Tuesday 02/22/22 by The State News

Michigan State’s Independent Voice

2022 SPRING HOUSING GUIDE All you need to know about your home away from home

SPOTLIGHT

Roommates to best friends: How students turned online conversations to real life friendships

Whether living with friends or going in blind, incoming college students often turn to social media when looking for roommates. Here’s the stories of how two friendships formed from online introductions. PAGE 10

CAMPUS

What to consider when moving off campus Mental health reporter Julian Stainback walks through things to consider when moving off campus. PAGE 14

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Vol. 112 | No. 13

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2022 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CULTURE Karly Graham EDITOR Noah Edgar MANAGING EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR Jayna Bardahl Eli McKown COPY CHIEF SaMya Overall

MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Devin AndersonCAMPUS EDITOR Torrez, Rahmya Wendy Guzman Trewern CITY EDITOR Griffin Wiles DESIGN Maddie Monroe

SOCIAL MANAGER Stephanie McCullum

Cover art courtesy of Chloe Trofatter Junior Kazuki Matsuno plays doubles with redshirt junior Nick Williams against Louisville on Feb. 12. Photo by Audrey Richardson.

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SPORTS

How Maya Washington learned about her father’s historic legacy in making ‘Through the Banks of the Red Cedar’ By Jared Ramsey Jramsey@statenews.com Growing up, Gene Washington was nothing more than a loving father in Maya Washington’s eyes. Her father was a dedicated parent who would drive her back and forth from school while working as a diversity, equity and inclusion manager at 3M in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She did not know her dad competed as a two-sport athlete for Michigan State in the 1960s. She did not know he was part of the team that broke the color barrier in college football and helped lead MSU to back-to-back national titles in 1965 and 1966. She did not know her father was drafted eighth overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 1967. The moment she learned about her father’s illustrious career and the historical significance of the MSU football teams he was a part of, her life changed. She shared her learning experience in her documentary “Through the Banks of the Red Cedar,” which shows Maya Washington learning the history of her father and former head coach Duffy Daugherty’s integrated football teams of the 1960s. She documented her learning process through interviews with her father and his teammates from Michigan State to share the historical significance of the teams and her father’s legacy with the world. The documentary highlights Maya Washington’s journey learning about her father’s past and the spark it brought to their relationship as father and daughter. “It required me to spend time with my dad — to ask him about his life, to spend time with his teammates and coaches, and getting to know his history and doing a lot of research and watching old films and looking at family albums,” Maya Washington said. “It has been such an incredible gift for he and I to spend time together, getting to know one another.” But it took a while for Maya Washington to figure that out and find that connection with her father again. First, she had to get an education. Gene Washington was tight-lipped about his past and the accomplishments that predated Maya Washington’s birth. She only knew him as “Dad.” There was no talk of the Game of the Century or battles with University of California Los Angeles in the Rose Bowl. They focused on the life of the Washington family with a dad working in corporate America, not football. The conversations between them varied, but Gene Washington’s own experience never came up. The emphasis always came back to Maya and her sisters to go to college and complete their education. “I really only knew him as someone who worked in corporate America on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion,” Maya Washington said. “That he was a human resources professional

“The more I learned about this history, the more it became clear to me that I really wanted more people to know about this specific integration story at Michigan State.” Maya Washington Filmmaker working to create access and opportunity to employment and higher education. That’s what I knew of my dad.” Maya Washington continued her pursuit of her father’s dream and graduated from University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in dramatic arts. She wanted to become a storyteller and stumbled across her father’s own shortly after graduation. 4

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Filmmaker Maya Washington and her father Gene. Gene played wide receiver at MSU in the 1960s. Courtesy of Through the Banks of the Red Cedar.

It happened while attending the funeral of Spartan legend Charles “Bubba” Smith, who played with Gene Washington from 1963-67. She went with her father and began to hear a wide range of stories from her dad and his teammates about their time and legacy at MSU. At the memorial service, she learned that Smith told Daugherty about his crosstown rival’s star wide receiver, who happened to be Gene Washington. Daugherty offered both of them a scholarship and they came to East Lansing from the segregated towns of Beaumont and LaPorte, Texas in 1963. Other Black stars from the south like Jimmy Raye II, Clinton Jones and George Webster joined them. The story was so moving that Maya Washington decided to put her degree to use and learn more about her father at the same time. With it being too late to thank Smith for what he did for her father, Maya Washington decided to honor his and the team’s legacy by sharing their story for a larger audience. “The more I learned about this history, the more it became clear to me that I really wanted more people to know about this specific integration story at Michigan State and Duffy Daugherty’s recruitment of Black players in the south at the time,” Maya Washington said. Maya Washington began her research into her father’s past as an athlete. Through talks with her father and his teammates, she learned about the group’s historic migration from segregated towns in the South to Michigan State to play for Daugherty, the only head coach in America at the time that would field a fully integrated football team. “There’s so much that I just really didn’t know the details around that was incredibly surprising,” Maya Washington said. “I think some of the gifts that have come out of those surprises are the blessing of having connection and relationships to my dad’s teammates and their family.” She delved into the history of the players who took the immense risk to travel across the country to play the sport they love. She learned about the group of trailblazers: Smith, Jones, Webster and Gene Washington, who were teammates on the first fully-integrated college football team and then proceeded to be four of the first eight picks of the NFL draft, a record that still has not been broken 55 years later. Most of that learning took place through conversations with Gene Washington about his own history. The story focuses on his experience making the unprecedented journey across the country along with others and how they overcame adversity to reach the highest levels of the sport. For Maya Washington, the talks of the past painted her father in a new light and made her appreciate their relationship in a new way. “I think it gave me even more context for his personality, for

