Thursday 11/07/19

Michigan State’s Independent Voice OPINION

What it’s like as a first-gen student “Navigating college was like learning a new language with no teacher” PAGE 2

SPORTS

Bachie out, MSU looks to fill void Captain and senior linebacker Joe Bachie out for a failed drug test PAGE 7

C IT Y

EL election sees low voter turnout Amid low voter turnout, candidates Gregg, Babcock and Meadows secure city council seats PAGE 8

ONLINE

Podcast: The 1909 every Friday Homelessness is more than not having a roof over your head. One woman shares the reality of housing insecurity and how it once controlled her life PAGES 4-6

The State News’ official news roundup podcast is released every Friday.

Listen online at STATENEWS.COM

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COMMUNITY

Witches, Demons and the Occult: New history class teaches unusual subjects

BY KARLY GRAHAM KGRAHAM@STATENEWS.COM

In an effort to keep Michigan State students interested and enrolled in history and humanities courses, professor Mark Waddell proposed a new class that covers witchcraft, alchemy, astrology and other related topics.

Waddell said history and humanities courses tend to have less enrollment after students complete their prerequisites and university requirements in the department.

His proposed course, HST 293: Witches, Demons and the Occult, was approved and became an official class after going through multiple committees.

The course was offered for the first time in the spring 2019 semester. Next semester will be its second go.

“I study premodern European history, so I know this history really well and I thought, ‘Why not a class on demons and witchcraft and the occult?’” Waddell said.

This class isn’t exactly what

Waddell is used to teaching.

As a professor in the Lyman Briggs College, he usually teaches more classes that people majoring in sciences will find relevant.

“There is some science in (the class), but it’s really more history of ideas and cultural history as well,” he said.

His teaching methods have had to change for this magical class. He said the class grants him the freedom to explore further ideas in the history department.

“When you study the history of science before 1700s, which is what I do, everything kind of melds together,” Waddell said. “Science, and religion and magic — they’re all part of one big melting pot. I was exposed to a lot of that history very early on in my training.”

While the 50-person class is mostly lecture-based, Waddell said he encourages class participation.

A recent, typical trend found on social media is a growing interest in supernatural phenomena and astrolo-

gy. From television shows to movies, the interest continues to grow.

“Last year we spent a lot of time talking about New Age religions today and ideas about magic that are circulating through popular culture,” Waddell said. “We spent a lot of time talking about how some of this history has evolved over time into what we have today.”

The class offers the opportunity for individuals interested in spooky themes to explore the topic further under a historic lens.

“I think people come into the class already quite interested in some of the stuff,” Waddell said. “Last year I had students who ... were practicing things like Wicca or other New Age religions, or were interested in things like demon summoning and all this fun stuff.”

Waddell said the spring 2019 class was composed of individuals with a lot of interest and knowledge about the things they were learning.

“They were able to relate to

Tarot cards and gemstones pictured outside. Professor Mark Waddell is bringing back a class called HST 293: Witches, Demons, and the Occult, will focus on alchemy, astrology and overall history of witchcraft in Europe. PHOTO BY LAUREN DEMAY

some of the material and we were able to have interesting discussions about history and why history matters and why it still is reflected in some of the shows we see on TV or some of the movies that are out there, or some of the things that we see in popular

culture surrounding some of this stuff,” he said.

The class covers alchemy, astrology and the overall history of witchcraft in Europe.

Beyond covering magic-related histories, the class also discusses the overall culture of premodern Europe.

Waddell said he tries to relate the class to more current times and religions, pointing out that there are still people who practice alchemy or Wicca today.

“I think the topic appeals to a broad range of people,” Waddell said.

COLUMN

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November 7-10 Blinded by the Light

Yesterday

What it’s really like being a first-gen college student

BY SAMYA OVERALL SOVERALL@STATENEWS.COM

Take a moment and think about how many things you have to do to apply to a university like Michigan State.

Thurs-Fri (Wells Hall B115) Sunday (Wells Hall B117) 7:00 PM & 9:10 PM

Thu (Wells Hall B117) Fri-Sunday (Wells Hall B119) 7:05 PM & 9:15 PM

From lecture to the silver screen, come see a movie at Wells Hall with RHA this weekend!

