one of the best choices she

made. “(Living in my sorority house) has enhanced both my sorority experience and my school experience,” Swanson said.

MSU’s Off- Campus Housing Fair Is Moving In Thursday, Oct. 8th | 11 am - 4 pm | MSU Union, 2nd Floor Ballroom Explore the off-campus housing fair for the perfect living space Learn about your legal rights as a tenant Enter drawings to win prizes For more information visit studentlife.msu.edu/off-campus-housing with support from 12

THE STATE N E WS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2 01 5

Housing Guide

FALL 2016 NS I G E B G N I S LEA

QUIZ

What kind of housing suits you?

Residence halls, houses and apartments all play home to different kinds of people. Find out which kind of living fits your mindset — MATTHEW ARGILLANDER

1. Do you mind sleeping in a room with someone else?

1) Yes 3) No

will you still make your way to campus?

1) Yes 3) No

2. Do you know how to cook?

1) Yes 3) No

7. Do you listen to loud music?

1) Yes 3) No

3. Do you mind living in an area that might get noisy at night?

1) No 3) Yes

8. Do you have a car?

1) Yes 3) No

4. Do you mind waking up earlier to get to campus?

1) No 3) Yes 5. Do you trust yourself to manage your funds and save enough for bills, rent, groceries and more?

1) Yes 3) No 6. When it gets cold out,

3) No

9. Do you have furniture, pots and pans, dishes, silverware, toaster, etc?

1) Yes 3) No 10. Do you have problems following the rules that go with living on campus?

1) Yes 3) No 11. Do you like to go out to the bars?

1) Yes

12. Do you like to have multiple guests visit you?

1) Yes 3) No 13. Do you have season tickets for the major sports?

1) Yes 3) No 14. Do you have a lot of stuff that would take up too much space in a dorm?

1) Yes 3) No

R E B O T OC

TH

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THE STAT E NE WS

13

#LiveHere Cedar Village The Oaks Capitol Villa 731 Burcham Berrytree Waterbury Place Trowbridge Lofts Houses & Duplexes

dtnmgt.com

Housing Guide

The tale of an expensive college town: rental prices in East Lansing Housing in East Lansing is getting more expensive, according to data provided by David Lee, the City Assessor for the City of East Lansing — something MSU students experience first-hand.

The trend can be seen looking at the data from 2010-14, the one exception is the drop off from a median rent per room rate of $400 to $398 in rental area B. That slight dip is in contrast to an increase of the median rental rate per room of $303 to $337 in rental area A and $525 to $580 in rental area D. “My general sense is that over the past 20 years that I have been here are that prices and rates have increased just like everything else,” said Annette Irwin, Housing and University Relations Administrator for the City

of East Lansing.

The higher priced housing options are usually the ones with a better location, Irwin said.

“You are going to pay more if you are living right downtown and even more again if you are living right downtown in a newer product,” Irwin said.

Irwin also gave some advice for first-time renters and student renters as a whole.

“It’s really, really important that students not rush and panic and think they have to sign something,” Irwin said.

“There’s plenty and plenty and plenty of places for students to live around campus and so the most important thing is not to panic. If you are uncomfortable about something don’t ignore that feeling,” she said.

Many of the problems students run into with landlords or housing companies stem from the fact that students sign leases too early and

14

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2 01 5

BY JAKE ALLEN JALLEN@STATENEWS.COM

THE STATE N E WS

$580 The median rental price per room in rental area D, which is $55 more than it was in 2011

without reading them.

Irwin said there are plenty of options for student-living and there is no reason a lease needs to be signed in as early as October as many students feel they need to.

It is important students go the property before signing to make sure it is up to par and is the same as it is advertised as well, she said.

Students may notice they are paying more money renting in East Lansing compared to

most college towns around the state — this is “market driven,” Irwin said.

Mount Pleasant, home to Central Michigan University, and Allendale, home to Grand Valley State University, were cited as examples of generally providing less expensive housing while being a college town.

“It’s (East Lansing) been more expensive (than most college towns) since I was a student, which was a long time ago now. It’s the market, in general I think those are markets that don’t have rates as high,” Irwin said.