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his love of sports, his passion and determination that my sisters and I would get our college education and also go on and get graduate degrees,” Maya Washington said. “It really helps me to fill in some blanks about him and his life and in the way that he views the world.” The overwhelming support for the film, which premiered in 2018, came from everywhere once it was released. College sports historians, diehard MSU fans and people that simply enjoyed the story of a father and daughter rekindling their relationship all reached out to Maya Washington for sharing her story. “Whether you are a diehard football fan or not, I think the way that we’ve approached this story, people have really responded to the father-daughter story,” Maya Washington said. “People have really responded to the historical components of learning more about history and learning more about football from a different angle.” The feedback was so positive that Public Broadcasting Service picked up the film to start regularly airing on its programs beginning in February. Maya Washington decided to adapt the film into a book to dive deeper into the stories shared with her in the filmmaking process. The book, “Through the Banks of the Red Cedar,” released in January, dives deeper into the stories of Gene Washington and his teammates’ legacy. The only thing left on the agenda for Maya Washington now is for Michigan State University to permanently recognize the MSU football teams of the 1960s and for Spartan fans to do their homework on them. Through sharing the story, it’s become apparent to Maya Washington that many Michigan State fans, just like herself growing up, are unaware of her father’s legacy. “I think it’s really important that it’s the team being recognized, and not just individual players because collectively they accomplished so much,” Maya Washington said. “I think it’s a disservice, especially if you’re a part of the Michigan State University community, to not talk about and learn from the ways that the university really contributed to access to inclusion, and to opportunity in the 1960s.” Michigan State Athletic Director Alan Haller announced on Jan. 18 on The Drive With Jack radio show that MSU plans to build a statue of Daugherty and the five Black starters on the two national championship teams when the football complex is renovated, which has no scheduled start date. “My dad will tell you anything he was able to accomplish as a football player was because he had extraordinary individuals around him, that he was participating as a member of a team,” Maya Washington said. “So, I think it’s really exciting that Michigan State University is really thinking about ‘How do we honor these teams?’”

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C ITY

How East Lansing residents handle disputes, disagreements, with their student neighbors By Amalia Medina amedina@statenews.com

Downtown East Lansing in July 2020. State News File Photo

On Oct. 30, 2021, then-Mayor Jessy Gregg tweeted out photos from her police ride-along. The photos included fires in the street, flipped cars and trash all over the ground. It was the day of the Michigan State vs. Michigan football game, and just like every year on this day, East Lansing was in chaos. After her ride-along, Gregg shared a Facebook post to denounce the behavior, which was met with comments from East Lansing residents who were also upset with the students’ actions. Some commenters demanded those students be punished; others advocated for greater student outreach from the city or listed people to be brought into the conversation, such as landlords. One thing was made clear by the likes and comments: There was a problem between the city’s long-term residents and the college population that flooded it each fall. This problem has been present for decades, and although it spikes around fall move-in and football season, it is constantly here. Someone who has experienced this issue firsthand is psychology freshman Jenna Benbraham.

police department that was a little bit less crime-focused and a little bit more quality of life-focused seems like a good way to start to address those neighbor-to-neighbor and student resident to permanent resident issues.” Both Webster and Williams agreed that East Lansing and MSU relations have been improving over the past decade, but that improvement has been hindered in recent years. In 2020 and 2021, students and the university were often blamed for rising COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in East Lansing. As these outbreaks grew, permanent residents became more frustrated with students not following COVID-19 protocols, some going to bars and having parties. Gregg recalled receiving many calls from frustrated homeowners during that time, and sometimes that frustration came from a place of misunderstanding. Since some students live in houses with as many as 20 people at a time, even though those households may have been following COVID-19 protocols, households with only a few people viewed those larger houses as not following the rules. Despite some of the issues that arose from the pandemic, Webster said one positive that came out of the situation was that East Lansing and MSU began working more closely. “The university, the city and then the Ingham County Health Department started working together in a way that they didn’t have to before,” Webster said. “That’s not to say there weren’t communications before, but the pandemic elevated everything to a level where it was like, ‘We need to meet every week and have a discussion about this.’ … Those meetings continue today, which I think is something that came out of the pandemic.”