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THURSDAY, NOVEMB E R 7, 2 01 9

You have to fill out the application, pay the $65 application fee, wait for your decision, keep your grades up while battling senioritis, fill out your FAFSA, decide whether or not you’ll need loans, apply for those loans, send your AP scores if you have them, go to New Student Orientation, send in your ID picture ... the list goes on and on.

As a first-generation student, that list was already daunting enough, and I hadn’t even stepped foot on MSU’s campus to actually start the semester. I foolishly thought that overwhelming feeling would lessen once I was at MSU. I guess that’s the first common mistake of a first-generation student.

A student is considered a first-generation student if neither of their parents graduated college with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Since my mother never attended college and my father left Western Michigan University after his first year, I’m a first-generation student.

Coming into MSU, I knew I was at a slight disadvantage. I had no one to get study tips from.

I had no one to explain how credit hours work.

I didn’t know you didn’t have a limit on the amount of times you can swipe your ID for the dining halls, or how to navigate large math lectures, or who to talk to when you want to switch your major.

I think I underestimated how much I didn’t understand about the college process. To me, navigating college was like learning a new language with no teacher. I felt — and sometimes still feel — clueless.

To my non-first-generation peers, these problems seem like the typical freshman experience, but the difference is you can get the answers to these common freshman questions.

Non-first-generation freshmen can call their parents and get a general answer.

If I were to call my parents, they wouldn’t be able to help me. They don’t know anything about this experience because I’m the first person to do this. It’s like being a football player and calling your parents — who are both accountants —and asking how to successfully pull off a Hail Mary when your team is down by six points and there are 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It’s a little out of their range of knowledge.

Being a first-generation student means that your answer to most college-related questions is “I don’t know. My parents wouldn’t know, and I have to get back to you when I figure it out.”

It’s a part of your identity, like your race or your social class.

But despite that, being a first generation student is actually great. I’m the first person in my immediate family to go to college and intend on graduating, which means I’m setting a precedent for my future children so they won’t have to be first-generation students.

I have a community here at MSU. There are students — some freshmen and some seniors — who understand what I’m going through and how my path to graduation is different from my non first-generation peers.

Above all, I’m doing it. I have good grades, I’m learning my way around campus, I actually know how credit hours work now and I don’t feel as lost anymore.

I’m a first-generation college student, and at the very least, I know what that means.

Vol. 110 | No. 12

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019 SEND US YOUR STORIES Is something happening that you wish other readers knew about? Send us story ideas and news tips, we’d love to hear from you. Email us at feedback@ statenews.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Madison O’Connor

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Send us a letter to the editor with your name, email and class year or university affiliation. Letters can be dropped off or mailed to The State News at 435 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823, or submitted online at statenews.com/page/submit-letter

CAMPUS EDITOR Kaitlyn Kelley

CORRECTION In our Oct. 24 issue, a photograph from a community forum incorrectly identified the person photographed.

It shows comparative cultures and politics senior Talyce Murray, not professor of plant soil and microbial sciences Eunice Foster.

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3

SPOTLIGHT

A Michigan woman’s story of the reality of homelessness and how the community can help

BY LUCAS DAY LDAY@STATENEWS.COM

Editor’s note — The subjects in this article might be sensitive for some readers.

If Terri was born 37 minutes earlier, everything might have been different.

If she was born 37 minutes earlier, she would have been born on Dec. 14 and would have graduated at age 17. But she was born on the wrong side of midnight and on Dec. 15, the day after the cutoff date for kindergarten admissions in her school district.

One of Terri’s earliest memories is of her fifth birthday. For most, birthdays are a celebration of another year lived. For Terri — who was granted anonymity for her safety — they were a countdown. She remembers her mother mouthing “thirteen” to her so her father wouldn’t see. Thirteen was how many years it would be until she was 18 and legally old enough to live alone.

Despite the challenges she faced at home, Terri said she remained positive. When she started high school, her family moved from Rochester, Michigan to Moorpark, California. She was a leader of the marching band, dazzling with flag routines.

Terri worked hard in class and was on pace to graduate. Her dream was to be a kindergarten teacher.

However, a few months before graduation, Terri broke her arm in a car accident. Unable to grip a pencil, she would go to the computer lab after lectures to type in-class assignments. One teacher gave her an unexcused absence every day and she had to take Saturday classes as a result.

