Thursday 12/5/13

It’s tourney time

On stage

Student group to debut play on campus this week

MSU has close ties to Volleyball head coach Cathy George MAC foe Ohio

Graduate student Aggie Marchel and telecommunications sophomore Colin Rahn

Julia Nagy/The State News

statenews.com | 12/5/13 | @thesnews

Khoa Nguyen/The State News

features, PAGE 5

sports, page 6

Michigan State University’s independent voice

stars aligned Total Big Ten NFL Draft picks by year, ‘07-‘12

Using unheralded recruits, Dantonio, MSU achieve stellar results

Michigan State Recruiting Class Nat’l Ranking, ‘07-‘12 (Including season records: WIN-LOSE)

Michigan State

#17

Michigan

6-7

Penn State

finances

Students on lookout for scam with rent deals

By Geoff Preston

Minnesota Iowa

#30 11-2

KEY

Indiana

gpreston@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS

#31

11-3

nn

2007

Purdue

2008

Wisconson

#42 7-6

2009

Nebraska Illinois

2010

Northwestern

2011

Ohio State

2012

MSU Recruit Ratings (in ‘stars’)

Big Ten Average Season Records, ‘07-‘12

#41 9-3

Average Big Ten Recruiting Class Ranking, ‘07-‘12

W

L

1 10

8.5

4.5

Michigan

7.16

5.5

Penn State

9.16

3.67

Minnesota

4.33

8.17

Michigan State

7.5

5.16

Indiana

4

8.16

Iowa

2007

7

12

3

X

2008

7

13

1

X

30

2009

3

10

10

X

40

2010

4

12

4

1

Purdue

5.67

6.83

Wisconson

9.33

4

Nebraska

8.83

4.5

5.5

7

2011

2

17

2

X

7.67 10.33

5.17 2.5

2012

1

14

3

X

Illinois Northwestern Ohio State

7-6

#47

20

50 60 70 80 Infogr aphic by paige grennan | sn

By Stephen Brooks sbrooks@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn

L

es Brown is credited with coining the phrase “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

For college football coaching staffs coast to coast, landing stars — as many as possible — is the lifeblood of the business. Not star players per se, although that’s the ultimate goal, but rather players with the most five-sided shapes attached to their online recruiting profile.

More stars means better players. Better players means more wins. More wins means more money and job security for said coaches.

With the advent and evolution of national recruiting analysis services such as Rivals. com, Scout.com and ESPN’s Recruiting Nation

in the past decade, any potential prospect worth a Division 1 coach’s time is promptly listed, evaluated and assigned a “star rating” from one to five based on skill. A five-star-rating represents the most elite high school athletes.

It seems simple enough in theory, right?

In reality, hundreds of players get undervalued, ignored and shut out in the cold of the increasingly chaotic recruiting world every season. In some cases, the oversight is as simple as a player’s inability to attend the right camp, not living in the right region of the country or, most puzzling, not receiving ample attention from rival schools.

During his seven seasons in East Lansing, head coach Mark Dantonio and his staff have demonstrated a unique ability to not only identify, but develop, so-called diamonds in the rough.

The ascent of the Spartan program absolutely has been aided by infusions of topshelf talent throughout Dantonio’s tenure,

but being geographically triangulated by traditional powers Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame can leave the already-slim offerings in the Midwest even slimmer for MSU. Ironically, this dynamic has proven beneficial to both parties. For the most part, MSU has to work harder than the bluebloods, but the overlooked players they uncover tend to be hungrier, more driven and determined to prove themselves after receiving middling recruiting interest.

These players arrive on campus with a point to prove — that the stars lied.

Sophomore defensive end Shilique Calhoun and senior cornerback Darqueze Dennard were honored this week by the Big Ten as the top players at their positions.

Add their ratings together as high school recruits and you’ve got one five-star player.

Combining the profiles of current NFL players Kirk Cousins and See RECRUITS on page 2 u

men’s basketball Head coach Tom Izzo kneels by injured senior guard Keith Appling during the game against North Carolina on Wednesday at Breslin Center.

Khoa Nguyen/The State News

NO. 1 SPARTANS FALL TO UNC AFTER SLOW START

By Matt Sheehan

msheehan@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn

The No. 1 men’s basketball team walked onto the court in kryptonite-colored socks for their highly-anticipated Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup against North Carolina.

However, t he Superman of college hoops walked off the court with their first loss of the season to UNC, 79-65.

The Spartans never led during a game that showcased some of MSU’s most troubling tendencies on the season thus far.

The game started just as poorly as it possibly could have for MSU and had the packed Breslin Center in a restless frenzy almost immediately.

Junior forward Alex Gauna, who got the start in place of ill sophomore forward Matt Costello, started the game by committing two fouls and a

turnover within the first 90 seconds. MSU went on to turn the ball over eight times, four of which came in the first five minutes, and allowing UNC to grab 10 offensive rebounds on the half.

Senior guard Keith Appling silenced the crowd when he went down with an unspecified injury in the first half, but later checked back in. He fin-

See GAME on page 2 u

Khoa Nguyen/The State News

Senior forward Adreian Payne dunks the ball during the game against North Carolina on Wednesday at Breslin Center.

Alyssa Berger thought she finally had solved her housing dilemma by finding a subleaser online for her offcampus house for spring and summer 2014. Instead, she now is $2,200 poorer than she was last week.

Berger, a graduate student, was a victim of a scheme that could be costing several MSU students thousands of dollars. A scammer using the alias “Wendy Woodgate” who claims to be from Guam, has been responding to posts about subleasing on allMSU. com. The scammer’s identity remains unknown.

If a student responded to the scammer’s initial contact, the scammer would send the first month’s rent and a deposit, as well as an additional $2,000, an amount the scammer said they accidentally overpaid.

