Thursday 10/26/17

TRANSFER ATHLETES

Joining a new community “They made it really easy to come right in and mesh right away.”

Brett Scanlon, senior kickoff specialist Pages 4-5

N E WS

N E WS

SPORTS

Natural disasters hit close to home

MSU’s day in federal court

Men’s and women’s basketball preview

Californian Spartans speak about the wildfires raging in Northern and Southern California.

MSU is listed as a defendant in 12 federal court cases — all but one filed this year. Here’s what you need to know.

With highly anticipated seasons starting this weekend, take a look at each team.

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T HU R S DAY, O C TO B E R 2 6 , 2 017

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News

Brigid Kennedy Campus editor campus@statenews.com

RELIGIOUS MSU wells shut DIRECTORY down for high radium levels

Stay up to date at: www.statenews.com/religious

Chabad House of MSU 540 Elizabeth St East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 214-0525 chabadmsu.com Prayer services, Friday night services, followed by a traditional Shabbat dinner @ Chabad.

Shabbat Day Services 10:00am @ Chabad, followed by a Traditional Shabbat lunch @ 12:15pm.

For weekday services & classes call 517-214-0525.

Hillel Jewish Student Center 360 Charles St., E. Lansing (517) 332-1916 Friday Night Services: 6pm, Dinner: 7pm September - April Martin Luther Chapel 444 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-0778 martinlutherchapel.org Sunday: 9:30am & 7:00pm Wednesday Worship: 9pm Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring)

River Terrace Church 1509 River Terrace Dr. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-9059 www.riverterrace.org Service times: 9 & 11:15am Riverview Church MSU Venue MSU Union Ballroom - 2nd Floor 49 Abbot Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824 Phone: 517-694-3400 Website: rivchurch.com Worship Times: Sundays at 6:30PM during the MSU Fall and Spring semesters St. John Catholic Church and Student Center 327 M.A.C. Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 337-9778 stjohnmsu.org Sunday: 8am, 10am, Noon, 5pm, 7pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12:15pm Tuesday & Thursday: 9:15pm

Religious Organizations:

The Islamic Society of Greater Lansing 920 S. Harrison Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823 Islam 101 May 7, 2:30p.m Friday Services: 12:15-12:45 & 1:45-2:15 For prayer times visit www.lansingislam.com/ University United Methodist Church & MSU Wesley 1120 S. Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-7030 universitychurchhome.org msuwesley.org Sunday: 10:30am 9:00am Garden Service in the summer TGIT: 8:00pm Thursdays Sept. April WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 580-3744 www.msu.edu/~welsluth 6:30pm Saturday Worship

Don’t be left out of the Religious Directory!

Call (517)295-1680 to speak with an Account Executive today

Civil engineering junior Maria Milan drinks from a water fountain on Oct. 14 at Williams Hall. The wells that were shut down did not provide water directly to campus. PHOTO: SYLVIA JARRUS

BY MAXWELL EVANS

Three of MSU’s groundwater pumping wells are out of rotation as a result of high radium levels found during recent testing, according to Director of Utilities Robert Ellerhorst.

If 5,000 people drank directly from Well 15 at its most contaminated for their entire lives, one of them would end up with a deadly form of cancer; according MSU environmental engineering professor Susan Masten, that’s similar to the likelihood of dying in a car accident.

Radium, a naturally occurring radioactive element, is monitored to meet federal and state safety requirements.

The maximum contaminant level, or the level at which utilities must take action to reduce the radium, is 5 picocuries of radium per liter of water, or pCi/L. Two rounds of testing in March and July found the three wells that were taken offline, Wells 15, 21 and 27, had radium levels above the maximum level.

Well 15 was the most consistent offender, testing at a high of 6.4 pCi/L in March before coming down to 5.4 pCi/L in July.

Well 21 came in below the limit in the spring at 4.8 pCi/L, but upon retesting in July, broke the maximum threshold, skyrocketing to 6.1 pCi/L. Well 27 initially tested barely above the maximum, measuring at 5.1 pCi/L in March, a level that increased to 6.4 pCi/L during the second round of testing.

“Based on this data at 6.4 pCi/L, the lifetime fatal cancer risk is about one in 5,000,” Masten said in an email.

The 1 in 5,000 chance still may seem alarming, but this does not mean that drinking MSU water comes with these risks.

Ellerhorst clarified that the wells, which pump groundwater from the Saginaw Aquifer, are not providing water directly to taps on campus.

MSU’s water treatment facilities take steps to disinfect and monitor all of the water the wells pump, so the levels detected at the point of collection may not be the level you drink from your water bottle.

MSU’s 2016 Water Quality Report, released in June, showed that as a whole, radium levels in

MSU’s drinking water were at 3.7 pCi/L. Ellerhorst doesn’t think the university-wide measured level is close enough to the maximum level to warrant concern, because it is similar to measures of radium found in the past.

“The initial rules, they had us testing annually, but because we consistently were right around this target level we’re on a three-year cycle,” Ellerhorst said. “The one before was also a number in the threes, so that’s consistently where that number’s been.”