Terri’s mother used this as a reason to kick her out of the house. Three weeks before her senior exams, she was homeless for the first time.

Terri stayed with a friend who lived 18 miles from her school for a while. After being accepted to three colleges, she said she flunked out of high school because she couldn’t find a way to get to class during her last few weeks.

From there, Terri’s downward spiral accelerated. She followed a band to stay with the members, she’d sleep in the car her father gave her shortly after she would have graduated. Eventually, she started staying with Mark. He was someone she

considered to be a friend, even though he made unwanted advances toward her.

“I didn’t want to do a lot of the things that I did,” Terri said. “I just thought that helped me stay longer in his house.”

After leaving Mark’s, Terri had a stint where she stayed with a friend before moving back to Michigan. Altogether, she spent three months homeless in California.

Terri said her life continued to go downhill after she returned to Michigan.

She was married for less than a year to an abusive husband. She worked three jobs at once during the marriage, but didn’t make a dime — he took everything from their joint account.

Despite the tumultuous circumstances, Terri continued to chase her dream of teaching kindergarten. She received her high school diploma in 1993 from Clintondale Community Schools, four years after she would have graduated.

Terri gave birth to her first son, Ken, at 23. She and Ken’s father, Harvey, had their second son, Mitch, in 1997. Terri spent portions of her time as a young mother bouncing around.

She would stay in her car, with friends or with family. Twice, she lost nearly everything when it was stolen from a shelter she stayed at.

Terri racked up six evictions, making it nearly impossible to find a decent living situation. She said her landlords seemed to look for any reason to evict her and her children, and they were often forced to live in dirty spaces with broken appliances.

Her unstable housing situation forced her to lower her expectations of what a healthy relationship should look like. Physical, sexual and psycholog-

LEFT: Terri in high school.

MIDDLE: Terri with her sons.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TERRI 4

THE STATE NEWS

ical abuse became routine.

Every time she met a guy, it seemed like the cycle was broken. They all started charming and kind and became abusive as time passed.

Terri thought she found something new when she met someone in February of 1997.

The two met when the kids were staying with Harvey for the night and Terri took a rare trip to a bar. He sparked a conversation, and they became

close over the next few months. Terri liked that he was taking things slow. They got to know each other for more than a month before they started dating seriously, and things were so easy with him that Terri could focus on raising her kids without the regular pressures of a relationship.

Terri said she trusted him. He was a hard worker and wanted a traditional family. Her kids adored him and her family approved of him. He was

Portrait of Terri now. PHOTO BY SYLVIA JARRUS THURSDAY, NOVE MB E R 7, 2 01 9

SPOTLIGHT

PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT IN MICHIGAN

PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT IN INGHAM COUNTY SOURCE: NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS

well-respected in the community.

Which is why Terri said she was surprised when he abused her for the first time.

The couple had gone to a karaoke bar about half a year into the relationship. He declined when Terri asked him to sing a duet with her, so she asked the man running the karaoke night and he accepted.

He and Terri stayed at her friend’s house for the night. When they got back, Terri said he screamed at her and overturned all the furniture in the room. She said he told her singing karaoke with the other man was unfaithful, and called

her the name of an ex-girlfriend who had cheated on him.

He charged tow a r d Te rri, and she fled downstairs and hid in a closet.

Eventually, her friend’s wife was able to calm him down. Terri considered leaving the relationship that night, but abuse had become so embedded in her makeup, so she stayed.

“I still hadn’t broken that abuse cycle,” Terri said. “So I understood it.”

The next day, Terri said he cried when he apologized. He swore to never mistreat Terri again — a promise she said he broke two months later. The abuse became increasingly frequent as time went on.

Terri tried her best to keep the boys happy and shield them from their hectic surroundings.

Terri and the boys spent two summers “camping” because she couldn’t find a better place to stay. Mitch said he was 20 years old when he found out they weren’t on vacation.

“I made sure that (Ken and Mitch) had a smile at least three or four times every day, but that (they) also had a laugh,” Terri said. “A hard, makeyou-beg-and-plead-for-mercy-for-the-laughing-tostop kind of laugh. I made sure that happened every day.”