The additional amount varied for some students, including Berger. Berger received a check for $2,950.

Berger said she was instructed to use a prepaid card called Green Dot Moneypak to pay $2,200 to the unnamed financier of the check. Berger sent the numbers of the card through email to the scammer.

“There were many times I should have realized what was going on,” she said. “I pictured an international student with no place to live.”

The problem arose when the check sent to Berger for $2,950 bounced because it was a fraudulent check. The $2,200 — the amount Berger agreed to send back — already was sent to the scammer through the cards, and Berger was out of luck.

“The biggest thing to do is sit back and analyze everything,” she said. “I know I’m not getting my money back, but I want to spread awareness about this and help catch whoever did it.”

When The State News tried to contact the scammer with the phone number given, the Gainesville, Fla. area code number would redirect to a number with a 248 area code.

The person who answered the phone said the scammer was using his number erroneously and said he’d received numerous calls from students hoping to reach Wendy, but declined to comment further.

Berger since has filed two police reports: one with the East Lansing Police Department and one with the police department in her hometown of Huron, Ohio.

East Lansing police Capt.

Jeff Murphy said he personally was not aware of this incident, but said such fraud scams are not uncommon.

“All it takes is someone who is convincing,” he said. “This kind of thing happens a lot, not just here.”

Some students were lucky to back out of the agreement before they got involved too deeply. Elementary education senior Kiersten Kelly said the typos in the original message tipped her off. "(The scammer) used many errors in her writing,” Kelly said. ”She always demanded that I respond to her emails quickly. It got to the point where it got rather annoying.”

See SCAM on page 2 u

2 | T he State N e ws | t hursday, d e cembe r 5, 2 01 3 | state n e ws.com statenews.com from the archives

Past big games created stir This weekend’s Big Ten Championship game versus Ohio State has many students apprehensive about where MSUwill find themselves over winter break. But the aftermath of the game’s outcome might cause more harm than good in East Lansing.

Nineteen years ago, the scene the week of November 6, was similar to that of this week. Cold air and wind descended upon East Lansing as students prepared themselves for the game of the season: MSU vs. U-M. The outcome decided MSU’s bowl game fate.

MICAELA COLONNA

Three-day forecast

Thursday Cloudy High: 44° Low: 25°

Friday Cloudy High: 26° Low: 18°

Scam

recruits

from page one

from page one

Kelly did not end up sending the scammer any money and called the police, who she said reportedly told her they couldn’t file a report because no crime had been committed.

Kelly said her communication with the scammer stopped after the scammer sent her $2,000 more than the two parties agreed upon.

“She responded to the same post twice in the same day (with the same message),” she said.

Kelly said she looked up the tracking number and saw that the check started in Las Vegas, but the bank was in New Jersey. Kelly said the scammer would not give her the name of the financier sending her the check.

Murphy said students can get desperate if they need to sublease their apartment, and when that sets in, safeguards tend to come down.

“All of a sudden, this person looks like they are going to come in and save the day, so you do something you would normally be cautious about,” he said.

Murphy said research is important. He cautioned that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Le’Veon Bell produces a total of four stars.

Since Dantonio took the job, his recruiting classes have earned an average rank of 35th, according to Rivals, which is trumped by the average annual haul of Ohio State, U-M, Nebraska and Penn State during that span.

Even so, since 2008, MSU has won a Big Ten championship, two Legends Divisions titles and more conference games than any program in the league.

“I think the key to recruiting is recruit guys that can fit your program and fit your system,” Dantonio said. “And then you take your system, and you wrap that around the players and let them rise to the top within the system. I think we’re doing a good job in that respect.

“But as important as anything is recruiting the person, not the player, and I think we’ve gotten good people here that will compete and will raise their level of play and will work.”

Police urge caution when being approached in tough student housing situations

VOL . 104 | NO. 164

Saturday Partly Cloudy High: 23° Low: 15°

Index Campus+city 3 Opinion 4 Sports 6 Features 5 Classifieds 5

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MSU’s proven competitive in the Big Ten by using players ranked lower than counterparts

Analyzing the stars Under Dantonio, MSU has earned a respectable share of the region’s top players, such as wide receiver Aaron Burbridge, defensive tackle Lawrence Thomas and Dantonio’s lone five-star signee, former defensive end William Gholston. Sprinkling in upper-echelon players with a bunch of overachieving guys has produced positive results for MSU, Rivals Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt said.

However, Helmholdt pegged the Spartans a tier below U-M and the Buckeyes in terms of consistently inking blue-chip players.

The entire Big Ten faces challenges in stocking its rosters going forward, with just one of the top-five recruiting states, Ohio, in the conference’s footprint, he said.

Considering those challenges, though, he feels MSU’s recent run of success hasn’t been a blip on the radar.

The Spartans’ success is proof that while recruiting rankings tend to hit more than miss, projecting future successes solely on them can be unreliable.

“Rankings and success on the field do correlate, but they don’t absolutely correlate,” Helmholdt said. “Development, putting players in the right position to make plays, utilizing your talent, that’s all obviously very important. Does it surprise me?

No. Michigan State’s had very good recruiting classes … and I think what they’ve done with that talent is probably among the best in the Big Ten and that’s resulted in a string of several good seasons.”

In August, MSU hired Cur-

tis Blackwell as its director of college advancement and performance camp/director. His fancy title translates into one thing: boosting access to top recruits.

Increased media attention and exposure, coupled with growing prominence of recruiting blogs and websites have accelerated the recruiting process tremendously in recent years, Blackwell said.

As well as coordinating special events to woo recruits, Blackwell assists the MSU staff by tapping into a vast pool of connections across Michigan in an attempt to gain an edge on young recruits.