“Same as real estate, I think that purchasing a house probably is a little bit less expensive in most college towns in Michigan. Now if you were to compare it to Ann Arbor I think you’ll find there rental rates higher and a lot of times there home purchase prices are higher.”

No matter what the cause, MSU students must continue to deal with high rent costs.

ABBOT

MEDIAN RENTAL PRICES FROM 2011-2014 IN EAST LANSING

$600

Housing Guide

LAKE LANSING

LANSI

NG

$500

LAKE

MEDIAN RENT PER ROOM 2011 BURCHAM AN

DR

IVE

AN

HIG

MICHIGAN AVE MIC

AVE

GR

HARRISON

AN

SOURCE: CITY ASSESSOR FOR THE CITY OF EAST LANSING

TROWBRIDGE

2014

R

$200

GR

DR

IVE

R

$100

THESE ARE THE MOST RECENT STATISTICS THAT EAST LANSING CURRENTLY USES.

$400

AW

IN SAG

A: $0 - $350 B: $351 - $450 C: $451 - $550 D: $551 - $650

HAGADORN

Area Area Area Area

$300

rentals with less than five units only

O

RENTAL INCOME

COOLIDGE

LAKE LANSING

Area A

Area B

Area C

Area D

ILLUSTRATION: MARGEAUX PHILLIPS

MONDAY, OC TOB E R 5, 2 01 5

TH E STATE N E WS

15

Housing Guide

Students prepare for early housing decision

BY RILEY MURDOCK RMURDOCK@STATENEWS.COM

Every October, students early in their college careers are faced with yet another crucial decision — to stay in the residence halls, try a change of scenery in a new neighborhood or take the plunge and move off of campus altogether.

For some, this decision may seem sudden and frightening. Some freshmen have a hard time making an informed decision while still adjusting to their classes and life in the dorms.

“I’m anxious about the early housing decision,” special education freshman Emily LaVigne said. “As a freshman I just started meeting people and can’t tell who I would like to live with. I wish I had more time to research and get to know if I really do enjoy campus living or if I’m just in the honeymoon phase right now.”

LaVigne said she is concerned about the decision being so early in the year because she doesn’t know how to find a place off campus, or what questions to ask.

“I would probably research the neighborhoods of apartments and look at price from

there,” LaVigne said. A lot of help would come from my dad.”

A popular decision is two years on, two years off: as the name suggests, this involves spending your first two years of college in a dorm and the second two off of campus in some regard.

Mechanical engineering junior Laura Nye is currently following the two years on, two years off model.

“I’d say I like (living on campus and living off campus) equally, there’s pluses and minuses to both,” Nye said. “Here (off campus) I have more privacy since I have my own room, but then again I have to make all my own food. Then you’re also further away from campus, but you’re also closer to social life and stuff.”

Some, however might feel ready to move off campus right off the bat, as Nye originally intended.

“My parents made me (stay on campus),” Nye said. “(Did I want to move off?) Yes and no.”

Nye said she had gotten close to a friend through her work, who asked her to live on the same floor.

“I still went in blind with a random room-

Electrical engineering freshman Sydney Clark, left, chats with special education sophomore Emily LaVigne on Sept. 22 in their dorm in North Case Hall. Clark and LaVigne said they try to keep their door open so that people passing by can stop in to say hello. PHOTO: CATHERINE FERLAND

mate, but she’s the reason I stayed on campus, because she made me sign up that year ahead of time for Butterfield in Brody Neighborhood,” Nye said.

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THE STATE N E WS

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“I love the atmosphere of campus,” LaVigne said. “I live really close to the stadium so Saturdays are always energized. I don’t have anything I specifically dislike about it yet.”

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Some freshmen, however find they particularly enjoy life on campus and in the dorms, electing to stay on campus for their sophomore years ­— an option LaVigne is considering.

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Housing Guide

Students use creativity to decorate on a budget

BY SHANNON KELLY SKELLY@STATENEWS.COM

Having to decorate your room in college can be a tough task, but there are many solutions to design bedrooms on a budget.

After living in the dorms, it can be refreshing to have the opportunity to live in a house or apartment and to have the freedom to decorate a bedroom in a way that you want to.

Decorating a bedroom doesn’t always have to be expensive. There are many different ways to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to bedroom furniture and décor.