They lived in commercial housing when she said the man she was involved with tried to kill her.

He stumbled over to Terri, who was lying in bed.

She said she knew he was standing over her, but she pretended to be sleeping.

Suddenly, Terri felt the cold cylinder of a rifle pressed up against her head and heard him crying.

She didn’t resist or even move. She just listened to Ken and Mitch breathe for what she thought would be the last time.

“Click.” Nothing happened. He pulled the trigger again with the same result. Frustrated, he stumbled outside.

A few moments later, Terri heard the rifle go off.

She took her sons and hid under dirty clothes tucked behind a dresser for the rest of the night.

She’d find out later he threw the rifle in the woods behind the house and it exploded.

Threatening her life wasn’t enough to drive Terri from the relationship.

For the first time in her children’s lives, they had someone to call “Dad.” Even if it meant she had to risk her own life, she said she couldn’t take that from

them.

For two years after that, Terri stayed with him before she became fed up and was finally ready to leave. When she told him, she said he told her if she left he’d track her and the boys down and kill them. In October 2002, Terri said she and her sons tried to leave. They took off in the family car with every intention to never come back.

However, when Terri tried to hit the brakes at a stop, nothing happened. They got into a five-car collision, which Terri was hospitalized for. Ken and Mitch were unhurt.

The hospital called Terri’s emergency contact, the man she was involved with, and his sister came to pick her and the boys up and take them back to him. Terri was caught in the cycle of abuse once again.

She was taking classes at Baker College and about a month after the accident, read a children’s book about “good touch” and “bad touch” to Ken for an assignment. After listening for a while, Ken told Terri he knew about the bad touch. He told her the man she was involved with had touched him in the bad way.

Terri’s heart broke. She felt she failed Ken. She knew they had to leave. Five long days after Ken told Terri about the abuse, the man was out partying and there was a window to escape.

Mitch said he remembers the family packing everything they could in 15 minutes and fleeing from him for good.

HER UNSTABLE HOUSING SITUATION FORCED HER TO LOWER HER EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP LOOKS LIKE.

The reality of homelessness looks a lot like what Terri experienced — people placed in a bad situation doing everything they can to make ends meet.

Homelessness isn’t always continuous, as people often weave in and out of having shelter. Terri’s credit report shows 37 addresses. It could be more.

Michigan State graduate student Bezil Taylor dedicates his life to making sure as little people as possible have the same experiences with homelessness as Terri. He is a student in MSU’s Department of Sociology and studies youth and young adult homelessness.

Terri didn’t make it to a college campus before she became homeless, perhaps things would have been different if she had. But homelessness could have very well followed her to school, as it does for many around the nation every year.

In fact, homelessness affected 14% of respondents who attended fouryear institutions, according to a survey of nearly 86,000 students taken

by The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.

“The thought process is: If home is not as stable as we’d like it to be or the greatest situation, once a student gets to college — they’re all set,” Taylor said. “That’s not actually the reality.”

Taylor said homelessness on college campuses can look different than in other places, and that students staying on friends’ couches is a common example. He said the feeling of being a burden or not knowing how long you can stay can take a toll on student’s mental state. “(Sleeping on someone’s couch) may sound better than sleeping in a car or sleeping in a shelter, but sometimes that can be just as traumatic,” Taylor said. Taylor said the financial aid colleges give is often not enough, and if it is, students have to use their refund checks to help out family. He said he’s seen students have to spend that money on sick family members and health insurance.

There are a lot of communities that don’t have quality services for their homeless population, Taylor said. East Lansing is not one of those communi-

is an overlooked problem.

“I believe that there are more homeless and housing insecure students on this campus than most people would think,” Steed-Page said.

The MSU Student Food Bank does giveaways every Wednesday and hands out essential goods, like hygiene products and cleaning supplies in addition to food. Executive Director Nicole Edmonds said at their most recent giveaway, which was strictly produce, they handed out about 3,000 pounds of produce in an hour and a half. She said they’re seeing more and more people rely on the food bank, with 9,000 to 10,000 visits expected this year.

Edmonds said all kinds of MSU students depend on them.

“There isn’t one specific demographic of student who’s coming to use our service,” Edmonds said. “It’s undergrads, it’s domestic undergrads, it’s international undergrads, international graduate students, Ph.D. students, visitings scholars from all over the world.”