To keep up with the Joneses, so to speak, schools are pressured into evaluating and offering athletes as early as eighth grade.

“The goal is to try to get as many kids as possible up here for college games,” Blackwell said. “And we’re having a great season this year, so that helps out a whole lot because it’s not hard to get them to come up here when you’re (winning).”

Playing with a chip No matter the spattering of stars, senior linebacker Max Bullough said there is little room for egos in MSU’s program.

“Once you’re here for a year or so, you don’t really have that four-star or five-star recruit mindset,” he said. “You’re part of a team and you can’t have that mindset because we go through so much together you just get broken down. … I think guys just come here to work hard and are team-oriented.”

Many Spartans are bonded by the fact that they were modest or unheralded recruits. They play together with an tenacious edge that can only be formed from being perceived as inadequate.

Senior linebacker Denicos Allen prefers to dismiss high school perceptions with hard evidence.

"We’re playing like we’re four‑ or five‑star recruits out here,” he said. “So that just speaks for the quality of players Coach (Dantonio) brings in.”

No player embodies MSU’s prowess of finding hidden gems than Dennard. He was virtually off the radar entering his senior season playing in Dry Branch, Ga., with no offers in hand.

Today, he’s on the radar of the Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s best defensive back, the Nagurski Trophy for defensive player of the year, and NFL general managers as a likely first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

“I think every player here has their own story and every player here has a chip on their shoulder,” Dennard said. “And that’s what makes us better than anybody around us and that’s what makes us play harder than anybody.

“So I think just being low‑balled you could say, under‑recruited throughout the process and not getting recognition, it all drives us to be better.”

Continued

Khoa Nguyen/The State News

Junior guard Travis Trice goes for a lay-up during the game against North Carolina on Wednesday, at Breslin Center.

Game

MSU climbed back into the game with a strong end to the first half before falling at game’s end from page one

ished with 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

Despite the abysmal start for the Spartans, they climbed back into the game late in the first half to tie the game at 32 apiece at halftime.

The momentum gained at the end of the first half quickly vanished, as UNC’s Marcus

Paige buried a three-pointer to start the second. Harris rebutted with a 3-pointer of his own, but UNC grabbed the lead and didn’t give it up until MSU tied it again with 12 minutes left.

UNC then followed with an 8-0 run and never let off the gas pedal. 5 Tar Heels finished in double digits on the game, with freshman forward Brice Johnson leading the pack at 14 points.

Harris scored 17 points in his first game in 10 days after nursing an ankle injury, but on an underwhelming 5-of-15 clip from the field.

The Spartans will go on a hiatus before their next game against Oakland at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Dec. 14 at 4 p.m.

Check out The State News online:

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SOLUTION TO WEDNESDAY’S PUZZLE

12/5/13

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 © 2013 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

stat e n e ws.co m | T he Stat e N ews | t hu rs day, decemb er 5, 2013 |

Campus+city

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campus Editor Robert Bondy, campus@statenews.com CITY EDITOR Lauren Gibbons, city@statenews.com Phone (517) 432-3070 Fax (517) 432-3075

acade m ics

a d m i n i s t r at i o n

Initiative to track graduation rates of transfer students

College of Veterinary Medicine dean to resign next September

By Olivia Dimmer odimmer@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn

A new initiative will offer a more detailed picture of students at MSU by tracking them throughout their college career.

The Student Achievement Measure, or SAM Initiative, will collect graduation information about students who transfer from other schools during their college career to track data and uncover graduation trends. In previous graduation measures, only students who started and stayed four years at an institu-

tion were counted.

According to a recent study done by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, about one in five students will transfer to a different institution during their course to obtain an undergraduate degree. SAM will aid MSU in accounting for an increasingly mobile student population.

In its most recent report, MSU achieved a 79 percent six-year graduation rate for students that started college in the summer and fall of 2006.

“Graduation rates are good, but still look artificially low,”

Acting Provost June Youatt said of the initiative in the last Faculty Senate meeting held earlier this November. “Because the numbers are calculated based on first-time, full-time completers, we don’t get to count students that come in and complete a degree or international students that come for a year and leave.”

MSU Director of Institutional Studies Mary Black said the initiative will attempt to make information about all students’ progress more readily available to collect data and analyze trends.

“The data includes (students who are) still enrolled, g raduated, enrolled elsewhere, graduated elsewhere at a point in time,” Black said.

“What this does is allow institutions to report on students who started at the institution but have transferred to and may have graduated from other institutions.”

Although SAM will report on the same population the government-led graduation rate system does, the initiative could provide a better understanding of what paths students take to graduation.

Time to jam Delta Township, Mich., resident Patrick Milligan and music therapist Cindy Edgerton play music together Wednesday at the MSU Community Music School.

“Together...

Let’s Jam!” is a fast-paced music group for children, teens and adults to get together and rock out with various instruments.

Margaux Forster/The State News

A

s a student at MSU, Amber Teunis had little exposure to teaching children with special needs.

But when she began working as a music therapist at the MSU Community Music School, or CMS, the alumna discovered a whole new side of teaching.

Now a music therapist at CMS, Teunis assists music ther-

By Justine McGuire jmcguire@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn

College of Veterinar y Medicine Dean Christopher Brown recently announced he will resign in September 2014, sending the university on the hunt for his replacement.

Brown’s resignation makes for the fourth college dean position currently unfulfilled at the university.

Ot her open dean positions include the College of Engineering, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and International Studies and Programs, all of which are at various stages in their search processes.

However, it is normal for universities to have so many leadership vacancies at one time, said Terry Curry, associate provost and associate vice president for academic human resources.

He sa id dea ns of ten aspire to become provosts, and provosts eventually want to become presidents.

On average, deans serve for three and a half years, he said.