The previous radium level, tested in 2013, was at 4.1 pCi/L and not “in the threes” as Ellerhorst stated, yet even this level is below the maximum level.

In 2010 and 2003, the two previous tests, the level was 3.3 pCi/L and 3 pCi/L, respectively.

Students seemed unaware that the wells had been shut down, saying they hadn’t received IPF alerts on the matter like they do for things like red water.

This frustrated business sophomore Adam Sikorski, who believed the shutdown was serious enough to inform students.

Although he originally thought the wells had been directly supplying contaminated water to campus taps, upon being corrected, his worries still weren’t completely assuaged.

“It’s kinda offsetting to think that would be an issue we would have here,” Sikorski said.

“You’d think that the sink water would be okay to drink and we wouldn’t have to worry about things like that.”

Chemistry education freshman Matthew Neumann largely agreed, saying the fact that the wells were only a point of collection and not the same as drinking water only had a small impact on his worries.

While he said he didn’t know enough about the situation to have “an informed opinion,” he still pointed to the lack of communication on the matter as a concern.

“I think it’s interesting, mostly that we haven’t heard much about it,” Neumann said. “It’s obviously not a direct connection between well to sink or fountain or whatever. The processing I’m sure has some removal of the heavy metal content. It definitely lessens it a little, but it’s still kind of scary.”

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TH U R S DAY, O C TO B E R 2 6, 2 01 7

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T H E STAT E NE WS

Contents

McKenna Ross Managing editor mross@statenews.com

ONLINE AT STATENEWS.COM

QUIZ: What costume are you?

Know Thy Enemy: Northwestern

Listen Friday: The State News Podcast

Not sure what to be for Halloween weekend? Take our quiz to find out!

Football Reporter Souichi Terada continues his Q&A series, talking to sports reporters at The Daily Northwestern.

Football Reporter Souichi Terada and Sports Editor Sam Metry discuss Spartans vs. Wildcats.

3

BY T H E N U M B E R S

Number of MSU wells shut down for high radium levels.

See page 2

“And as a walk-on, everything is magnified for you. Because you can’t screw up in drills. You can’t screw up the little defensive assignments.”

Kenny Goins Redshirt junior forward See pages 4-5

East Lansing dubbed LBGTQ-friendly city

BY MARIE WEIDMAYER MWEIDMAYER@STATENEWS.COM

East Lansing has extremely inclusive laws and policies for LGBTQ people, according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, or HRC. The city scored a perfect 100 points on HRC’s Municipal Equality Index, or MEI. The MEI “examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ people who live and work there. Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and the city leadership’s public position on equality,” according to the HRC’s website.

East Lansing was one of 68 cities to score 100 points, according to the MEI. “I’m very proud that we’ve received that 100 percent score and we’re going to continue to work to make sure we continue to receive it,” Mayor Mark Meadows said.

There were 506 cities evaluated, including 11 Michigan cities. In addition to East Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit also scored 100 points.

In East Lansing’s MEI breakdown, the city scored a 94 with regular points and 10 bonus points.

The only part that East Lansing lost points in was the transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits in the municipality as an employer category, scoring a zero out of six, meaning East Lansing does not offer transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits to city employees.

A ll ot her categories, including nondiscrimination laws and an LGBTQ police liaison officer or task force, received perfect scores.

Two of the bonus points East Lansing was awarded came from having an openly LGBTQ elected or appointed city leader.

Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Beier is openly LGBTQ and has been with her partner for almost 30 years.

“For me, it’s one of things that I’m most proud about the city, not about the government and the city, but just the city and the people in this city,” Beier said. “It’s one of the reasons I live here. It’s huge. I can do my little part, just by my own orientation and being elected, I got us three points.”

Senior defender Carson Gatt (18) brings the puck up the boards during the game against Western Michigan on Oct. 20, at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans defeated the Broncos 6-4.

PHOTO: MATT SCHMUCKER

VOL . 108 | NO. 9 CONTACT THE STATE NEWS (517) 295-1680

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rachel Fradette

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CAMPUS EDITOR Brigid Kennedy CITY EDITOR Riley Murdock SPORTS EDITOR Sam Metry FEATURES EDITOR Sasha Zidar PHOTO EDITOR Jon Famurewa COPY CHIEF Blair Baeten

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T H U RS DAY, OC TOB E R 2 6 , 2 01 7

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Spotlight

McKenna Ross Managing editor mross@statenews.com

Transfer athletes work to impress,

BY JAMESON DRAPER JDRAPER@STATENEWS.COM

T

he classic college athletics experience starts with walking on campus on day one, learning the ropes and eventually becoming a seasoned resident of the university.

You grind on the field and in practice for years, cementing yourself as a campus mainstay. You stay there for four or five years, then maybe go on to something greater.

But for some, adjusting to college athletics isn’t that simple.

Some students never find their footing at their initial landing spots. After months — or maybe even years — of deliberation, students may decide the current institution they’re attending isn’t for them. They decide to play their sport at another university.

Whether it’s campus size, athletic playing time or location, every student that transfers has their own reason.