Edmonds said she’s trying to work with the university to develop an app that would alert students of leftover food that would otherwise be thrown out at cafeterias and conferences. Students could then go to the locations and pick up the food for free.

Taylor said he’d like to see MSU work together with these programs.

He also said he’d like to see employees working with struggling students to get to the root of their struggle.

“No student has academic issues just because they don’t want to do well in school,” Taylor said.

Taylor said that there could be advisors or other faculty speaking with students on academic probation about the challenges they’re facing in their lives.

“The university should be rooted in support first,” Taylor said.

College isn’t an option for many young adults. Whether they are like Terri and robbed of the opportunity or choose to go another route, they don’t have access to the same resources as college students.

In the Greater Lansing area, nonprofits like “Punks With Lunch” are there for support.

The organization gives out food, clothing and other essential goods to people with unstable housing.

Staf fers of

ties — especially when it comes to the services available to MSU students.

With programs like Fostering Academics, Mentoring Excellence, TRIO Student Support Services, the Student Parent Resource Center and the MSU Student Food Bank, plenty are here to help.

While all of these programs don’t directly address homelessness, they provide assets that free up money for students at risk of becoming homeless and work to assist home insecure students find homes.

The Student Parent Resource Center helps MSU students who are parents get to graduation. Depending on need, they provide housing, financial and food support among other things.

Center director, Kimberly SteedPage, believes homelessness at MSU

Punks With Lunch form close bonds with many of the people they help and have seen up-close some of the hurdles preventing people from climbing out of homelessness.

“To make these phone calls, to get to the appointments, to do all the things you have to do (to escape homelessness) — it’s very difficult and sometimes you have to start back over at square one over and over again,” Punks With Lunch co-founder Julia Miller said.

Haven House is a homeless shelter for families in East Lansing that works closely with its occupants to put them in the best possible position going forward — whether it’s a job, financial plan or simply more time needed.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 T H U RS DAY, NOV E MB ER 7, 2 01 9

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SPOTLIGHT

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

All Saints Episcopal Church 800 Abbot Rd. (517) 351-7160 Sun. Worship: 8am, 10am, & 5pm Sunday School: 10am www.allsaints-el.org Ascension Lutheran Church 2780 Haslett Road East Lansing (517) 337-9703 Sunday worship: 10:00am Sunday Bible study: 8:45am Thursday Bible study: 2:00pm www.ascensioneastlansing.org Crossway Multinational Church 4828 Hagadorn Rd. (Across from Fee Hall) (517) 917-0498 Sun: 10:00am crosswaymchurch.org Greater Lansing Church of Christ 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. (Meet @ University Christian Church) (517) 898-3600 Sun: 8:45am Worship, 10am Bible Class Wed: 1pm, Small group bible study www.greaterlansing coc.org Hillel Jewish Student Center 360 Charles St. (517) 332-1916 Shabbat – Services@ 6pm / dinner @ 7, September–April www.msuhillel.org instagram: @msuhillel

The Islamic Society of Greater Lansing 920 S. Harrison Rd. (517) 351-4309 Friday Services: 12:15-12:45pm & 1:45-2:15pm For prayer times visit www.lansingislam.com/ Martin Luther Chapel Lutheran Student Center 444 Abbot Rd. (517) 332-0778 Sun: 10:30am & 7pm Wed: 7pm Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring) www.martinluther chapel.org The People’s Church Multi-denominational 200 W Grand River Ave. (517)332-6074 Sun. Service: 10:30am with free lunch for students following worship ThePeoplesChurch.com Riverview Church- MSU Venue MSU Union Ballroom, 2nd Floor 49 Abbot Rd. (517) 694-3400 Sun. Worship: 11:30am-ish www.rivchurch.com St. Paul Lutheran Church (ELCA) Worship with us on Sundays at 10am 3383 E. Lake Lansing Rd 517-351-8541 www.stpaul-el.org officemanagerstpaul el@gmail.com

St. John Catholic Church and Student Center 327 M.A.C Ave. (517) 337-9778 Sun: 8am, 10am, Noon, 5pm, 7pm M,W: 5:30pm T & Th: 8:45pm F: 12:15pm www.stjohnmsu.org University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd (517) 332-5193 Sun. Bible Study: 10am Sun. Worship: 11:15am www.universitychristianwired.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 Haven House Executive Director Gabriel Biber said they find positive destinations for about 60% of those who go through the shelter. Biber said a positive destination is a stable housing situation, whether that’s staying with a relative, a roommate or a place of their own.