Appointed dean in 2006, Brown’s resignation will

come at the end of his eighth year of service.

In an email announcing his resignation, Brown said he plans to remain at MSU as a faculty member to focus on development activities and international programs if the new dean is agreeable.

“The campus and the college have been through some c ha l leng ing times over the last years, and many lie ahead,” he said in the email.

“The veterinar y profession, and academic veterinary medicine in particular, are changing rapidly,” he said. “I think that the time is right for a new leader for our college to come and help build on the significant achievements you all have made, in spite of the difficult times.”

Brown first became a professor at MSU in 1979 and taught until 1994.

From 1994 until his eventual return to MSU in 2006, he held veterinary medicine leadership positions at two universities.

The Provost’s Office soon will appoint an interim dean for the college and develop a search committee to start the transition process.

A decision hasn’t been made on a timeline for replacing Brown, Curry said.

On average, deans serve for three and a half years

Check out The State News online:

www.statenews.com

apy program director Cindy Edgerton with several programs, including “Together …

Let’s Jam!,” a walk-in session held monthly and sponsored by the Capital Area Down Syndrome Association. She said it is crucial to make music available for everyone, including children and adults with special needs.

“To be able to have that primitive part is such an important

part of culture in general, and to have that accessible to everyone — it’s a beautiful thing,” Teunis.

Last year, CMS celebrated the fifth year of “Together…Let’s Jam!” Typically, Edgerton and Teunis lead the hourlong session with bells, piano, drums and other instruments.

For Edgerton, the anniversary marks five years of celebrating

abilities and learning new skills through music.

“So much of their lives they focus on disabilities,” Edgerton said. “To give them time to say ‘let’s forget about that and focus on what you can do’ — it is so important.”

— Katie Abdilla, The State News To see a video about the event put on by CMS, visit statenews.com/multimedia.

Crossword

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

music

Song writing course to end with concert

By April Jones ajones@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn

As the semester comes to a close, 20 students enrolled in an MSU song writing course will have a chance to display their musical skills during a live concert.

The students come from diverse musical backgrounds, said professor John Kratus, who teaches the course. From rapping to heavy metal, the students touch almost every genre of music, then compose and perform their pieces for classmates.

“Every week, each of the 20 members have to perform something— either a new song, part of a song, or a revised song,” Kratus said. “Everyone has that pressure to be up in front and performing something.”

Thursday, the students will have a chance to take their talents from the intimate class and showcase to a larger audience.

The concert will take place at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium.

Environmental engineering freshman Jordyn Davis will be performing two songs — one, a collaborative piece with other classmates and another individual song she wrote titled ‘Follow.’

Music always has been a huge part of her life, she said, and the course has helped shape her into a confident performer. Davis recommended the class to anyone who has an interest in writing, plays an instrument or is looking for a different outlet musically.

“This is the best class I’ve taken so far,” she said. “The class is a really warm and safe environ-

ment that allows you to be confident with your music in a really short amount of time.”

A major part of the course is the feedback the students receive about their music each week. The class isn’t about what the students are learning from him, Kratus said, but what they learn from each other. In effect, the students coach each other to become better songwriters. The student’s final

project in the class will be showing the community their talents they’ve refined.

Media and information senior Michael Finney said as much as he loved the class, he’s happy it’s coming to a close. A selfdescribed perfectionist, the class often took up his weekends with hours of composing and mixing music, he said.

“I can’t wait to take what I

learned from it and use it,” he said.

Davis said she encourages the MSU community to attend the concert to experience what her classmates has to offer.

“Even if you like a type of music that you think most people don’t like, I’m sure if you came to the performance, there would be someone in our class performing the style you like,” Davis said.

KEEP CALM AND

STUDY ON Alright, enough of that.

Bring your books to room 328 Student Services on

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FREE Food & Quiet Environment provided by @ASMSU

Across

1 Rewards for waiting 5 Sauce finisher, often 10 Bit of Halloween makeup 14 Gray subj.

15 Expansive 16 Parting words 17 Family nickname 18 Parting word 19 Erelong 20 “ “ 23 Presidential nickname 24 Inflationary fig.?

25 Drive off 26 Language of Pakistan 28 Peak on the 1,000yen note 31 Language suffix 32 __-Julie, Quebec 33 Nail-biting way to win 36 “ “ 40 Jerks 41 Morse code letter after dit-dit-dit 42 Outlaw Clanton 45 Get rid of 46 Gorilla trained to use sign language 47 Holiday air 49 Mao __-tung 51 Ten-cent pres.

53 “ “ 58 Designer Schiaparelli 59 The Joe in Detroit, for one 60 Superb 61 Tallow source 62 Huge

63 Earthworm habitat 64 Stun, in a way 65 Bout of retail “therapy” 66 Fine subject?

Down

1 “Lost” actress Raymonde 2 How soldiers may lie 3 Gratify the baser side of 4 Have the lead 5 Shellfish morsels 6 Lines from the center 7 33-Down’s homeland 8 Open-mouthed 9 Western landform 10 Clichéd 11 Happy hour morsel 12 Makes amends 13 Rub the wrong way 21 Manjula’s husband on “The Simpsons” 22 Like autumn mornings 27 Like morning grass 28 Made-up 29 Loosen, as laces 30 Enroll 33 U2 frontman 34 Belly laughs 35 Prefix with morph 37 Pixar title robot 38 Hardwood option 39 Mystery 42 Most distant 43 Black Russian component

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46 Alpine parrot 48 Roundish 49 1,000 kilograms 50 Kerry’s department 52 Projection room stack 54 Badgers 55 It may be round 56 Stuff in a backpack 57 José’s home

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4 | Th e Stat e N e ws | t hursday, Decem be r 5, 2 01 3 | state n e ws.com

Opinion

Featured blog Obama answers criticism

opinion column

Research: big holiday weight gain a myth

T

he holiday season officially has begun, and Christmas is just around the corner. With the start of December comes the start of all things festive. If the Christmas decorations being up at supermarkets before Halloween displays were taken down isn’t indicative of the haste to begin the holiday season, I don’t know what is.

find out if extra weight is worth the worry.