Starting the process

“I wanted to try to come back closer to home,” sophomore forward Braden Burke said. “And then when I got the opportunity to be a scholarship player at a mid-major close to home or come here, I chose to come here for the chance to play at the highest level.”

Burke, a transfer from Robert Morris University, is from Stevensville, Michigan. He committed to the MSU basketball team in May after one season with the Colonials.

Like Burke, other transfer athletes come to MSU for the prestige of the program.

“This place is special,” said sixth-year graduate student transfer Ben Carter, who is also a forward for the MSU hoops team. “I wanted something more out of my college career and I knew that coming here I would have an opportunity to get what I wanted in terms of playing

at the highest level. Playing for a Hall of Fame coach and having a chance to be a champion.”

The transfer process in the NCAA is hellacious. If a student is transferring from a fouryear university, he or she must sit out the first season, only attending school as a student.

Students don’t have to give up a year of eligibility, though. They have to meet three criteria to be exempted from the sitting out rule: they need to have played for a Division I school previously that did not offer them a scholarship, they must be athletically and academically eligible at their previous school and they must receive a transfer-release agreement from the previous school.

There are also waivers that can be handed out because of a “specific, extraordinary circumstance” that stops them from meeting the rules and exempts them from sitting out.

That’s a rarity, so most players take a year off when transferring.

Some players transfer multiple times — Carter transferred twice. He started his career at University of Oregon, then moved to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After missing significant time at UNLV because of an injury, he transferred to MSU, where he sustained an injury during his first practice that sidelined him for the entire 2016-17 season.

If anyone knows about the transfer process, it’s Carter.

“I don’t see it as a negative,” he said. “People might say, ‘Oh, this kid transferred twice.’ They might look at my character and might look at my personality. Me personally, I don’t care. I don’t care how people view me because those who know me know what kind of person I am. I can’t say a bad thing about my transfer experiences because I only see positives.”

Support from the team

One of the most helpful things any stu-

CAMPUS CENTER CINEMA NOW FEATURING

GET OUT

HALLOWEEN TOWN THE GIFTED

Thurs: Wilson Aud, 9:00 PM

Thurs: Wilson Aud, 7:00 PM

Thurs: Conrad Aud, 9:00 PM

Fri & Sat: 115 B Wells Hall, 7:00 & 9:00 PM

Fri & Sat: 117 B Wells Hall, 7:10 & 9:10 PM

Fri & Sat: 119 B Wells Hall, 7:15 & 9:15 PM

Sun: Conrad Aud, 9:00 PM

Sun: Conrad Aud, 7:00 PM

Sun: Wilson Aud, 9:00 PM

DUNKIRK

Nov. 2nd-5th 4

Thurs: Wilson Aud, 8:30 PM

dent-athlete can do for new transfers is show hospitality. Accommodating new players can be hard, as you already have a tight-knit team and you don’t want to ruin the chemistry. But ignoring the new players isn’t the route MSU takes.

“Transfer or not transfer, any of the guys we treat all the same,” junior punter Jake Hartbarger for said. “Guys that have been here for a few years can teach the younger guys and anyone that needs help.”

For Burke, the hospitality has been noticeable.

“I love my teammates here,” said Burke.

“Everyone’s just so welcoming. Everyone’s helpful. Everyone’s really encouraging. It’s a great place to be.”

Some veteran players even take the hospitality further. Sophomore forward Miles Bridges said he acts as a mentor to some transfer athletes.

“Just like Jaren, I like to take (Burke) under my wing, too,” Bridges said. “I mean, he has a year under his belt, but I still want to show him the ropes because he was at a mid-major.”

Brett Scanlon, a fifth-year senior kickoff specialist on the football team, started his career at Western Michigan. He played two seasons in Kalamazoo before transferring to play for the Spartans.

“One thing I told my parents and friends from back home is that I think the coaching staff and just the team in general, they made it really easy to come right in and mesh right away,” Scanlon said. “You don’t see that at every football program, so that was really neat just coming to a place with a family atmosphere.”

Working for the rules

LOGAN LUCKY

Fri & Sat: 117 B Wells Hall, 7:30 PM

Fri & Sat: 115 B Wells Hall, 8:30 Sunday: Conrad PM Aud 8:00 PM

THE STATE NEWS

HALLOWEEKEND OCT. 26-29

Graduate student forward Ben Carter is introduced during Michigan State Madness on Oct. 20 at the Breslin Center. Carter transferred from University of Las Vegas, Nevada in 2016 and was granted a sixth-year of eligibility after an injury last season. PHOTO: ANNTANINNA BIONDO

Thurs: Conrad Aud, 9:00 PM

Sunday: Wilson Aud, 8:30 PM

Fri & Sat: 119 B Wells Hall 7:00 & 9:15 PM

THURSDAY, OC TOB E R 2 6 , 2 01 7

Transferring can be a worrisome process.

There are many factors involved and a lot of uncertainty to go along with it.

So what’s the worst part?

Burke said it’s making the decision alone.