“Most of my furniture came from garage sales, I didn’t really buy much stuff,” kinesiology sophomore Alix Blair said. “I either had it or got it from garage sales.”

Blair said that she has never had her own room and wanted to pick and find things that she liked and wanted for her own room.

“I wanted to choose something neutral so that I could change the accent colors whenever I wanted to,” Blair said. “So I chose something black and white.”

While looking for furniture it can also be beneficial to use some resources around campus. There is a Facebook group which allows students to buy and sell anything from box springs and dressers

to utensils and textbooks.

Elementary education senior Jessica Samaha said these groups are an easy way to find necessities without having to spend a fortune.

“The Free and For Sale group is really great,” Samaha said. “I got my desk and dresser from people on campus.”

Although collecting furniture from other people on campus is a way to save money, there are other ways students can get furniture while staying true to their budgets.

Samaha said she bought some of her furniture from the Salvation Army for cheap prices before she refurbished it by spray-painting it into the color and style she wanted.

Blair also painted a dresser white and gold to match the gold artwork, hanging lights and other detailing she had displayed in her room.

Construction management senior Haylie Wensel said it was important for her to decorate her college room because of the amount of time she spends in her room and wanted a place that felt comfortable and homey.

Wensel said that she likes the vibe her room gives off and that it is a place where she can go and relax after a long day.

“I really like the atmosphere of my room,” Samaha said. “The colors are bright and comfortable and it’s a place where I feel relaxed and productive.”

CLOSE TO

MSU ON RIVER & TRAIL

The room of kinesiology sophomore Alix Blair is shown on Sept. 20 at her apartment on Louis Street in East Lansing. Blair said she enjoys decorating and gets many of her ideas from Pinterest.

PHOTO: ALICE KOLE

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17

Housing Guide

Apartment complex fitness centers a necessary ammenity for some residents

BY NATHANIEL BOTT NBOTT@STATENEWS.COM

Searching for the right apartment doesn’t just boil down to the location or rent rate. Numerous factors can contribute to choosing a living location, and a key determinant in deciding which off-campus apartment to lease is the amenities.

In particular, the condition and availability of fitness centers and workout rooms can attract more suitors, especially for students who spend hours in a gym daily or a freshman who just added that dreaded 15 pounds the previous school year.

Because staying in shape is so important to many MSU students, here are three apartment complexes that have state of the art fitness studios and other amenities that are perfect for those who take being fit seriously.

All the amenities are included with the lease.

2

Sand volleyball courts at the College Towne East apartment complex

THE OAKS The Oaks Apartments, located just behind Brody Neighborhood on Michigan Avenue, is a complex that is both affordable and near campus.

“In the fitness center at The Oaks, they have three treadmills, two bicycles, and one elliptical,” Sarah Keisling, social work senior and employee for DTN Management, said. “They

The fitness center at The Oaks Apartments on Sept. 24, 2015. PHOTO: KENNEDY THATCH

also have free weights and a few weight machines. They also have five TVs”.” In addition, it includes a sundeck and swimming pool for those who enjoy an aquatic workout.

TROWBRIDGE LOFTS Trowbridge Lofts is the newest community for DTN Management, and it is incredibly renovated. The Trowbridge Lofts have studio apartments and two bedroom lofts available, and is very close to the west side of MSU campus, as well as a Fresh Thyme Farmer’s Market and healthy eating options for anyone keeping an eye on their calories. Despite the new status, the fitness studio is updated with treadmills, bicycles and weight machines.

COLLEGE TOWNE EAST The College Towne East Apartments might be a little far from the MSU campus (it has easy access to a CATA bus stop), but for those students looking for cheap living while still

L O C AT I O N S

The Oaks: 136 Reniger Court College Towne East: 4915 Belle Chase Blvd.

Trowbridge Lofts: 1040 Trowbridge Road

offering amenities, these apartments are perfect. College Towne East has a 24 hour fitness studio, furnished with weights, benches and treadmills. It has two sand volleyball courts, offers free tanning and a sauna, in addition to two swimming pools and a four seasons hot tub available for residents.