It is a common misconception that on average an individual will gain five or more pounds during the holiday season. In a National Institutes of Health study examining weight gain during the holidays, researchers concluded that average holiday weight gain actually is much less. In reality, the average weight gain is about a pound, and cannot just be attributed to this particular time of the year. Another study that looked at college students in particular showed that their average Halloween candy was just body weight remained relthe start. There are plenDietetics seniors Colleen atively unchanged from ty of ugly sweater parthe months of Novemties, nights of hot chocKokx and Maggie ber to January. Although olate by the fire, and of Michalczyk, both members overall weight did not course, pumpkin pie to of the MSU Food and significantly fluctulook forward to. With Nutrition Association, ate, there was a signifall the candy, cookicant increase in body ies and pumpkin-flacontributed to this column. fat percentage and vored everything, it Reach them at kokxcoll@ overall fat mass. What is hard not to want to msu.edu and michalc3@ should be noted is that indulge this time of the a change in body fat peryear. After all, it is sweatmsu.edu. centage and an increase er weather, not bikini season. in fat mass can lead to an Along with all of the fun increased risk of future weightand festivities the holiday searelated diseases, even if it doesn’t son brings comes the looming wormean immediate holiday weight gain. ry of weight gain. Most college students This is why balancing your holiday food throw nutrition out the window this time fun is something to keep in mind as you navof the year in exchange for tasty treats. igate through these next couple of months.

I’m sure you’ve thought the same things: Don’t let this year’s gingerbread cookies “It is only for a short period of time, right? haunt you like mini ghosts of Christmas past.

Will these little splurges actually affect my Instead, focus on incorporating these tips to weight?” Let’s cut through the myths and

Comments from readers

“After the Obama administration said Sunday that the tech problems ailing the new federal healthcare exchange website were fixed, Obama addressed reporters on Tuesday about the Affordable Care Act rollout.”

— Michael Gerstein, State News staff reporter

ensure a very merry holiday season.

Start the day with breakfast Think skipping the most important meal of the day will save extra calories for later on? Think again. Eating breakfast will get your day off on the right foot and keep your hunger in check throughout the day. A recent study found that eating a protein rich breakfast, such as eggs or lowfat milk, led to reduced food cravings prior to dinner and improvements in hormone levels that tell the body when it is hungry and full.

Choose water Stay hydrated with lots of water throughout the day. Cranberry juice and eggnog are filled with sugar and contribute to a lot of hidden extra calories. A glass of cranberry juice comes in around 140 calories and 30 grams of sugar, the same amount found in soft drinks, while eggnog contains a whopping 220 calories and 20 grams of sugar per glass.

Get up and move Go for a walk and take in the beauty of the season, or find a Reindeer Run in your area to participate in.

Have a pre-party snack. Arriving famished to a party will no doubt lead to munching on appetizers by the mouthful, many of which are not the healthiest options.

Instead, grab a handful of nuts or a small

Read the rest online at statenews.com/blog.

apple with peanut butter before you head out the door. The mix of protein and carbohydrates in these snacks will take the edge off of your hunger, which will make it easier to make better choices at the dinner table.

Be selective “Here for a limited time” is all too often used by food companies to entice customers on buying special holiday treats. Remember that “the limited time” is in fact, not so limited. Chances are you will get another opportunity to enjoy a particular holiday food.

So as the holiday parties start to fill up your calendar and worry about holiday weight begins to fill your thoughts, keep in mind there are small things you can do that will go a long way during this time of year. Although the chance of weight gain might be small, if any, it is good to be armed with the knowledge that will keep you in check this holiday season. There is no need to swear off all festive food, just remember balance and moderation are keys to ensuring a healthy and happy holiday season.

Just so you know

nn

“Column: NCAA rules clearly spell out Miller suspension”

JUST SOpoll YOU KNOW wednesday’s results

“Jim Delaney is a joke. He wants Ohio State in the National Championship game so badly he can’t even fathom doing the right thing. However, he fined Nebraska for Bo Pelini cursing at a news conference, saying it was against the BIG’s code of ethics and behavior. Give me a break. Flipping the double-bird to 100K and a national TV audience isn’t though?

No 30% None 74%

Should OSU quarterback Braxton Miller have been suspended?

One 23%

Today’s state news poll

Yes 75%

Is it OK to use Adderall or Ritalin recreationally or for studying?

No 25%

To vote, visit statenews.com.

0

10

20

30

40 50 60 PERCENT

70

80

Total votes: 58 as of 5 p.m. Wednesday

editorial cartoonist

Delaney needs to be gotten rid of. The BIG is becoming a joke and this is contributing to it. Urban Meyer is what he is. His actions, or lack thereof, don’t even surprise me.”

LASpartan, Dec. 3

brandon hankins bhankins@statenews.com

“This article smacks of desperation. Don’t want to face us at full strength Sparty?”

Ron Wollett, Dec. 3

“I’m fine with the decision. I want to beat a whole and healthy Ohio State team.”

Aaron Mottaghi Dec. 3

To share your thoughts on this story or any other stories, visit statenews.com.

Letter to the editor nn

Reach out to ASMSU before election ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, is set to elect a new president on Thursday. This is an excellent opportunity for constituents to connect with their representatives and voice their opinions about how ASMSU should move forward. Representatives are eager to hear from students about the qualities and agendas that they should look for in a candidate to fill this position for the coming semester.