“Initially, just not knowing where you’re going to end up. Obviously, you’re not allowed to talk to anyone,” he said, acknowledging that contact with other coaches while deciding to transfer is prohibited.

Per NCAA rules, student-athletes have to get

written permission from the athletic director of their school before contacting another institution.

“So I transferred and given the opportunity, I could end up nowhere,” Burke said. “No coaches could call me. I could end up having to go to a (junior college) or something like that. Everything’s up in the air. There’s no guarantees.”

For Scanlon, the hardest part was waiting to play. The NCAA rule delaying eligibility is to encourage students to transfer for academic reasons, too.

“I think the hardest part for me was just being out of football for about half of a year. It was different. I was so used to playing football every Friday or Saturday night,” he said. “For that half of a year I wasn’t doing anything, just working out on my own, kicking on my own.”

Some student-athletes chose MSU despite not having a scholarship. Burke had a scholarship at Robert Morris and is sitting out this year as a walk-on. Scanlon had a scholarship at Western Michigan and transferred to MSU as a walk-on before receiving a scholarship.

“Everyone’s really helpful,” Burke said.

“There’s so many guys on the team with experience. Ben has transferred a couple times.

He’s been really helpful in the process. Guys like Kenny, who have been in my position, he was a walk on at once and then won a scholarship, which is what I’m trying to do.”

Kenny Goins, a redshirt junior forward, said transfers and walk-ons looking to get a scholarship have to put in extra work.

“Do all the little things right and always go hard,” he said. “Because when it comes down to it, they’re looking for people to mess up, realistically. When you have as much talent as you have on this team, it’s like who’s going to mess up the least are the people that’s going to play, you know? And as a walk-on, everything is magnified for you. Because you can’t screw up in drills. You can’t screw up the little defensive assignments.”

All hope is not lost, though. Transfer walkons, like Scanlon and Burke, can still get scholarships if their play warrants it. “(Burke) is a solid player,” said Bridges. “I feel like he’s going to have a scholarship soon.”

Spotlight

McKenna Ross Managing editor mross@statenews.com

leave mark on MSU community STEPS TO BECOME A TRANSFER ATHLETE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Apply to admissions department of the school to which you wish to transfer.

Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center to ensure your eligibility.

After transferring, make sure you have eligibility left. Student-athletes have four years of eligibility.

Make sure your coaches sign a permission-to-contact letter before talking to any other schools’ coaches.

Redshirt junior Kenny Goins (25) greets people after walking through the Tom Izzo Hall of History on Oct. 20 at the Breslin Center. Attendees included the Board of Trustees, Lou Anna K Simon, Mark Hollis and the Skandalaris family. PHOTO: CARLY GERACI

Make sure you meet all the academic and eligibility requirements at your new school of choice.

You must sit out one year of play, unless you meet the transfer exception.

Go play!

SOURCE: NCAA

Senior kickoff specialist Brett Scanlon (8) poses for a portrait after practice on Oct. 17 at the Duffy Daugherty Football Building. Scanlon transferred from Western Michigan University in 2016. PHOTO: CARLY GERACI T H U RS DAY, OC TOB E R 2 6 , 2 01 7

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News

Brigid Kennedy Campus editor campus@statenews.com

From Nassar to trustees, lawsuits MSU IS LABELED A DEFENDANT IN

BY MADISON O’CONNOR MOCONNOR@STATENEWS.COM

MSU is involved in a number of federal lawsuits, all of which are currently open cases. These lawsuits aren’t expected to end anytime soon, since all but one were filed in 2017. Here, we’ll break down the current and relevant cases for you.

MSU is a defendant in all of these open lawsuits. In many of them, MSU is being sued alongside other big names, like USA Gymnastics and ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Other members of MSU are also being sued, like ex-MSU head gymnastics coach Kathie Klages and William D. Strampel, MSU’s dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Keep reading The State News for updates on these lawsuits and other related news.

FEDERAL CASES GRAPHIC: ALEXEA HANKIN

Lawsuits are related to ex-MSU doctor,

LARRY NASSAR One lawsuit is related to a

title ix violation Another is tied to

equal employment Opportunity The last comes from

THE NATIONAL POLICY INSTITUTE, RICHARD SPENCER Of these cases were filed in

2017

1

case was filed in

2015

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THE STATE NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 6 , 2 01 7

SOME LISTED CO-DEFENDANTS: The MSU Board of Trustees USA Gymnastics, Inc. Geddert’s Twistars Gymnastics Club USA Kathie Klages, ex-MSU head gymnastics coach William D. Strampel, dean of MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine

MICHIGAN STATE basketball

WOMEN’S

MEN’S

NEXT HOME GAME:

NEXT HOME GAME:

Nov. 5 vs. Lake Superior State

Tonight vs. Ferris State

KEY NONCONFERENCE GAMES:

KEY NONCONFERENCE GAMES:

Nov. 25 against UCONN Portland, Oregon Dec. 6 vs Notre Dame

Nov. 14 against Duke United Center, Illinois Nov. 30 vs. Notre Dame

FIRST BIG TEN GAME:

FIRST BIG TEN GAME:

Dec. 28 vs. Indiana

Dec. 3 vs. Nebraska

MICHIGAN GAME:

MICHIGAN GAME:

Jan. 23, Ann Arbor Feb. 11, East Lansing

Jan. 13, East Lansing LOURAWLS NAIRN JR. SENIOR GUARD

TAYA REIMER, SENIOR FORWARD

LAST SEASON END RESULT:

LAST SEASON END RESULT:

Tied for fifth place in Big Ten play, received a No. 9 seed, Lost to Kansas in the second round.