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THE STATE N E WS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2 01 5

WASHERS / DRYERS AIR CONDITIONING VOLLEYBALL COURTS FITNESS ROOM 426 W LAKE LANSING RD | 517-351-7700

Housing Guide

Why upperclassmen live in residence halls

BY ZÖE SCHUBOT ZSCHUBOT@STATENEWS.COM

Agribusiness management junior Ryan Block draws in his dorm on Sept. 24, in Snyder-Phillips Hall. He said that he enjoys being an upperclassman in the dorms. “I already kind of know the ropes, so it’s exciting when I see someone a little younger that I can help,” he said. PHOTO: CATHERINE FERLAND

T

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T

I wouldn’t see my friends as often,” Cowherd said. “I’m so busy so it’s nice to be able to knock on someone’s door down the hallway and hang out for a few minutes and go grab food and you don’t have to make a plan beforehand.”

Another factor that was important for Cowherd, a self-proclaimed “clean freak,” was the cleanliness that on-campus living provides.

“They clean the bathrooms for you and everything I always feel really comfortable in them,” Cowherd said. “Most of the houses and apartments I go to off campus, I could not picture myself living in.”

Despite living in the dorms for all four years of her college career, Cowherd did have an off-campus living experience this past summer that further convinced her that on-campus living was the right choice for her.

G

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Living on campus is not for everyone. Some students conclude their freshman year relieved at the idea of never living in a dorm again. But for others, the appeal of living in an area surrounded by other students with a meal plan, free laundry and a short commute to classes outweighs the appeal of retreating to off-campus living once the required dorm stay is up.

For agribusiness management junior Ryan Block, living in the dorms is all about connecting with other students and finding events to attend.

“It just gives me a better opportunity to meet people,” Block said. “Once you’re off campus, it seems the vibe I’m getting from the guys I used to stay in touch with is they’re kind of in their own little world at that

point. Over here I have the ability to branch out more and meet more people and see everything that’s going on.”

Block was initially planning to live off campus for the 201516 school year, but because of a mix up with the friends he was planning to live with he ended up living in a single in Snyder Hall. Block believes that in the end, it was a better idea for him to stay living on campus and he plans to continue to live in the dorms for his senior year.

Journalism and creative advertising senior Amanda Cowherd has a laundry list of reasons for living on campus all four years of college. They include close proximity to her myriad classes and extracurricular involvements, easy access to a variety of balanced meals by way of her meal plan and easy access to her group of friends that also live on campus.

“If I lived in an apartment

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19

Housing Guide

How far away from campus is too far to live?

TI M E IT TA K E S TO G E T TO M S U LI B R A RY MINUTES 10

20

30

40

50

FROM THE L A N D I N G S AT CHANDLER CROSSINGS 3.3 MILES

60

70

BY RYAN KRYSKA RKRYSKA@STATENEWS.COM

While living far away from campus can sometimes be beneficial for students for the opportunity it lends to saving money.

However, there are also some downsides to living this far away. And this can lead to some lengthy treks to class. Here are a few student’s tesimonies.

THE LANDINGS AT CHANDLER CROSSINGS→ Accounting sophomore Jiaxin Dai and her roommate Qishao He, a finance major and also a sophomore, live in the Landings and choose to take the bus when heading into campus.

Dai said she feels safer three miles north of campus and lived in the dorms in previous years. Dai also said she enjoys no longer having to share a community bathroom, the “cheap” price of $399 per month and the unanimous key cards tenants are given.

Qishao He said people in the Landings are very friendly and both her and Dai said they are ready and waiting 30 minutes before scheduled times. OS Alexis Howell is a senior journalism major at MSU and is in her fourth year of living in the Landings.

“I like the fact that when I don’t have to be on campus, I’m in my own space and I don’t have to deal with other people if I don’t want to,” Howell said in respect to the off-campus atmosphere.

“But then when I’m on campus and I’m hungry and I don’t have a meal plan, then it kind of sucks because I have to buy something.”

Howell said the Landings offers a gym, pool, computer lab and study room, “so it is kind of like having the same stuff you have on campus it is just like closer to you,” she said. However, Howell said there are problems to living so far away, such as CATA bussing being on a narrow schedule.

“If i have to be on campus like really early, like if I want to work in the morning, I can’t because the bus does not start running until 6:54 [a.m.] and my job opens at 7 so I can’t work mornings,” Howell said.