LIFE IN A COLLEGE TOWN

Benbraham has lived in East Lansing all her life, and as a child, she had several interactions

with students either intoxicated in her backyard or trying to break into her house. When these instances arose, Benbraham and her family would ask them to leave, and that usually worked, but they did call the police one time when a student tried to rob her family member. Regardless of these issues, Benbraham always

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enjoyed living in a college town, just like many of East Lansing’s permanent residents. But when issues such as giant inflatable beer cans, phallic snow sculptures, loud noises and couch burnings come into the picture, the permanent residents tend to take up an issue with their student neighbors. Although many of these disputes are handled either directly between neighbors or reported to the police, there are people from the city and university tasked with solving these disputes, which is an effort to improve the relationship between the city and the university. Community Liaison Suchitra Webster and Neighborhood Resource Specialist, or NRS, Tonya Williams are among the people tasked with this job. Webster’s role at MSU is to work with the city, landlords, property managers and students to help non-campus entities understand how the campus operates and to build those relationships. Similarly, Williams works for the city to focus on the quality of life issues that police intervention cannot solve, including lowpriority calls and community engagement. One aspect of the job is planning for events such as football games. This involves working closely with the police and communicating with off-campus students about behavioral expectations. After these events, they analyze what went right or wrong and how to improve for next time.

NEIGHBOR DISPUTES

When it comes to instances with specific disputes between neighbors, Webster and Williams often get called, along with the police and city council, to mitigate the problem. When this happens, they form direct contact with the parties involved and try to dissolve the issue peacefully, which works a majority of the time. “I think the approach is definitely important,” Williams said. “Sometimes, considering the lack of criminal activity, having an officer go there might not help the situation. It could feel very punitive when there’s really no criminal act happening, so having NRS be a go-between is a perfect example of community policing.” This technique has been adopted more fully in recent years, and Gregg said the NRS position was created a year-and-a-half ago amid calls for police reform and reorganization. “There’s kind of a general inclination not to call the police on your neighbors, basically, because it feels like a very aggressive action, even though that’s really the way that we’ve made our system in terms of enforcement,” Gregg said. “Including a position within our

TOWN DEVELOPMENTS

Not only has the pandemic affected relationships between residents and students, but so has the rapid development East Lansing has undergone in the past decade. With the building of apartments all across town and high-rises in the downtown area, there has been some push-back. “I think that there’s a certain population within the city — people who have lived here for a long time and are kind of used to East Lansing, as they used to know it — who are a little uncomfortable with the tall buildings,” Gregg said. “I’ve heard more complaints just about the height than about the number of people living in them. So, I think the complaints are more focused just on the change from what people are used to than specifically having students living in apartment buildings.” Despite the strains on the relationship between the city and university, both parties are devoted to improving this relationship, which the new two-year live-on requirement and efforts from permanent residents to make students feel welcome at neighborhood association meetings attest to. Moving forward, the university and city hope to foster a healthy relationship between residents and students, as they believe it is central to each other’s success. “A lot of times (the community) gets divided into students (versus) residents,” Williams said. “But if we really start to take a look at it, it is the residents that keep the city going during the summertime, and it’s the students that bring a lot of vibrancy during the school year. So, each group plays its own role, which makes us an amazing city. I think just a little bit more communication, patience and understanding is going to go a long way in mending those fences since the pandemic.”

OPI N I ON

Column: The unsung beauty of the male living space By Drew Goretzka dgoretzka@statenews.com

Few things paint such a vivid picture as the words male living space. As the name suggests, this label is usually bestowed upon the home of college-aged, cisgender men. This group does not own exclusive rights to the male living space, but it is most prevalent within this community. For those who haven’t run into this phenomena, it’s a space that takes battling design concepts and combines them to make something wholly unique. Take the junk collecting of a hoarder’s storage shed, and combine it with the ingenuity of a minimalist. It is simultaneously disgusting and elegant. Disorganized yet understandable. The epitome of yin and yang. Once again, let’s paint a picture. The first thing you’ll likely notice upon walking into a male living space is how much of the decor is stolen. Traffic cones, street signs and generally anything your tax dollars paid for can be found adorning the walls and floors of the living room. Sure, the argument could be made that the stop sign above the third-hand couch is evidence of a crime. But to those who gathered it from the streets of college-ville, it’s a memory of a good night with “the boys.”