Lost 73-61 to Arizona State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, finished tied for 7th place in the Big Ten.

KEY DEPARTURES:

KEY DEPARTURES:

Alvin Ellis III, Eron Harris

Tori Jankoska

KEY ADDITIONS:

KEY ADDITIONS:

Jaren Jackson, Xavier Tillman, Gavin Schilling (missed last season due to injury), Ben Carter (Missed last season due to injury, transferred from UNLV)

Sidney Cooks (five star recruit, No. 5 overall according to ESPN rankings)

2017-18 ROSTER Head Coach: Tom Izzo

Head Coach: Suzy Merchant

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Name

Position

#

Name

Position

Year

0

Kyle Ahrens

Guard/Forward JR

0

Shay Colley

Guard

RS SO

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Joshua Langford

Guard

SO

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Sidney Cooks

Forward

FR

2

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Forward

FR

5

Cassius Winston

Guard

SO

2

Mardrekia Cook

Forward

SO

10

Jack Hoiberg

Guard

FR

4

Taryn McCutcheon Guard

SO

11

Lourawls ‘Tum Tum’ Nairn Jr.

Guard

SR

5

Claire Hendrickson Guard

FR

GS

10

Branndais Agee

Guard

RS SR

13

Ben Carter

14

Brock Washington

Forward

Year

2017-18 ROSTER

Guard

FR

11

Nathy Dambo

Forward

RS SO

20 Matt McQuaid

Guard

JR

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Nia Hollie

Forward

SO

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Miles Bridges

Guard/Forward SO

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Xavier Tillman

Forward

FR

15

Victoria Gaines

Forward

RS SO

25

Kenny Goins

Forward

RS JR

22

Kiara Carter

Guard

SR

Forward

RS SR

24

Lexi Gussert

Guard/Forward SR

Taya Reimer

Forward

SR

34 Gavin Schilling 40 Braden Burke

Forward

SO

32

41

Guard

RS SO

33

Jenna Allen

Center

JR

Forward

SO

55

Kennedy Johnson

Forward

SR

Conner George

44 Nick Ward

GRAPHICS: LAUREN GEWIRTZ T H U RS DAY, OC TOB E R 2 6 , 2 01 7

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Sports

Sam Metry Sports editor sports@statenews.com

SPORTS REPORT CARD FALL 2017

MSU football is 6-1 and perfect in the Big Ten season thus far, sitting at 4-0. The State News Sports team sat down and graded all of MSU’s position units halfway through conference play.

NAME: MSU Football SPORTS REPORTERS AND EDITORS: Sam Metry, Souichi Terada and Colton Wood

QUARTERBACKS SAM METRY Grading Brian Lewerke is tough. He’s coming off a broken leg, he had a few starts last season, but not many, and he’s a young quarterback leading a young team. His decision making and athleticism so far have been great, but he needs to round out his passing ability if the Spartans want to head back to Indianapolis.

B-

RUNNING BACKS SOUICHI TERADA For all the talk about MSU’s running backs heading into the season, they haven’t been quite as consistent as fans would want them to be.

Couple that with the fumbles — which isn’t just on LJ Scott — it’s been an up and down experience.

The core has had its moments throughout the season, no doubt, but it hasn’t been as dominating as expected.

B-

WIDE RECEIVERS COLTON WOOD Entering the season, there were some questions as to how this year’s WR group would play despite its youth. They have seemingly exceeded expectations. When MSU needed its receivers to step up, they did just that. Cody White had a series of crucial catches in the closing stretch and hauled in six catches on seven target for a gamehigh 99 yards receiving. Darrell Stewart Jr. had three catches for 27 yards.

B

SECONDARY SOUICHI TERADA All in all, despite the critics’ best efforts to rag on MSU’s secondary, the core has played well. Josiah Scott has been a pleasant surprise. Khari Willis has quietly continued his impressive play. Justin Layne’s permanent switch to cornerback has him as a starter. It’s easy to name drop the players, and they will get beat occasionally, but the No Fly Zone might be back in a few years with this talented crew.

LINE BACKERS SAM METRY This is the best unit on the field, no question. They lead the Spartan defense. Joe Bachie and Chris Frey have continuously played like controlled maniacs, which is exactly what you want out of your middle linebackers. From their pursuit, team leadership, and ability to read the quarterback, you can’t say enough about this unit. They pass the eye test, and the stats back them up.