ASMSU constantly is criticized for being detached from the student body and failing to voice their concerns. Those criticisms are correct. ASMSU needs to return to its original goals and take an active role in how the university engages with its students.

However, every ASMSU representative’s email address is available (and has been for years) on our website, and students need to take full advantage of this fact to let their voice be heard. This semester, representatives have taken steps to reach out to students through a town hall meeting and other events that allow students to connect with their representatives on a personal level; however, with the presidential election only a few days away, it is imperative that students who are disheartened about ASMSU’s shortcomings email their representatives about the direction ASMSU should head.

While it is rather unfortunate that students were not given

ample time to know who exactly will be contending for the top spot this Thursday, it is this type of grievance that students must voice to their representatives for ASMSU to truly move forward.

The bike share program was the only time I have ever received any emails from constituents — they took the time to let me their thoughts and I greatly appreciated their input. However, after the dust had died down on that issue, I have to this day received no correspondence from a single student.

No issue is too small when it comes to getting in touch with your representative, whether it be your thoughts on trustee spending, tuition increases, or any other grievances you feel need to be addressed at a meeting of the General Assembly. Gripe all you want in the comments section, but while my inbox remains empty, I question whether students actually want to be involved in their government.

This coming semester is a wonderful opportunity to bring back the true purpose of ASMSU, but students must take it upon themselves to get involved, and it starts with the election this Thursday.

Evan Schrage, ASMSU representative

“ Gripe all you want … but while my inbox remains empty, I question whether students actually want to be involved in their government.”

We want to hear your thoughts.

The State News welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must include your year and major, email address and telephone number. Phone numbers will not be published. Letters should be fewer than 500 words and are subject to editing.

How to reach us Questions?

Contact Opinion Editor Summer Ballentine at 517-432-3070.

By email opinion@statenews.com By fax 517-432-3075 By mail Letters to the Editor, The State News, 435 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823

5 | Th e Stat e N e ws | t hur sday, d e cem be r 5, 2 01 3

staten e ws.com

Features

Features editor Isabella Shaya, features@statenews.com Phone (517) 432-3070 Fax (517) 432-3075

t h e at e r

challenge

Roial Players perform ‘Almost, Maine’ Student runs 140 miles in 6 days

By Ariel Ellis

By Anya Rath

aellis@statenews.com

arath@statenews.com

THE STATE NEWS

THE STATE NEWS

nn

nn

With hopes of easing students’ sleep -deprived and stress-induced days leading up to finals is theatrical group Roial Players offering magical romance and poignancy in the form of the play “Almost, Maine” — showing Dec. 5-8 in the RCAH Theatre at SnyderPhillips Hall.

The romantic-comedy, written by John Cariani, is made up of almost a dozen vignettes, or short scenes, that follow several residents in the fictional town of Almost, Maine, as they fall in and out of love in strange ways.

After seeing the play, English junior Steven Neal and his co-director Lauren Gaynor, an English sophomore, decided to bring it to MSU because it was something he said touched both of them.

“It’s a mixture of both comedy and a little bit of tragedy,” Neal said. “There’s sad elements and happy elements and it fuses all together to show the journey of love.”

After selecting the play in April, Neal and Gaynor decided to follow the whimsical original word for word, hoping to recreate the emotional realism they experienced when first seeing the play.

With no particular characteristics in mind, Neal and Gaynor held open auditions for the play, welcoming actors of

All Abbie Newton could see as she stood on the Andes Mountain range were voluminous white clouds. At 12,000 feet above sea level Newton’s 140-mile journey through Peru began.

Newton, a journalism and political science sophomore, traveled to Peru from Nov. 1-17, to take on the ultimate challenge — running 140 miles in six consecutive days with four other youth ambassadors from the U.S., Canada and Australia.

The trip was sponsored through Impossible2Possible, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing life-changing experiences to young adults.

Newton ran 20 to 25 miles a day through many different ecosystems, winding her way down through rocky terrain, past flowing rivers and waterfalls and into the tropical Amazon rain forest.

“Half the time you forgot you were running, just because you were captivated by the beauty of the land,” said Newton, who had never left the U.S. before.

One day of the expedition, their run was cut short because of the possibility of jaguars coming out at night. Newton also saw snakes, monkeys and other indigenous animals.

Newton said running through the rain forest brought about claustrophobic feelings.

Khoa Nguyen/The State News

Studio art junior Morgan Kelly and economics senior Derek Tisler run through a scene during rehearsal Tuesday in the RCAH Theatre in Snyder-Phillips Hall.

long time, just stopped loving you and putting yourself in that scenario.”

The way the joys and perils of love are displayed within the play is what Neal said makes it unique — encouraging all students to come out and see the play for two reasons.

“One, this show is heartwarming and great and ever yone i nvolved ha s worked their butts off and poured their heart and soul into this show,” he said.

“Two, with all of the hard work, we’ve created a show that’s magical and warm that will just make you feel good after watching it.”

The show is Dec. 5 at 9 p.m., Dec. 6-7 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. for $5.

all majors, both experienced and novice.

“We wanted to make it really relatable, we did a lot of character work with the actors,” Neal said. “Some people blew us away on the first day, others were good, but we knew we could shape and mold it to be the exact way we envisioned it.”

Playing one half of a lovelost couple, theatre junior Kara O’Connor said she was happy to earn the role of Gayle — a character she could easily connect with.

“She comes into her boyfriend’s house, after she has been dating him for 11 years,” O’Connor said. “You have to put yourself into the position of the character and think about how it would feel if your boyfriend, who you’ve been with for such a

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The group also stopped in local villages to meet the native people and try the cuisine.

“We had a lot of llama, (and we) tried guinea pig — (it was a) slimy meat,” Newton said.