FROM B LOCK 36 3.6 MILES

F R O M A B B OT T P L AC E 2.7 M ILES

BLOCK 36 Ashley Hetak is a sophomore zoology major living at Block 36 and she said some of the amenities of the apartment are rather nice.

“I like all the accommodations just because like you get a lot of the stuff including like whatever the Lodges [at Chandler Crossings] get, ... like the lounge room, a fitness center, free bus pass,” Hetak said.

Hetak said she would admit, though, “the distance kind of sucks sometimes but again we get like a free bus pass, the bus rides are only like 20 minutes, so it’s kind of shorter than a lot of other buses.”

She too is ready to go 30 minutes before her scheduled times. Senior and international studies in social science major Aminah Lott OS , also lives at Block 36, She said it is “much cheaper than living on campus especially since you know, tuition gets raises,” but that “it’s really inconvenient once you’ve left campus, you have to commit to being there all day if there are any time gaps.”

Lott said the distance does make it easier to stay academically on task and said she spends extra time at the library.

ABBOTT PLACE → Senior human nutrition major Nick Trojniak is a community assistant at Abbott Place.

“We are a hair under two miles out here, so that can be seen as a disadvantage, but it’s a way to distance yourself and form your own identity, I guess,” Trojniak said. “Further north here you don’t see as many of the hardcore party-goers, so you move further away from the campus but you feel more in tune with your studies.”

Trojniak said he doesn’t have the same wiggle room in his schedule like he used to when he lived on campus.

However, he enjoys cooking his own food and being able to choose what he eats.

“The atmosphere changes when you head a little further north, though,” he said.

Column: I live above Rick’s­— but it’s not as bad as you might think

BY RAY WILBUR RWILBUR@STATENEWS.COM

“It’s time for Conrad’s!” a man shouts drunkenly amidst the cantankerous sounds of students waiting in line for P.T. O’Malley’s.

It’s 1 a.m. on a Friday morning during welcome week at MSU. Crowds of students fill the streets of downtown East Lansing vying to get into saturated bars which hold promises of groggy mornings and breakfast at Leo’s Coney Island. I lay atop my sheets with my windows cracked open, the bass from P.T.’s speakers echoing throughout my studio apartment.

It’s hot and I can’t sleep. I’d be out drinking with the rest of East Lansing if I didn’t have to work at 9 a.m.

I stare at four large windows that face the alley between P.T. O’Malley’s and my apartment building which sits above Beggar’s Banquet and Rick’s American Cafe. I can see the silhouettes of tall oak trees in the distance and can smell a rotting dumpster below, its aro20

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mas wafting through the ancient screens that guard my windows. I need a candle.

The decision to live here was an easy one — 50 yards from campus, two flights from Rick’s American Cafe and a five-minute skateboard trip to Ranney Skatepark in Lansing.

People ask me, “So where are you living this year?”

I respond, “above Rick’s,” and usually their facial expression switches in an instant to excitement, wonder and disbelief that a human being could actually sustain life while balancing the desires of the bar scene located just below.

It’s hard to explain the feeling you get when you live here — it reminds me that someone is always awake, making a living or walking back from a home where they’ve spent the dawn hours napping. Even at 4 a.m., when the birds aren’t even chirping and the trash collector is down below, beeping as he seemingly reverses directly through my door, it doesn’t bother me. It motivates me.

To hear the world through my window, although it may be a small glimpse, connects me to the liveliness that is East Lansing.

Housing Guide

Column: Reserving annex houses limits options, is unfair to students seeking leases

BY ALEX KURRIE AKURRIE@STATENEWS.COM

The pinnacle of off-campus living could be considered t he houses directly behind campus.

Students enjoy further independence while still having a relatively close proximity to campus.

Many of these houses in the best locations immediately behind Grand River Avenue are often passed down by various organizations on and off campus — usually called annexes.

They are easily identifiable because of the hordes of the inebriated, who provide the stained solo cups that blow through streets the next day like modern tumbleweed.

However, other students seeking to live in these houses are quickly and kindly ushered to locations blocks away from Grand River Avenue because they are not affiliated with any

type of student organization which reserves the same house each year.