SAM METRY As long as Mark Dantonio is the coach, this group will never be a worry for Spartan fans. Lewerke has been given the time he needs to make passes, they’ve opened lanes for the running backs, but what I’ve liked most out of this unit is their willingness to go beyond the defense’s first layer of blockers and get to the linebackers to make that next block. That’s the difference between a three yard run and a seven yard run.

SOUICHI TERADA This unit has come a long way from the beginning of the season. Demetrius Cooper was dealing with off-field issues, but he’s been a contributor.

Kenny Willekes has gone from walk-on to starter and he’s had back-to-back two sack games. Most importantly, the Spartans have seven sacks on the season now, that’s a far cry from the mere 11 they had in 2016.

SPECIAL TEAMS SAM METRY Special teams is like the offensive line in that you only really notice their play if they’ve done something wrong. And thus far the mistakes have been minimal. Aside from the one muffed punt earlier this season, this unit has been solid with Jake Hartbarger standing out as a good to great college punter.

COACHING COLTON WOOD Dantonio has led this team out of the hole from last season and it is now in the national rankings with a 6-1 record. While fans like to revert to the excuse of play calling when things go awry, this year’s team is in contention for the Big Ten title.

THE STATE NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOB E R 2 6 , 2 01 7

A

OFFENSIVE LINE

DEFENSIVE LINE

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A-

B+ B B A

News

Riley Murdock City editor city@statenews.com

Vacant spaces along Grand River seek fulfilling, capable renters

BY MILA MURRAY MMURRAY@STATENEWS.COM

would require someone’s concerted reaction.”

In the event of this plan falling through, he will put in a fitness center and leasing office in the vacant retail space himself.

Foster said that one of the reasons why businesses haven’t moved in yet is due to limited parking and installing a fitness center and offices for the tenants wouldn’t affect the parking circumstances.

“Any of those last three options are fine,” Foster said. “If none of

Amidst new constructions and renovations, East Lansing also contains multiple vacant retail spaces on Grand River Avenue, some of which haven’t been occupied by businesses for years.

Some of these spaces include the storefront at the base of the Element 903 apartment complex, the empty buildings that were once occupied by Cosi and Sweet Lorraine’s Fabulous Mac n’ Cheez! and the vacant spaces that were left after businesses moved to accommodate for the Center City District project that has unofficially fallen through.

Rich Foster, owner of Element 903, said that businesses have expressed interest in moving into the retail space attached to the apartment property that was initially supposed to consist of two studio apartments, but the businesses that were Rich Foster, owner of interested were not up to Element 903’s vacant his standards. property “Recently we’ve had some inquiries, somebody wanted to put a liquor store in there but I really don’t want to do that,” Fos- those other options work out, once ter said. “We have really high end I get past this rental crunch right luxury apartments for students that now, I’m going to go back to prohave the capacity to afford it and ceeding with what we had decidI just didn’t think that their par- ed to do with it.”

Several businesses were moved ents would be comfortable with a out of storefronts on Grand River liquor store.”

Foster has also received inquiries Avenue to make way for the Cenfrom a doctoral candidate at MSU ter City District project, a project who is wants to install a media cen- with an uncertain future.

According to Dempsey, the city is ter for urban planning and a professor from the Broad College of Busi- still working with developer Harbor ness who wants to install a coffee Bay Real Estate Advisors to keep the project moving forward after shop and bakery.

He met with an architect last week Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Beier was told

by CEO Mark Bell they were walkto discuss this particular design.

“I think that the ideal thing or ing away.

Should the project officially fall reaction that I’ve gotten is an upscale coffee shop and bakery in through, the future of the now-vathere,” Foster said. “I think that’s cant buildings would be deterideal but it’s also going to be anoth- mined by property owners Brad er labor intensive situation that and Greg Ballein, who also own

“The hardest part for me is not filling the space but filling it appropriately and having the time to deal with it.”

SBS, Beier said.

“Those properties are prime locations,” Beier said in a previous interview. “I don’t know if the Balleins are going to try and find a new development and not lease those up or if they’re going to lease those up. In the meantime, they will be vacant which is not ideal.”

Foster also believes that excess empty space around East Lansing is not ideal.

“It’s turning into a glut of retail space that doesn’t have a demand for it,” Foster said. “I think that there’s a point in time where you have to take a deep breath and consider whether or not there’s excess development being undertaken. There’s got to be a balance.”

Foster hopes to begin planning soon after leasing season ends.

“The hardest part for me is not filling the space but filling it appropriately and having the time to deal with it,” Foster said. “That’s why the space is empty and what’s going on with it. There’s nothing that’s been approved by the city to date but those are just thoughts on what to do with it. We’ll get to it, but first things first.”

The Balleins could not be reached for comment.

1. Element 903 apartments on Grand River Avenue and Bogue Street (above).

2. Sweet Lorraine’s Fabulous Mac n’ Cheez! on Grand River Avenue (middle) closed in Oct. 2016.

3. Cosi (bottom) on Grand River Avenue closed in Sept.

2016.