Ray Zahab, the founder of Impossible2Possible, said every expedition features youth ambassadors running to a specific destination that is educationally relevant.

“It opens their minds to the possibility that they can do anything they set their minds to,” Zahab said about the experience of the expedition.

Newton said her day typically began around 6 a.m. and the group would run from 8:30 a.m. to noon, completing 13 to

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Aries (March 21-April 19) Today is a 7 -- Mercury enters Sagittarius (until 12/24); you see (and can articulate) a broader perspective.

Share it in person, via email or social media, and get the word out in bold letters.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today is an 8 -- It’s time for adventure time. Try something new, or explore areas you normally avoid to discover something you didn’t know about yourself.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Today is a 7 -- For three weeks with Mercury in Sagittarius, communication with your partner is more direct and easy. Rely on others. Choose participation over isolation.

Expand your bankroll. Shared holdings increase in value.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Today is an 8 -- For the next three weeks, expand your sphere of understanding. Let yourself get persuaded to participate. Your work becomes more interesting.

Weigh pros and cons.

14 miles in the morning.

During the break, the ambassadors held video conferences with schools around the globe to inspire students about resiliency.

New ton said she spoke with between 8,000 to 10,000 students through the video conferences.

After they ate lunch, the group ran for three or four more hours and ended the day with a lesson about the ecosystems they personally witnessed through the day.

To join the expedition, Newton filled out a general application that youth all around the world can apply for. From these applications, the Impossible2Possible team picked 20 finalists. The finalists then went through a series of interviews, after which Newton was selected as one of the five ambassadors.

After being chosen in August, Impossible2Possible put Newton through intensive training to prepare her for the rigorous expedition prior to sending her to Peru, which was paid for by the organization.

“It’s not a matter of throwing these people to the wolves,” Zahab said.

Newton said returning home to her apartment in East Lansing was a stimulation overload after seeing the simple life of the Peruvian people.

“It made me appreciate the little things in our lives,” she said. “We don’t need to be all extravagant.”

card. Get only what you need and go for the best quality.

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Abbie Newton was one of five youth ambassadors who participated in Impossible2Possible

Horoscope By Linda C. Black

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“You can’t see the sky very much,” she said.

Newton slept in tents along the way, and carried one backpack filled with toilet paper, hand sanitizer, socks and food.

“We didn’t really shower except for a waterfall that we ran through,” Newton said, laughing.

The ambassadors received food and water on a daily basis from a lead vehicle that traveled ahead of them. They followed the vehicle to stay on track as they ran.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Today is a 9 -- For the next three weeks, you’re even smarter than usual, and especially good with words.

Get disciplined (especially today and tomorrow) about your health, diet and exercise. You can afford to invest in your vitality, and this includes rest.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Today is a 7 -- For the next three weeks, improve things at home, especially through communication. Stay out of somebody else’s battle. Focus on household renovation and get the best quality.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Today is a 6 -- For the next three weeks with Mercury in Sagittarius, reconsider assumptions. You’re especially bright, witty and persuasive.

Stand up to a critic. More study will be required. Increase your family’s comfort. Temptations are alluring and love blossoms.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Today is a 7 -- It could get easier to spend over the next three weeks, so think before handing over that

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Today is a 9 -- Ask probing questions to deepen your studies, which expand through communication over the next three weeks. The action is behind the scenes. Enjoy new developments. Turn down a public for a private engagement.

Question authority.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Today is a 9 -- For the next three weeks, realizing dreams goes easier. It’s a philosophical phase, and what you learn could have volatile moments. A female brings beauty into your home.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Today is a 6 -- For the next three weeks, consider all possibilities and discuss them. Group participation gets powerful results. Confer with others and discover views that ring true. Plan carefully.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is a 7 -- For three weeks, what you say impacts your career directly. Answers lead to new questions. Your assets are gaining value. Consider it a three-week testing phase.

Employment

Employment

Apts. For Rent

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ALL LEADERS- Public TV & Radio need you.

Raise money for NonProfits, build resume.

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444 Evergreen Lic. 5, avail. fall ‘14. 2 blocks from the union. Call 517332-8600

CUTE HOUSE, 251 Gunson. Lic. 2.$650 per person. No smoking, hot tub, a/c, w/d, 333-9595

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Houses/Rent 1816.5 MICHIGAN 201415 school year, licensed for 4. Sign a lease by 12/31/13 for no app fee and free washer/dryer.

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Wanted CASH FOR diabetic test strips - unopened and non expired. Call 248224-1718.

Go Green!

Go White!

Go State!

Sports wrestling

dblalock@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn

As the fall semester draws to a close, the wrestling team’s season is just starting to heat up.

The Spartans (5-3 overall) will partake in their first Big Ten matchup of the season against No. 16 Wisconsin (6-3) at 2 p.m.

Sunday at Jenison Field House.

This will be the first hack MSU will get against a Big Ten opponent since finishing last season 0-8 in the conference.

“The Big Ten is a remarkably tough conference,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “For us, Wisconsin is a winnable duel, but we’re going to have to wrestle well.”

Wisconsin will pit five wrestlers in the lineup that are ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight class.

MSU, who features five new wrestlers to the lineup, will be led by the three returners who went to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Despite a young team, 184-pound junior John Rizqallah said this year’s team is different than squad he has been on in the past.

“The team I’m wrestling with now is a lot different than the team I’ve wrestled with in the past,” he said. “These guys are just a lot tougher than we’ve ever been. These are the type of guys I would want to fight with.