However, Haven House typically deals with families who aren’t experiencing chronic homelessness, he said. This means they need less help to break the cycle or avoid it completely. Statewide, only 18% of shelter occupants leave a shelter to a positive destination.

Biber said people with unstable housing are given more hurdles to navigate while finding housing as their situation worsens. He said after an eviction, it’s much more difficult to find someone to rent to you. He said evictions lead to problems outside of housing.

“If you got evicted, it’s very likely you may have had trouble showing up to work on time or fulfilling all your job duties, so you may have lost your job,” Biber said.

One or even two low-paying jobs aren’t enough to pay rent in most areas. Combine that with a few evictions, and people with unstable housing can be pushed to shelters or to rent in places with questionable landlord practices and lack of regulation.

“The landlord, rather than spend the money to (fix things) might rather say,

‘I’m kicking you out’ and try to find another tenant who is not going to push them to do those improvements and repairs,” Biber said.

Biber said his time working with the homeless has opened his eyes to what people in desperate situations will do to put a roof over their head. He said he’s heard many stories about “survival sex,” where women will have sexual relations with men in order to stay in their homes.

“In general, any homeless person is going to likely find themselves in a situation where they’re asked to make some kind of concession,” Biber said.

Being homeless cuts deeper than the simple concept of shelter. Per the Family and Youth Services Bureau, 80% of homeless mothers with children have experienced domestic violence.

Studies have shown between a quarter and a third of women end up homeless due to violence and that homeless women are between two and four times more likely to experience violence.

Ninety-three percent of homeless mothers experienced at least one traumatic event growing up and over 80% experienced multiple. Seventy percent reported trauma that was related to violence from a family member and about half had been sexually assaulted.

As Terri found out, being homeless is so much more than the absence of a roof.

University Lutheran Church (ULC) “We’re open in every way” 1120 S. Harrison Rd (517) 351-7030 Sun. Worship: 8:30am & 10:45am Fridays@Five: Dinner, discussion & fun 5pm Mon. Bible Study: 6:30pm @Wells Hall Quad www.ulcel.org Facebook: ULC and Campus Ministry University United Methodist Church 1120 S. Harrison Rd (517) 351-7030 Main Service: Sun: 11am in the Sanctuary Additional Services: NEW contemporary service Sundays at 9am with band titled ‘REACH’ TGiT (Thank God its Thursday): Thur: 8pm in the Chapel of Apostles universitychurchhome.org office@eluumc.org

Terri at a speaking engagement as part of Homeless Speakers Bureau with support from Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness. PHOTO COURTESY TERRI

hings didn’t get better right away after leaving the man she was involved with. Terri said she had a lawsuit stemming from the car accident that resulted from her brake lines being cut and had to pay $10,000. She continued to face unstable housing and homelessness.

Terri said she reported the man to the police after leaving, and he was eventually sentenced to 15 years in prison — a sentence that expired in 2018.

In January 2020, his court-ordered supervision will be up and he won’t be tracked by a GPS monitor anymore. Terri said she’s afraid that once unwatched, he’ll make good on his promise to kill her and her children.

Terri never got to be a kindergarten teacher. She said years of domestic violence caused extensive nerve damage that keeps her from being able to bend over. She wouldn’t want to be a kindergarten teacher who is

WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbot Rd. (517) 580-3744 Sat: 6:30pm msu.edu/~welsluth

Religious Organizations:

Don’t be left out of the Religious Directory!

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

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unable to speak with a child at their own level.

She’s a different kind of teacher now, an advocate. Terri travels around Michigan speaking, sometimes in front of hundreds of people, about the realities of homelessness, domestic violence and other forms of abuse.

Terri won her battle with homelessness. She’s lived in the same house for over a decade now. She said Ken and Mitch are both happy and functioning as young adults.