The second thing you’ll see alongside Department of Transportation memorabilia is a number of items that were never intended for their current use. Your dad gave you an old cooler before you left for college? It’s now what you eat dinner on every night. That folding table you found beside an apartment complex dumpster? It’s now the entertainment center, equipped with three PlayStation 4s that have the same six games downloaded on each of them. This truly is the yang mentioned earlier. While many students would hop on AmazonBasics and order suitable furniture for their needs, the male living space takes a page out of organizing consultant Marie Kondo’s book. Why buy a loveseat when you can have a perfectly good stack of milk crates? No reason to invest in a side table when you have the box it would’ve come in. The living room isn’t the only room in this design template that has a signature look. The kitchen continues the trend of resourcefulness in this lifestyle. While the average male living space probably had an assortment of ceramic plates and bowls at one time, the fumbling hands of the residents and their guests have probably resulted in the borderline extinction of such dishes. The cabinets are now bare, saved for a collection of cups stolen from sporting events the residents attended over the years. If you take a look into the fridge, you’ll realize dishes weren’t needed anyway. While the great wall of condiments and sauces on the door may imply scrumptious recipes are

Sure, the argument could be made that the stop sign above the third-hand couch is evidence of a crime. But to those who gathered it from the streets of college-ville, it’s a memory of a good night with “the boys.”

being prepared daily, this is merely a red herring. The only ingredients found on the shelves are a collection of takeout containers and rotting meal preps — another example of the deeply rooted minimalism inherent in the male living space. Some naysayers may look at the male living space in disgust, claiming it as an example of inconsideration of college-aged men. They jokingly yell at these residents to “buy a bed frame” or “get an air fryer” over Twitter, with an air of superiority only those who eat out of low bowls can muster. Though the male version is simply one form of college living space — and it is arguably only one of many questionable situations. Many don’t talk about the four-week-old rotting produce on their fridge shelves. Many are keen to ignore the box dye still littering their bathroom sink. Male living spaces may not have proper chairs, but critics are sitting a few feet away from a bong full of stale and fermented water. Instead of criticizing the male living space, I believe we should accept it for what it is: A beautiful and increasingly smelly mixture of ingenuity, simplicity and the young adult lifestyle.

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SPOT L IG H T

Roommates to best friends: How students turned online conversations to real life

Sophomore roommates Gabriella Lopez, Bella Johnson and Jenna Drew talk in their living room on Feb. 14. Photo by Jared Osborne.

By Ashley Zhou Azhou@statenews.com Living with a roommate for the first time is a riveting experience and a drastic change for many students. However, an all-toocommon story is a friendship breaking apart after living together. “A lot of us come to college, and we’ve lived one way our entire lives,” Director of Communications for Residential Housing Services Kat Cooper said. “We’ve lived with our family, and we’ve fit into that dynamic for so long, and we’re being asked to completely change it.” The biggest deliberation for many students is finding their roommate, and although some friendships fail to blossom, others become lifelong friends. Some students prefer moving in with friends from high school, while others decide to take the leap of faith and go in blind. However, the use of social media frequently comes into play. Incoming students post profiles on Facebook groups featuring photos and information about them in hopes of their future roommate asking to learn more about them in the comment section. “(Students) felt like it allowed them to have some agency for themself and trying to find somebody that they thought they would be a good connection with,” Associate Director for Residence Education Coree Newman Coronado said. “Rather than leaving it more 10

T HE STAT E NEWS

to chance or risking a friendship from high not finding anyone, but once I did, I had a great time and am super happy I was there school or from their hometown.” As the class admin for the MSU Class of for the spring semester.” Through the 2023 Facebook MSU Class of 2024 group, fisheries and Facebook group, wildlife junior Gabe Drew and journalism Phibbs works to sophomore Gabriella accept members to Lopez decided to the group and report room together with inappropriate posts. a third roommate Coming from a for their sophomore rural area, Phibbs year. said his hometown “We have kind of only had a small the same sense of handful of students humor,” Lopez said. who committed to “So (we) just kind MSU. of hit it off. I mean, “I went in blind,” I honestly didn’t Phibbs said. “It know her very well didn’t work out (for) until I really moved me my first year, in.” so (the Facebook In the fall, Lopez group) is definitely and Drew went to advantageous if you football games and really want to find farmers markets friends.” Jenna Drew together. Lopez also Environmental watching g e o g r a p h y Environmental geography sophomore enjoys Drew play video sophomore Jenna games. Drew lived on Civil engineering campus last spring sophomore Reese without a roommate Worden and political science pre-law and didn’t know many people on campus. “It was kind of hard to make friends at sophomore Matt Spanich met their freshman first,” Drew said. “I was super nervous about year, in a different way.