A student and resident, who wishes to remain unnamed, and her roommates occupy one of these houses with a favorable location near campus.

They adore its location for the exact reasons stated above — walks to campus and social watering holes are steps away.

Those in her particular organization have occupied this property for years, and the line of succession is made possible through a process called “partial stay.”

The house has 12 total occupancy spots, all of them occupied by those in the organization.

When the time to sign or re-sign the lease comes, at least one girl resigns the lease to reserve the spot as a benefit of already housing with the company. Then the prospective tenants sign the lease of the house and move in.

While this may seem outwardly unfair, the system is legal and utilized by the realty companies of East Lansing.

“They are easily identifiable because of the hordes of the inebriated, providing the stained solo cups that blow through streets the next day like modern tumbleweed.”

Alex Kurrie, State News reporter

A line of tenants who pay their rent and care for the house year after year seems to be a smart option — for those leasing the houses.

This makes economic sense to both parties.

Organizations and members with deeper pockets should be able to rent and subtly reserve bigger and better locations, but this limits options for students who may not be apart of a group which reserves an annex.

Jeff Wells is the president of the Community Resource Management Company, or CRMC, and he said his company does not

play favorites.

However, rarely — two or three times within the last 10 years — he said a business decision requires an exception to that rule.

These exceptional circumstances come about when our “business model takes us in a different direction,” Wells said.

“We are not doing away with the partial stay system,” Wells said. “But sometimes one person will say that they are staying and then remove themselves from the lease later.” This is presumably to reserve the property for others.

“We are not allowing this practice,” he said.

Wells said at least one person must re-sign the lease and intend to live there the following year in order for like-minded organization members to move in.

“Our loyalty is to our customers,” Wells said.

Brace yourselves, newcomers to the East Lansing housing market — the new iHouse is here, and it requires camping on concrete sidewalks to even be considered for a location across the Arabian desert.

AMENITIES AVAILABLE AT CAMPUS VIEW

NOT ALL AMENITIES ARE AVALIABLE AT EACH PROPERTY

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TH E STATE N E WS

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Housing Guide

New apartments provide more housing options

BY ARIANA TAYLOR ATAYLOR@STATENEWS.COM

As the MSU and East Lansing communities continue to grow, so does the need for housing.

The residence halls can’t fit every student and the lack of off-campus housing locations has been a problem students have encountered.

To combat this, there are new housing projects which have recently been completed, and more are in the works to be completed within the next two years.

“Because of their proximity to campus and the transit routes, the new buildings are much more walkable and students can easily catch the bus to these sites,” Tim Dempsey, director of Planning, Building and Development for the city of East Lansing, said.

The new building projects, the Garten Haus Apartments, The Gateway Project, 1855 Place and construction on 565 E. Grand River, are all close to campus.

The apartments will be added to the

list of the other 198 apartment buildings in East Lansing.

Kat Cooper, the director of communications for Residential Hospitality and Services, said the residence halls can hold approximately 15,000 students.

With more than 50,000 students attending MSU, the need for off-campus housing is there.

“MSU really grew over the past few decades. ... It’s time to refresh some of these properties,” Cooper said.

Dempsey said the Garten Haus Apartments, located near Gunson and Beech streets, will be replaced with five three-story buildings by fall of 2016.

The 21 student apartments will make up a total of 10,500 square feet.

He said the Gateway Project on 300 W. Grand River Ave. will be a four-story, mixed-use building with 39 two-bedroom apartments and associated parking.

1855 Place will replace apartments in the current Spartan Village and will include a total of 10 buildings.

There will be 60 one-bedroom apart-

Garten Haus Apartments Gateway Project 300 W. GR A N D R IVER AVE.

N EA R G U N SON A N D B EECH ST REETS

New Housing Location 56 5 E. G RA N D RIV ER AV E.

1855 Place Apartments COR N ER OF KA LA MA ZOO STR EET A N D HA R R ISON R OA D

ments, 29 two-bedroom apartments and 244 units for individual students consisting of a combination of studio, and two and four bed-

room apartments.

Construction is slated to be finished in the fall of 2017.

Construction on 565 E. Grand Riv-

er Ave. will consist of a five-story, mixed-used building with retail on the first floor and residential apartments above.

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