6

#SNDailynumber

6

sports editor Matt Sheehan, sports@statenews.com Phone (517) 432-3070 Fax (517) 432-3075

Points OSU is favored by for Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game according to bovada.iv.

football

MSU opens big ten play with badgers

By Derek Blalock

state n e ws.com | The State N ews | thu rsday, de cemb er 5, 2013 |

If we would walk into the bars or something, these are the type of guys I would take with me.”

R izqa l la h, heav y weight senior Mike McClure and 157-pound junior Ryan Watts were three of four MSU wrestlers in the NCAA Tournament and they will bring a great deal of experience to the youthful lineup.

All three wrestlers will go up against ranked opponents with the headline match possibly being heavyweight Connor Medbery, who is ranked No. 6 in the nation, against No. 11 McClure.

Medbery was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season and finished with a 25-8 record on his way to an NCAA Tournament berth.

So far this season, Medbery is 14-0.

McClure is 10-2 this season and picked up three wins last weekend at the Northeast Duals.

He pinned North Carolina’s Bob Coe in the final match of MSU’s meet against UNC, which gave MSU the 22-19 victory.

Rizqallah, who is 10-2, will go up against No. 15 Jackson Hein for Wisconsin. Hein finished 7th in the NCAA Tournament last season and is 8-2 this season.

Watts will go up against No. 10 Isaac Jordan, who is a freshman for Wisconsin. Jordan and No. 19 125-pounder Ryan Taylor already are contributing for the Badgers.

Ohio state prepares for first big ten title game in meyer era

By Dillon Davis

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer joins his team to sing the school alma mater “Carmon Ohio” at the end of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., last Saturday. Ohio State won, 42-41.

ddavis@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn

Staring down a dream, it’s important to note Urban Meyer has been here before.

Several times, in fact.

He chased down a BCS bowl at Utah as the highest-ranked non-BCS team of 2004 with players such as Alex Smith and Sione Pouha. He returned to a BCS bowl three times in four years at Florida, including two national championships, with guys such as Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes, among others.

Now in the fourth head coaching stop of his illustrious career, it’s the No. 10 MSU football team (11-1 overall, 8-0 Big Ten) standing in the way of Meyer and a third national championship appearance with No. 2 Ohio State (12-0, 8-0). And in getting his first crack at the Big Ten Championship Game, Meyer recognizes the significance of the event on a national scale, given what it means to both programs.

A year after the Buckeyes narrowly defeated MSU 17-16 in a regular season matchup at Spartan Stadium, the two teams kick off Satur-

Julian H. Gonzalez/ Detroit Free Press/ MCT

day in the Big Ten Championship Game (8:17 p.m., FOX) — with major BCS bowl implications on both sides.

“This is the first one I’ve been a part of, so I think on a national scale, you have two top-10 teams that are gonna be playing against each other, and with a lot at stake,” Meyer said. “I mean, everything’s at stake.

Like any other major conference, you’re dealing with two top-10 teams fighting for the ultimate prize and obviously, some very good BCS bowls.”

An Ohio State victory likely sends the Buckeyes to the BCS National Championship Game, while the Spartans are the Big

Ten’s best bet to go to the Rose Bowl. If the Spartans get the win, MSU will be smelling the roses in a certain trip to Pasadena, Calif. — the program’s first since 1988.

Similar to the playmakers he’s had at Utah and Florida, Meyer will go to battle Saturday with quarterback Braxton Miller and running back Carlos Hyde — a duo which Meyer said “might be the best” quarterback-running back combination he’s ever had.

Miller was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year in a season where he threw for 1,759 yards and 21 touchdowns while he rushed for 891 yards

and eight touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Hyde was arguably the Big Ten’s best running back, finishing the regular season with 1,290 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

Meyer said the key to beating the Spartans is managing the distractions in preparation on and off the field, allowing the Buckeyes to focus on the task at hand and not look beyond Saturday’s primetime showdown with MSU.

More online …

To read more on OSU’s prep for Saturday’s game, visit statenews.com.

volleyball

Coaches, players share MAC ties before Ohio NCAA match

By Omari Sankofa II osankofa@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn

The volleyball team will travel to Lexington, Ky., to take on Mid-American Conference champion Ohio on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Playing a smaller conference team certainly presents a challenge, as the Spartans are less familiar with an MAC opponent than a team such as Oregon, who hails from a highly-visible Pac12 conference.

However, that is not to say the Spartans are at a disadvantage.

The MAC isn’t unfamiliar territory to head coach Cathy George, who coached the Western Michigan Broncos for 11 years prior to joining the MSU coaching staff.

George, who guided the Broncos to a MAC championship in 2000, said the conference employs a tough, physical style of volleyball that is comparable to the Big Ten. Ohio is perhaps one of the hardest-hitting MAC teams, meaning the Spartans will face a squad that isn’t significantly different from what the team is accustomed to.

“Ohio is a team in the MAC that is more physical than most of the teams in the MAC,” George said. “So they’re more likely to look like a Big Ten school. They

have some size. They have athleticism. They’re just a real feisty team. (They) play hard (and) play great defense.”

The Spartans also have the benefit of having senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski on the roster. Before transferring to MSU after her sophomore year, Wicinski played for Northern Illinois in the MAC. “They’re gonna come in here and they’re not gonna back down on us,” Wicinski said. “They’re gonna come here and be aggressive, and we know that. (Coach George) came from the MAC, too, so we know that we’re going to have to go in there and be aggressive.”

Junior libero Kori Moster, who hails from Cincinnati, welcomes the opportunity to play a team from her home state.

She looks forward to what the weekend will entail, as host Kentucky and Atlantic-10 champ Duquesne await the winner of Friday’s game, which takes place at 5 p.m.

“We’re looking for the long run in this postseason,” Moster said. “Ohio is a great team to start off with and Kentucky is a great team to hold out. Definitely, it’s an opportunity to play some great teams in this country and see what we can do in this country.”

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