“It was kind of hard to make friends at first. I was super nervous about not finding anyone, but once I did, I had a great time and am super happy I was there for the spring semester.”

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Worden and Spanich joined a GroupMe and Snapchat group when they were in the same pre-calculus class that connected them to playing Xbox together. Their online conversations evolved to meeting in person and spending time with each other over the summer. Both being the only child in their families, it took some initial getting used to sharing a room with each other. “It took a week,” Spanich said. “Then we kind of just got to the point where, ‘We’re living together, we’re gonna share everything, we’re using the same space, just be mindful of each other.’ ... We’re really easy-going people, so we don’t get really stressed about that kind of stuff.” Together Worden and Spanich work out together, play video games and do homework together. Worden laughed as Spanich said “Among Us” was one of the earlier games that kicked off their friendship. Being nervous when meeting new people is normal, Lopez said, but it was a relief for them to be roommates initially to now friends. “I feel like being friends with your roommate isn’t something that’s always a given ‘cause I know a lot of people don’t like their roommates,” Drew said. “I feel like I’m pretty lucky that I get along with my roommates.” Both pairs of roommates plan on moving in together next fall: Worden and Spinach will be living with a third roommate from

S POT L I G H T

Sophomores Matt Spanich and Reese Worden in their dorm. Photo by Evan Freeman.

“I don’t think it really matters how they do it. I think what matters is that they’re really looking at those dimensions that are gonna make someone a good roommate for them.” Kat Cooper RHS Director of Communications

Sophomore roommates Gabriella Lopez, Bella Johnson and Jenna Drew talk in their living room on Feb. 14. Photo by Jared Osborne.

their freshman pre-calculus class, and Lopez and Drew will be living together with a third roommate, as well. According to an article written by Robert M. Emerson, professor emeritus in the Department of Sociology at UCLA, one of the main reasons for roommate conflicts is the initial desire for unwanted confrontation to not only preserve their current relationship, but to convince or pressure the roommate to change their behavior. According to the article, “In these situations, systematic exclusion and exit are

generally precluded, with troubled parties instead elaborating and relying on an array of complex managerial and complaining responses.” Through living with Drew, Lopez learned to not go in with a lot of expectations, not to take all things seriously when it comes to communicating with your roommates and recommended spending time and making memories together. “You can’t expect people to do the same stuff,” Drew said. “Something I was worried about coming in was how I do things (and) if

that’s going to be different (than) how other people do things. I would just say make sure you don’t hold somebody to something that maybe they’ve never grown up doing.” Newman Coronado said students often learn more about themselves when they live with someone else. “At least (have) some baseline of agreements about how you think it might work together, so that if there’s really, definitely something that’s not gonna be a good fit together, you can try to either come to a consensus before you’re in the moment

of it or decide that maybe that’s not the right match,” Newman Coronado said. Whether a college roommate is found on social media or not, Cooper believes communication is a key life skill roommates can learn through living together, but also as students move into future relationships. “I don’t think it really matters how they do it,” Cooper said. “I think what matters is that they’re really looking at those dimensions that are gonna make someone a good roommate for them.”

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CAMP U S

In need of housing accommodations? Here’s what to know By Jacob May Jmay@statenews.com In 2017, the Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity house on Charles Street was home to MSU alumna Kayla Hicks. She suffers from a chronic anxiety condition, and requires an emotional support animal, a two-pound Netherland dwarf rabbit, Sebastian. But after submitting paperwork to the fraternity’s director of properties, Hicks’ request was denied. Hicks continued to insist that she needed Sebastian on account of her disability, a need that was verified by her psychiatrist. Hicks filed complaints against the fraternity house with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sebastian was removed from the house, but Hicks moved Sebastian back into the home before spring break. Less than two weeks later, she was threatened with disciplinary proceedings and even eviction. Hicks elected to move out of the house and sued Alpha Omicron Pi for damages, including out-of-pocket moving costs, emotional distress and denial of civil rights as outlined in the Michigan Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act, or PDCRA, and the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, or FHAA. The Detroit Free Press reported in 2019 that in a settlement with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, Alpha Omicron Pi has since amended its no-pet policy and agreed to accommodate its members who have a disability at all of its Michigan houses. According to the settlement, fraternity and sorority houses are not excluded from the PDCRA. Disabled students, on- and off-campus, have rights when it comes to housing, but navigating the use of these rights can be a difficult process. Ability access specialist Ashley Maloff, who works in the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, or RCPD, said the university is required to provide reasonable accommodations, which are outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act as a modification