Terri smiles when she talks and laughs often. It took over a decade, but she’s accepted that what happened to Ken wasn’t her fault.

Mostly, Terri’s glad her children finished adolescence in a stable environment with the support she didn’t have.

“If I didn’t have my ma,” Mitch said, “then I don’t know what would have happened as a kid.”

TH U R S DAY, N OV E M B E R 7, 2 01 9

SPORTS

MSU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON NOW IN FULL SWING

PHOTOS BY MATT SCHMUCKER MSCHMUCKER@STATENEWS.COM

The MSU Women’s basketball team beat Eastern Michigan 85-50 on Nov. 5 at the Breslin Center.

COLUMN

WEEKS GONE, BACHIE DONE, HOPE LOST

BY AMANDA POOLE APOOLE@STATENEWS.COM

Joe Bachie — captain and senior linebacker, heart of the Spartan defense and now potentially out for the rest of his college football career due to a failed drug test.

“I will always be a Spartan,” Bachie said in a statement.

Michigan State has already taken too many hits due to the NCAA transfer portal, injuries and tough scheduling this season. But Bachie’s loss will be the most heart-breaking. The second-year captain and threeyear starter leaves the nationally-revered defense with huge cleats to fill.

“Who fills that void as a team leader is important,” Head Coach Mark Dantonio said in a Nov. 5 press conference. “But we’ve got guys that have led in the past and are leaders within themselves, and they will pick up the slack.”

The Ohio native leads the team with 71 total tackles in eight games so far this season. He has accounted for 279

tackles since he’s been at MSU, while also being ranked the No. 4 linebacker in the nation

by USA TODAY. Just add on “tested positive to a banned performance-enhancing drug” and there’s his college football career in print.

The first-team preseason All-American will try to appeal the Big Ten’s drug test, but until that happens, the Spartans will have to fend for themselves.

“This does not define (Bachie) as a player, and more importantly, as a man,” Dantonio said in a statement.

What does this mean for backend of the season for MSU? It’s obvious the Spartans have been inconsistent offensively, but their defense has helped them stay in most games. Bachie’s absence will be evident as MSU comes off this bye-week to play Illinois on Saturday.

Bachie accounts for 8.5 tackles for loss for 35 total yards lost this season. His 36 solo tackles in seven games alone will be missed. Bachie has had nine career games with double-digit tackles. In addition to four sacks this season, he makes plays when needed.

Bachie’s abscence from the field is something others will feel. MSU will lack not only his skill defensively, but also his experience on the field. There isn’t any player ready to take on Bachie’s role yet.

“Everybody’s got to pick it up,” Dantonio said. “Everybody’s got to play 1/11th better to make up for a guy that’s lost.”

Redshirt sophomore Noah Harvey was listed as backup for Bachie on last week’s depthchart, but it’s more than just a position to fill. The Spartans are losing their backbone, a leader that teammates of all ages and experience turned to for guidance and reassurance.

MSU is losing a captain and a role model.

“Noah has been practicing and has gotten game reps and has been in our nickle package in various places throughout the season,” Dantonio said. “So he’s a seasoned player a little bit. He’s an outstanding athlete.

He can really run. He’s got some size to him. He’s explosive. He can jump, he’s a 35-inch vertical guy, 10-foot long jump guy.”

The Spartans are 4-4 this season and 2-3 in the Big Ten. The chance for a decent bowl game is diminishing simultaneously with the Spartan roster. But Dantonio stays hopeful.

“We’ve got other people coming here to play and we’ve got big games this month,” Dantonio said. “We have four games left to play. We are a 4-4 football team. We’ve got something to make of this season.”

The next four games might go along the lines of the last eight: lack of talent leads to lack of execution, which results in a loss. I predict the once-hopeful Spartans lose to Illinois, Michigan, sneak a win at Rutgers and end senior day without Bachie and without a win against Maryland.