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Crossword

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

News

Brigid Kennedy Campus editor campus@statenews.com

Spartans from California speak on wildfire destruction

ACROSS

1 Amount to 5 Evening affair 11 Cavern critter 14 Clarinet cousin 15 Many charity golf tournaments 16 Wall St. specialist 17 24-hour broadcaster that keeps you up-todate 19 CBS police series with three spin-offs 20 Moog, briefly 21 Detroit NFLer 22 Hershey’s toffee bar 23 Music from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey et al.

26 Chintzy 29 Type of waste pump 30 Buyer’s financing 31 Army installation 35 Last Marx brother, alphabetically 38 Well-suited 39 Ship’s area for medical assistance 41 Spy novelist Deighton 42 Bette’s “Divine” nickname 44 Bills at bars 45 Almanac tidbit 46 Long-running dispute 48 Braggart’s retort

50 Singer dubbed “King of Country” 55 Doctor Zhivago’s love 56 Island band The __ Men 57 Garlicky mayo 61 Musician’s suffix 62 Saturated like the ends of 17-, 23-, 39- and 50-Across?

64 Lawn coating 65 Exercise pieces 66 Russian range or river 67 Symphonic gp. inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 68 Head out 69 Start of a choosing rhyme

DOWN

1 Pen occupants 2 Do what’s asked 3 Scattered, as seeds 4 Nuclear restraint topic 5 Globe shape: Abbr.

6 Dental care brand 7 Ancient Aegean land 8 Talked nonstop 9 Removes errors from 10 Bilingual subj.

11 “Just in case” strategy 12 Fiery crime

13 “Fun, Fun, Fun” car in a 1960s song 18 Greenside golf shot 22 “Win __, lose ... “ 24 Mongolian desert 25 Postwar supermodel Parker 26 Mollusk in a red or white linguine sauce 27 Arizona native 28 Consumes enough to nourish mother and unborn child 32 Play a part 33 Calypso cousin 34 Recede, as the tide 36 Lats relatives 37 Not fooled by 39 Highly self-satisfied 40 Singapore’s continent 43 Blood bank supply 45 Exhaustion 47 Candidates’ face-off 49 “So long, Paulo!”

50 Soar without effort 51 Painter’s stand 52 Stopped slouching 53 Silents star Bara 54 Not as prevalent 58 Kid lit monster 59 Low-fat 60 In an aimless fashion 62 Married 63 WWII carrier

Get the solutions at statenews.com/puzzles Level: 1

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

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THE STATE NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOB E R 2 6 , 2 01 7

A helicopter prepares to drop water on a fire threatening the Oakmont community along Highway 12 in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Oct. 13. PHOTO: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

BY DEBBIE MISZAK DMISZAK@STATENEWS.COM

Portions of southern and northern California have been engulfed in flames for over a week. Wildfires in southern California have started to subside, but 10 fires still remain active — mostly in the north.

According to CAL FIRE, a resource for tracking wildfires provided by the state of California, the fires range in containment levels from Vista Fire at 50 percent containment to LaPorte Fire at 98 percent containment.

CAL FIRE also stated that the death toll was 42, and over 8,400 structures had been destroyed as of Tuesday.

Communications junior Emily Andersen is from Sherman Woods, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. She believes that the recovery efforts need to come from local government.

“I really think since California’s known for being in a drought right now, and there’s not a lot of access to water, it’s a really big solution to what could help with the fires, but I know federally for example, (President Donald) Trump has not talked about the fires at all, like whatsoever," Andersen said. "As far as a solution, I think it needs to start from a smaller level to make sure that everyone is taken care of with access to water, food, shelter especially and transporting these people that need to get away and evacuate.”

James Madison freshman Samuel Blatchford is from Santa Ana in Orange County, California. He described the tumult last week as he tracked a fire near his family's home.

“The one in southern California, they just put out last week," Blatchford said. "I have a friend who’s still in high school and I was on his Snapchat and I’m like, whoa, because it said something about evacuation."

Blatchford said he texted his parents and got no reply, so he looked up information about the fires on the internet.

"I go to the map and, whoa, that’s like two miles away from our house,” he said.

As the fires began in northern California, Andersen's mother contacted her about the situation.

“My mom had immediately texted me," Andersen said.

"We have family and friends who live in northern California who are okay, but have to wear masks and make sure they aren’t working outside for too long. None of them have had to move right now, but they might have to move.”

Blatchford also noted that the destruction in Napa Valley has impacted him as well.

“I have a family friend who lives up there, and one of my brothers goes to camp up there every summer and almost half of it burned to the ground," Blatchford said.

He noted that northern California's fires have been more damaging.

“The northern California one is worse than the south-

ern California one," Blatchford said. "They’ve found a mass of people that had been in the homes that have been destroyed. The one in southern California started near a freeway, and although some structures were damaged, not a lot. A lot of people died in northern California one.”

Upon hearing about the proximity of the fire to his home, Blatchford called his parents.

“After I found out that information, I called them and asked, ‘What’s up? I’m worried now.’ There was a map online that said real-time almost, and so I’m like, ‘Is this really like five blocks away?’ They’re like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s no big deal.’”