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or adjustment to a course, program, service or facility, which ensures that a qualified student with a disability is not excluded, segregated or otherwise treated differently. RCPD suggests those seeking accommodation should make a request at least 45 days prior to the start of the semester. It’s also necessary that the individual registers with the RCPD in a three-step process which includes self-identifying as disabled, submitting documentation from a verified medical professional and completing a 60-minute “needs assessment” with an assigned RCPD specialist. In addition to registering with RCPD, a medical professional must submit a letter on a professional letterhead explaining why the housing accommodation is necessary. Then, the student must submit a written statement describing the housing modification and why it’s necessary due to their disability. Only then, the RCPD housing committee will review the request. This process has been a point of concern for some students, citing long waits and a complicated registration process. This experience resonated with arts and humanities sophomore Nicholas Joseph. Although Joseph has not requested housing accommodations, he registered with RCPD in order to receive other accommodations, such as time extensions and absence excuses, on account of his bipolar disorder. “All of this took place over a pretty long amount of time, it took a while for the RCPD to get back,” Joseph said. “In general, the biggest issue I had in terms of the overall process was the length it took.” It can also be costly for those seeking accommodations because of processing fees from healthcare providers, due to the extra paperwork they might incur. In addition, those seeking accommodations might not always have the advantage of having health insurance or a health care provider. According to the Congressional Research Service, the FHAA makes it unlawful for all landowners to refuse to engage in a real estate transaction due to a person’s disability. Further, owners of buildings with four or more units may not refuse to permit a

Plaques of RCPD leaders hang in the reception hallway in Bessey Hall, Room 120. RCPD director Michael Hudson is featured in the middle.. Photo by Audrey Richardson.

tenant to make reasonable modifications at the tenant’s expense or refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies and practices. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the request for an accommodation or modification should be made to your landlord in writing and may involve requesting documentation of your disability or need from a health care provider. After this, if the request gets rejected and the landlord is unwilling to cooperate, the DOJ suggests contacting the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Other options include contacting the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, outside of pursuing a private lawsuit.

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The hard truth about East Lansing’s harsh, drying water By Claire Grant Cgrant@statenews.com Are your showers getting you clean? Hard water may not be a term many are familiar with, but it’s something most MSU students have certainly experienced. The water, which is high in mineral content, can cause dry skin and weaken water pressure.

WHAT IS HARD WATER?

Hard water is a non-harmful form of drinking water that comes from groundwater supplies and is determined by the milligrams of calcium per carbonate per liter. Hard water contains calcium carbonate and magnesium that reside inside the water molecules which can affect how water interacts with different surfaces. Water from the ground in Lansing is very hard, but through water treatments, groundwater can be softened. By pumping the groundwater into a conditioning plant, lime is added to the water to remove the calcium carbonate and magnesium before ferric chloride may be added to treat fine particles of minerals in the water. Then, the water goes through sand filters, much like the regular water cleaning process, to remove cloudiness that was not removed during the chemical treatment. In East Lansing, this method recycles and removes around 65% of the hardness of the water. East Lansing Meridian Water and Sewer Authority, or ELMWSA, maintenance planner Joel Martinez said the cleaning process is integral to East Lansing’s water supply to maintain a moderately hard level. “We are a 24-hour-a-day staffed facility, 365 days a year,” Martinez said. “We do constant chemistry checks to the water as it comes through the plant. We’re doing multiple tests per hour to ensure we are putting out the correct quality. We want the correct amount of softening.” The reason that water cannot be softened more in East Lansing is because of the negative effects soft water has on pipes, as soft water has a higher sodium content that could corrode the older pipes in the area. For that reason, the ELMWSA finds a middle ground between soft and hard water. “It’s good for the pipes, and the pipes will last a long time, but we also want the water to be softened,“ Martinez said. “If you soften the water too much, it actually becomes corrosive to pipes, so that’s why we don’t remove all of the hardness.” The form of measurement for water hardness is in parts-per-million, or ppm, that ranges from zero to 180 mg per liter. Up to 60 mg of calcium carbonate is considered soft water, 61 to 121 mg is listed as moderately hard and 121 up to 180 is ranked as hard. Anything above 180 mg of calcium carbonate is considered very hard. In East Lansing, according to the annual water-quality report, total hardness sits at 110 ppm, just below hard levels, with a pH scale of nine units. Regular drinking water sits in the range of 6.5–8.5 pH, which makes the water in the area more alkaline. Alkaline water has positive benefits for the human body and pH level, which actually makes tap water better to drink than purified water. While there are benefits to drinking hard alkaline water, there are certain differences for moderately hard water. It is more of an aesthetic issue than most should worry about, but when searching for an apartment, it is important to know if the complex treats their water independently with filters or not. Soft water can pick up minerals from the

system which could be hazardous in older lead pipes. In December 2016, the Lansing Board of Water and Light removed the last lead pipe in Lansing. Ways to spot hard water when searching for rentals can be tricky. Well-maintained complexes will keep the buildup of minerals cleaned regularly. Unmaintained hard water faucets will have white build ups of calcium and lime around taps, lower water pressure, spots of residue on surfaces that come in contact with water and sediment buildup in pipes and appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. “One thing that I look for in an apartment is that they have a bathtub instead of just having a shower,” journalism senior Demetria Bias said. “For some bathtubs, if the water is harsh enough, it’ll make the drain of it rust and make it unappealing to the buyer who wants to get a lease at the apartment.”