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7

CITY

East Lansing sees low election day turnout

People vote in the East Lansing City Council Election on Nov. 5 at Hannah Community Center. PHOTO BY SYLVIA JARRUS

CITY COUNCIL ELECTION WINNERS

Lisa Babcock (24.45%) Lawyer

Mark Meadows (16.62%) Incumbent mayor

VOTER TURNOUT FOR EAST LANSING PRECINCTS

Jessy Gregg (25.08%) Business owner

17

100%

5

90% 6

4

7

80%

Voter turnout percentage

8

11

3

70%

9

2

10 1

60%

12 13

50%

16

15

14

40%

MAP OF EAST LANSING’S PRECINCTS 30% 20% 10% 0%

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

East Lansing precincts GRAPHICS BY GENNA BARNER AND DAENA FAUSTINO 8

THE STATE N E WS

THURSDAY, NOVEM B E R 7, 2 01 9

16

17

BY SARA TIDWELL STIDWELL@STATENEWS.COM

After the East Lansing City Council election Nov. 5 — which saw a low voter turnout on Michigan State’s campus — the three open seats went to Jessy Gregg with 2,944 votes, Lisa Babcock with 2,871 votes and Mark Meadows with 1,9w51 votes.

Meadows kept his seat by just two votes, pushing out fellow incumbent Erik Altmann. Gregg and Babcock are new to the council.

“The people are ready for a change. They want things done differently,” Gregg said.

“I’m pretty excited that we’re going to be able to do that.”

Babcock said she was thankful to voters for the honor to go door-to-door in her campaign to meet the city’s residents. Meadows — who has been on the East Lansing City Council since 1995, taking a break in between 2006 and 2015 to serve in the Michigan House of Representatives — said he was disappointed he wouldn’t serve alongside Altmann.

The light student voter turnout this year was not surprising to election officials.

“We’ve only had a few voters today, hoping for more,” poll worker Joe Dewan said while working the precinct at the MSU Union on election day. “This is really ... not as appealing as a presidential or a midterm election because there’s not so much on the ballot.”

Along with voting to fill three East Lansing City Council positions, the city also voted in favor of allowing the council to sell all or a portion of 26.83 acres of vacant land.

Cathy Scott, an election worker and chair for the 12th precinct, said voter turnout among MSU students was “pathetic.”

“I was not expecting a large crowd because it’s mostly city council and a plot of land that the city wants to sell,” Scott said.

“I don’t know if students are aware that there’s actually another student running for city council. I thought that might bring some people in, but I don’t know how well that information got out.”

Scott noted that with smaller, local elections like this, she has seen as few as six voters throughout the entire day in the past. By noon on Nov. 5, she said she saw five voters.

Polls opened at 7 a.m.

At the other precincts on campus, IM Sports-East and IM Sports-West, the precinct chairs saw the same level of turnout on election day.

“If we get 50 voters today, that would be pretty high,” Jim Sigmon, chair for precincts 13 and 14, said. “(Local elections) are more important than national elections as far as I’m concerned. What you see here locally, you’re going to be impacted by this as a student.”

This was Sigmon’s fourth time at this precinct area and he said there was a similar turnout for the 2017 election.

He cited a lack of excitement for and awareness of local elections as the reason for low turnout.

There were a total of 13 voters by mid-election day at IM Sports-West.

“Last election cycle, about this time, we would have seen, I’m estimating, about 200 voters for the midterm elections,” Devin Humphreys, chair of precinct 15, said.

The East Lansing City Clerk’s office had higher numbers. They reported 1,640 absentee ballots were issued with 1,404 returned around 2 p.m. This called for the highest turnout rate of the day at 86%, and it had only gone up from there.

East Lansing City Clerk Jennifer Shuster also said there was a decent turnout for same-day registration, with three having come in by 2 p.m. on Election Day and 133 having signed up during that two-week time period citizens have to register at her office.

In total, the 25% turnout rate mirrored the 2017 election.

“I’m hoping for that same turnout, if not exceeding that, but we won’t know until after eight, when we start transmitting those results to the county,” Shuster said.

All precincts reported by midnight, and the city voted for Meadows and two newcomers.

Meadows is the incumbant mayor of East Lansing.

Gregg is a small business owner and serves on the Ingham County Parks Commission.

She also worked as a reporter for East Lansing Info. Gregg was inspired to run after participating in many city council meetings.

Babcock is a lawyer and runs Lisa Babcock PLLC in Lansing, advising election law. She formerly worked as a newspaper reporter.

City General Assignment Reporter Maddie Monroe and City of East Lansing Reporter Lucas Day contributed reporting to this story.