Fire season in California traditionally lasts from September to November. According to National Public Radio, this is no longer the case. Because of California's drought, the risk of wildfires exists year round, making experiences with fires common — and making them less shocking to Californians.

Andersen relayed the story of a fire three weeks ago that occurred near her home.

“We actually just got done with a set of fires that happened about three weeks ago and they were affecting a lot of places my friends live," Andersen said. "It wasn’t the valley, so people were directly affected in the mountain areas, and I have a lot of friends in the mountains, and so they had to evacuate. My mom had to wear masks around the area.”

Blatchford also affirmed that they're used to dealing with wildfires.

“There was a really bad one in El Dorado, which is five miles away in, I want to say June," Blatchford said.

"I was actually driving back from work at 11 and I could see little white embers hitting the windshield….I open the doors [to my house] at about 11:30, and I run up to my mom and I’m like, ‘Is there a fire somewhere?’ and she’s like, ‘What?’ You could smell it. So, she thought the house was burning down, but I was like, ‘Well, there’s a fire somewhere.’ But, we’re used to it.”

In spite of not being terrified by the fire, Blatchford's parents did evacuate and waited out the fire at a local restaurant.

“I asked my mom, ‘How is the evacuation process?’"

Blatchford said. "And she’s like, ‘Well, the police came, knocked on the door, and said, ‘We’re just letting you know that we think you should evacuate. The fire’s inching close. We’re going to come back again whenever we make our rounds and knock again and remind you again to evacuate. You don’t have to, but we really strongly urge you to evacuate, but you don’t have to. That’s basically their way of saying, ‘Listen, we really want you to get out for your safety.’ So, what my parents did is when they left, they left a note saying like, ‘Hey, we’re gone.

Don’t come in.’”

After the fact, they found out the fire had spread within 100 feet of their house.

Features

Sasha Zidar Features editor features@statenews.com

What MSU wants you to know before this cold and flu season

BY CLAIRE MOORE CMOORE@STATENEWS.COM

The arrival of shorter days, longer nights and cool temperatures at MSU is typically indicative of the start of the autumn months, but it’s also the signal of another season — the cold and flu season.

The cold weather elicits change not only in our individual routines, but in our everyday health, as well.

Germs, bacteria and viruses thrive during this time of year, as the immune systems of humans are weakened and become more susceptible to their harmful effects. As a result, a large public community like MSU could see the effects of a cold and flu wave on campus.

Kathi Braunlich, the marketing and communications director for MSU’s Student Health Services, talked about how her organization is taking steps to ensure the health of students and staff this season.

“We’re taking a couple of different approaches,” Braunlich said.

One of those ways, Braunlich described, is to increase access to the influenza shot, or flu shot.

“With any visits to any of the clinics, if someone is there and they’re not ill, but they’re there for some other reason, we’re offering the opportunity to get the flu shot,” Braunlich said.

“For students that have insurance, generally insurance will cover the cost of the flu shot without any co-payment, and we were able to get a grant to cover the cost of flu shots for people who did not have insurance. So we’ve made sure that there isn’t a financial roadblock to their getting a flu shot,” Braunlich added.

Braunlich referred to five health clinics that are spread around MSU’s campus as places that students and others can visit should they fall ill.

Each MSU neighborhood contains one, with each offering such treatment for illness and minor injuries. Students seeking treatment are invited to pay a visit to one of the centers, listed below.

North Neighborhood – Olin Health Center

TIPS FOR NOT GETTING SICK

Maintain your body’s health by drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Stock up on cough drops, tissues and other cold and flu remedies if you begin to feel ill.

A student walks into Olin Health Center on Oct. 23. “For students that have insurance, generally insurance will cover the cost of the flu shot without any co-payment, and we were able to get a grant to cover the cost of flu shots for people who did not have insurance,” Communications director Kathi Braunlich said. PHOTO: ANNTANINNA BIONDO

Consume foods, such as oranges and other fruits, to boost your intake of Vitamin C.

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East Neighborhood – in Hubbard Hall River trail Neighborhood – in McDonel Hall Braunlich also talked of other ways her department is trying to increase student health awareness.

“We have been coordinating with RHA for the last several years to put together cold and flu comfort packs. We will have over 20,000 of those distributed on campus this year, starting in the fall, and it is a reminder for people to take precautions to keep from getting the cold or flu.”

The packs, Braunlich said, include information for students on how to protect themselves. They also contain items to make students feel better.

“You know, tea, Kleenex, etc., if they do get a cold,” Braunlich said.

Students and staff may take preventative measures against such illnesses by following standard sanitary guidelines. Braunlich offered two pieces of advice on how to decrease the spread of illness-causing germs.

“I would say the top two things to do are one, get a flu shot, and get a flu shot now, because you want to get it before the flu season begins,” she said. “It takes about two weeks for the flu shot to become fully functioning, so to speak, in your body. The larger percentage of the population that have the flu shot, the best it protects the whole population against getting the flu.”

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Get plenty of rest and maintain a healthy sleeping schedule.

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Visit your doctor or local health clinic if you begin to feel ill.

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