HOW HARD WATER EFFECTS MSU STUDENTS

If you’ve ever wondered why your hair was on the fritz while living in your dorm, or why sensitive skin can become a nightmare to handle when you’re away from home, hard water is the answer. Hard water can strip naturally-occurring oils from the skin, and, in turn, can leave a buildup of minerals on the body. Soaps and detergents will not be as effective in lathering when in contact with the water causing soap scum. On campus, Michigan State is supplied water from their own pipeline which does not contribute to the greater East Lansing area. In 2019, the Michigan State Water Quality Report said the hardness of water averaged at 591 ppm, which blows East Lansing out of the pool. “When I lived on campus, I could tell it was hard because it smelled like pennies,” Bias said “It smelled like metal compared to having water back home. I didn’t wash my hair when I stayed on campus … because I lived in McDonel and it was too rough, so I said no. You always hear stories of it turning girls’ hair green and it stripping it of its nutrients.” Communications and journalism senior Brea Crawford spoke about how water on campus affected her hair and even body at times when living on campus. Choosing to live off-campus, the conditions of the water and treatment were an important part of the renting process. “I was realizing as I was eating food on campus, I was having very bad stomach pains to the point where as soon as I would brush my teeth or eat food in the cafeteria, I would have to go to the bathroom,” Crawford said. “I did go to the doctor three months into me being on campus, and she did let me know it was due to the water on campus. … I knew from that moment forward I needed to move off-campus if I wanted to survive as a Michigan State student.” A reverse-osmosis filter, or an RO filter, is one of the only ways at-home services can soften water. By asking apartment complexes if they offer RO filters for showers or faucets, moderately hard water can be softened to reduce the effect on drying skin and leaving residue on surfaces. As RO filters are expensive and hard to install, Martinez recommends point-of-use shower system filters, which are easier to install for in-unit applications. “If you’re up here by yourself with no parents, your health comes first,” Crawford said. “College is already so stressful, so something so simple as water — a necessity that we need — that could possibly take you out? It’s scary.”

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What to consider when moving off campus By Julian Stainback jstainback@statenews.com Moving into a college dormitory is the first step of college life for many students. Before classes begin, students immerse themselves in campus life by getting to know their roommates and settling into a completely new environment. After about a year or so, many students want to live off-campus in an apartment or house. The rate to stay in a residence hall can add up over time, depending on your grade level, major and where you decide to live. For example, the rate to live in a standard double room with a silver dining plan would be $10,676 for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, according to the LiveOn website. In December 2021, MSU reinstated the twoyear on-campus requirement. This means students will have to stay on campus for their first two years before they can move off campus. “The two-year live on requirement was reinstated with the idea that this would be another way we could improve graduation rates and better support student success,” associate communications director for Residence Education and Housing Services, or REHS, Bethany Balks said. According to an MSU study, students who stayed on campus their first two years saw a 2.5% increase in graduation rates than those who only stayed on campus for one year. In addition, the university’s neighborhood model and access to resources contributed to a higher graduation rate, from 77% to 81% over the last five years. “They found with second-year students, those who lived on campus in their second year were statistically significantly more likely to graduate from MSU,” Balks said. “They were more likely to graduate within six years.” For some, living on campus can be a great way to connect to campus life. Students are easily connected to resources like neighborhood advising, academic help rooms and much more. “Having a meal plan and things like that, I’m not forced to have to constantly try to find ways to cook all the time,” computer science junior Dorian Smalley said. “Being on-campus puts me a lot closer to a lot of the classes I need to get to.” Smalley said being on campus maximizes his time management skills, which plays a critical role in his major. Now, he is deciding whether or not he will have to move off campus because of space concerns. For others, living on campus gives them the

The outside of Block 36 apartment complex on Feb. 14. Photo by Jared Osborne

opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. “Coming to a university that’s this big, it can be hard to make friends,” criminal justice senior Madison Pride said. “That’s how I met a lot of my friends and (found) a community and things.” Pride works as a resident assistant for the university. She said staying on campus saved her a lot of money because room and board are covered in her job. For sophomores who didn’t have their firstyear on-campus experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spartan Navigator is a program specifically designed to support them during their time at MSU. Associate Director of REHS Coree Newman Coronado said the program is in partnership with other resources on campus and it continues to help second-year students build on their experiences. “We’re excited to kind of move it into a more forward-facing position for students next year,” Newman Coronado said. Regardless, moving off campus is a step many students take over their time at MSU. Here are some things to consider before making the switch.

