statenews.com | 10/21/13 | @thesnews Michigan State University’s independent voice
campus
The sound of music
Keeping the roads safe
Jazz program helped by MSUFCU investment
Bill targets drivers who hit pedestrians, bikers
features, pg. 6
campus+city, pg. 3
Women’s soccer splits 2 games Wins 4-0 in game one, loses next in double OT sports, pg. 5
basketball
man killed in saturday car accident A car accident occurred at about 2:30 p.m. on Hagadorn Road near Hubbard Hall, resulting in the death of a 60-year-old man, according to police. East Lansing police Sgt. Tresha Neff said the man experienced a medical emergency while driving on Hagadorn Road, causing him to collide with another vehicle. The man died at the scene. Authorities closed off the road for more than an hour to allow medical first-responders to bypass gameday traffic. Police have not identified the victim and are not releasing any more information at this time.
By Justine McGuire jmcguire@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
See ACADEMICS on page 2 u
MSU College of Law 2013 Incoming Class Stats
80 U.S. News & World Report Rank in 2013
2,997 Application Volume (number of applicants)
45% Selectivity 51% of In-State
applicants admitted
43% of females
applicants admitted
22% of minority applicants admitted
Source: Midwest Alliance for Law School Admissions - August 2013 Incoming Class Survey
Junior running back Jeremy Langford is tackled by Purdue defensive back Frankie Williams during the game Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Boilermakers, 14-0. Georgina De Moya / The State News
Margaux Forster/The State News
POL I C E
Nationwide law school apps down, stats show Applications and admittance to law schools around the country are on a downward slope, according to a recent national survey of law school admissions officers by Kaplan Test Prep. In some ways that’s good, MSU officials said. T he number of applications throughout the U.S. has declined about 36 percent since 2010, according to the Law School Admission Council, or LSAC — meaning fewer people are applying, and they are sending out fewer applications. “We think it’s good that they are sending out less applications … They’re giving more consideration to which ones to apply to … and being more careful — that’s good news,” said Jeff Thomas, director of pre-law programs at Kaplan Test Prep. About 360 current or former MSU students applied to law schools around the country during the 2011-12 cycle. In 200708, there were 514, according to LSAC. Students who applied from MSU might have graduated that year, or might not have graduated that year, according to data. Contrary to the national
Sophomore goalkeeper Gabrielle Gauruder
Sexual assault pretrial today
Photos by Julia Nagy/The State News
Stuntwoman Jennifer Smith-Schneider, posing as men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo, lands in a net after being shot out of a cannon Friday during Midnight Madness at the Breslin Center. Izzo revealed after the cannon firing that it was SmithSchneider who was actually shot out of it.
spartan hoopers start season By Omari Sankofa II osankofa@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
In hindsight, it seems obvious the MSU athletic department would avoid the risk of blasting men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo out of a cannon and onto an adjacent net. But for a few minutes, the department had many in the crowd fooled. Clad in stuntman gear, Izzo rode a cannon, hashtagged #IzzoCannon, into Breslin Center. Izzo is known for his theatric entrances into Breslin Center during past Midnight Madness events. He joined his wife, Lupe, and kids at the center of the court with a helmet under his arm, Evel Knievel-style. Moments later, a stuntwoman who many assumed to be Izzo climbed into the cannon. After a five-second countdown, the person was launched into the air and onto a net. The crowd went wild. Izzo had surpassed last year’s stunt of “flying” onto the court dressed as Iron Man. Well, it seemed that way. Izzo grabbed the mic and revealed the trick — it was
A young member of the crowd gives junior guard Travis Trice a kiss Friday during Midnight Madness at the Breslin Center.
stuntwoman Jennifer SmithSchneider who was shot out of the cannon, not Izzo himself. “I know most of you are disappointed because most of you wanted me to splatter on the floor,” Izzo deadpanned, eliciting laughs from the audience. Last Friday, fans and students
packed Breslin Center for 2013’s Midnight Madness season-opening event. Attendees were treated to autographs, high-fives from the players and scrimmages as the men’s and women’s basketball teams built excitement for their approaching seasons. After the event was over, agri-
science and environmental studies freshman Dani Heisler said the stunt involving Izzo stood out most to her. “I wouldn’t have wanted him to actually do that, but the fact that it happened was cool.”
See MADNESS on page 2 u
The man who previously confessed to committing four sexual assaults in East Lansing will face a pretrial 2 p.m. Monday in Ingham County Circuit Court before Judge Rosemarie Aquilina. Vernon, Mich., resident Oswald Scott Wilder, 26, was arrested in August for a series of attacks on four MSU students between March and May. In addition to being charged as a habitual offender, Wilder was charged with one count of first degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of third degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of assault with intention to commit sexual penetration, one count of gross indecency and three counts of unlawful imprisonment. During his preliminary exam last month, all four victims testified in court, admitting they could not identify Wilder based on his appearance. Before his pretrial last month in 54-B District Court, Wilder submitted a handwritten confession. He admitted to watching sexual fantasy abuse videos and using crack cocaine prior to a majority of the assaults. If he is convicted on all counts, Wilder could face life in prison. KATIE ABDILLA
Football
MSU takes down Purdue, 14-0, in spite of struggles moving football By Dillon Davis ddavis@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
There was a moment during Saturday’s game when the MSU offense proved how good it can be. After driving the length of the field against Purdue, sophomore quarterback Connor Cook rolled out to the left before lateraling the ball to junior wide receiver Tony Lippett, who promptly reversed field and came up throwing. A former high school quarterback, Lippett lobbed a pass toward wide-open junior tight end Andrew Gleichert, who caught it and raised in arms in a moment of triumph for his first career touchdown, putting the Spartans ahead by two scores in
the fourth quarter. However, it was the only moment in nearly three hours of gametime that resembled the offense that was heavily praised against Iowa and Indiana, as the Spartans (6-1 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) squeaked by hapless Purdue (1-6, 0-3), 14-0.
To read a column analyzing MSU’s win, see page 5. Until Lippett’s touchdown pass, the Spartans held on to a 7-0 lead triggered by senior linebacker Denicos Allen’s 45-yard fumble return in the second quarter, leading the defense to its first Big Ten opponent shut-
out since 1999. Head coach Mark Dantonio called the game “a step forward,” given that the team found a way to win and now has earned bowl eligibility for the end of the season. “If you’re 1-5 and coming into the football game, you’ve got to respond. You’re challenged,” Dantonio said. “We’ve been in those situations before where I’ve coached. So, you’ve got to respond, you gear up and get ready to play. I think that was their mindset coming here today. There are no gimmicks out there on the football field.” Junior running back Jeremy Langford carried the offensive load with a career-high 131 yards on 24 attempts, marking his secSee SPARTANS on page 2 u