FINANCIAL AID

Financial aid is awarded when students file their Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students can get applicable grants, scholarships and federal loans to help cover the standard cost of attendance set by the college. Eligibility for aid does not change whether or not a student lives off campus. However, because students are not billed room and board, which would be included in their cost of attendance, this cost will be refunded to help with rent, food and other expenses. Students may talk to a financial aid advisor to learn more about off-campus living. The financial aid office is located in room 252 in the Student Services Building.

SIGNING LEASES

MSU offers a list of approved landlords and housing that previous students have rented. This would be a great place to start when searching for off-campus housing. Students should read their lease very carefully and thoroughly before signing. Common questions to ask before signing include:

• What happens if I default on a lease? • How will rent be divided between roommates? • What are the rules?

Baliey Hall in the Brody Neighborhood on Feb. 19. Photo by Lauren Snyder

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Newman Coronado said paying close attention to things like termination guidelines, late and monthly fees, deposits and other policies is important. If students have questions, they should contact either the property manager or the landlord. Since it may be students’ first time renting, they might need a cosigner — someone who would be responsible for rent if the student falls behind. Cosigners have to have a good credit score, a solid repayment history and no prior evictions. If a student doesn’t have a cosigner, they may need to pay a security deposit, which is usually 1.5 times their monthly rent, though this can vary depending on the rental property. Students are encouraged to visit the Associated Students of Michigan State University’s lease review service, which is provided through their legal services. Students can schedule an appointment with legal services on their website.

ROOMMATES

Another important thing to consider when moving off-campus is roommates. “Your community includes all kinds of folds from all different walks of life,” Newman Coronado said. “Some that might be connected with MSU (and) some that just live in the same space.” When they move, students usually have the option to choose their roommates. But, make sure to choose them wisely. Students will want to make sure that they’re compatible. This includes being upfront about study habits, schedules and leisure activities.

BILLS

When a student stays on-campus, most expenses are covered in their financial aid along with a dining plan. Repairs and maintenance are covered in this cost. However, off-campus housing can be very costly. “I think something with on-campus living is our bills, or what they pay for room and board, it’s a pretty all-inclusive fee,” Balks said. Balks said a first-time renter should really look at the financial piece. When a student moves off-campus, they can expect to pay for things like repairs, maintenance and utilities, such as electricity and internet service. In some places, these expenses are included in their monthly rent. Budgeting plays a key role in managing bills. When creating a budget, students should take into account:

• Utilities (i.e., internet/cable, electricity, gas) • Phone • Household needs • Personal needs/wants • Educational costs Balks said that if upperclassmen are curious about on-campus space, the Housing Assignments Office is considering a waitlist to those who are interested. The waitlist would be available for the on-campus apartments like 1855 Place and University Village. This waitlist hasn’t been finalized.

CROSSWORD

CROSSWORD: Who to know and where to go when in East Lansing By Sheldon Krause skrause@statenews.com

ANSWERS

DOWN 1. Clouden 3. affirmations 4. Samuel 5. Zeke 7. Brody 9. squirrels 10. Shaw 12. DTN 13. CottageInn 15. RedCedar 17. CATA 18. JMC 20. Izzo 23. Leo

DOWN 1. Nia ____, MSU women's basketball star 3. "MSU____", an Instagram favorite of many 4. First name of MSU's President Stanley (it's not 'President') 5. MSU's favorite 4-legged mascot 7. Dorm complex known for its massive dining hall 9. Quality wildlife found on MSU's campus 10. "____ Lane walk sign" 12. Massive East Lansing rental company 13. Favorite post-midnight 'za 15. On the banks of the ... 17. Bus service used by many MSU students (not much this semester, though) 18. Residential college in Case Hall, in brief 20. MSU men's basketball coach 23. He plays a hunky MSU professor in a best picture nominee

ACROSS 2. Walker 6. Chandler 8. M.A.C 11. RCL 13. CedarVillage 14. Frandor 16. Dunkin 19. supplychain 21. Merchant 22. Holmes 24. GrandRiver

ACROSS 2. MSU football star who was snubbed for a nomination 6. A collection of apartments found north of Lake Lansing Rd. 8. Abbreviated avenue home to CVS 11. MSU's yearbook, in brief 13. Good spot for a couch burning 14. Shopping center west of campus that may cause strong emotions for some 16. Favorite iced coffee of some State News reporters 19. "____ management" - MSU's program is ranked 1st in the nation 21. MSU women's basketball coach 22. Dorm that holds the most students 24. Home to EL's downtown

Illustrations by Madison Echlin

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