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Former MSU defensive lineman John Shinsky reflects on life, founding an orphanage in Mexico
In April of 2009, former MSU defensive lineman John Shinsky and two other former Spartan football players biked to Mexico to raise money for Shinsky’s orphanage.
GRAPHIC: TAYLOR SKELTON
NEWS
S P OT L I G H T
F E AT U R E S
MEDICAL STUDENT DIES OF CANCER
“Coming up as an orphan and feeling like you’re abandoned, you always feel like you have to establish yourself and prove yourself to people.”
DEALING WITH FINALS
His life is remembered by friends and family through philanthropy work PAGE 2 M ON DAY, AP R IL 24, 2 017
@THESNEWS
John Shinsky, Former MSU defensive lineman PAGES 4 AND 5 STAT ENEWS .COM
An MSU official gives advice on what to do and what not to do to get through finals week PAGE 8
News
Rachel Fradette Campus editor campus@statenews.com
Family, friends remember lost MSU student for raising awareness, care BY MADISON O’CONNOR MOCONNOR@STATENEWS.COM
An MSU student in the College of Osteopathic Medicine died April 9 after a four-month battle with colon cancer. Marcus Moses, 26, was a fulltime medical student and was at the top of his class before his death. After showing no signs of his illness, Moses was told he had stage four colon cancer on Christmas Eve. As a medical student, he knew he didn't have much time left, but Moses saw his illness as an opportunity for activism. He would help people become more aware of colon cancer. He would help change the system of how people are scanned for the illness. He would make the time he had left worth it. As written in his obituary, "He wanted to make a difference by raising awareness that colon cancer can happen in young people and may occur without symptoms." Moses' cancer was on his right side, his mother Michele Moses said. According to the medical journal Clinical Advances in Hematology and Oncology, right-sided cancers tend to reflect symptoms only when the situation is relatively advanced, like in Marcus' case. Right-sided colon cancers are usually diagnosed later than left-sided colon cancers. From 2000-13, the rate of colon cancer in those
younger than 50 has increased by 22 percent, as reported last month by the American Cancer Society. Reasons for this increase are still unknown, but patterns such as an unhealthy diet or a sedentary lifestyle could be factors affecting these rates. "The sad thing about it is that colon cancer rates are on the rise in young people and it's not recommended to do screening until age 50," Michele said. "I'm hoping that they'll change the screening age recommendation and that providers won't be writing it off." The colon cancer caused him to experience liver failure and kidney failure. He went blind, had fluid on his stomach, turned yellow and had to have a catheter. "And this is a kid who never drank a drop of alcohol in his life," Michele said. "He didn't drink pop, he didn't smoke, no drugs. He was really straightlaced and a good, good kid." All Marcus ever wanted to do was to become a doctor and treat people, Michele Moses said. He was going to use what he and his family were going through to make a difference. "It's hard for me to talk about, but he was so adamant," Michele said. "He said, 'You know, mom, maybe this can help someone else.' And that's all the kid's ever wanted to do." MSU Osteopathic Medicine student Emily Tibbitts knew Moses well. She was in his "pod," the
Families embrace one another during the student memorial tribute on April 21 behind Student Services. The memorial is held every year to commemorate the MSU students who lost their lives throughout the academic year. Fifteen students died this year. PHOTO: ZAINA MAHMOUD
group of four medical students who worked closely throughout their first two years of medical school. She described Marcus as genuine and caring. "He came to medical school already knowing how to care for the individual," Tibbitts said. He volunteered in hospitals, assisted individuals who had mental and physical challenges and worked with crisis and fall risk patients. "All he ever wanted to do was to be a doctor and to treat people. And even when he had, like, hallucinations, he walked by the La-ZBoy chair — and we had to follow him because he was unsteady he would take the chair, the armchair, and he'd poke at it saying, 'Does this hurt? Does this hurt?,'" Michele said. "He'd say, 'She hurt her arm. I'm evaluating her arm.'" When he discovered he had stage four cancer, he told his family he wanted to be buried in his white jacket if he didn't make it. "When Marcus told us on Christmas Eve he was diagnosed with cancer it was such a shock," Tibbitts wrote in an email. "My pod wanted to do something to help him know he had the support at school. We thought it would be awesome to make a shirt that our class could wear to show Marcus we were thinking of him and we supported him." Moses was involved in the Internal Medicine Club, Community Integrated Medicine and the Sigma Sigma Phi Honor Society. His
colleagues in these groups helped him raise colon cancer awareness by selling t-shirts. As treasurer for the class's executive board, Eric Sandrock organized the T-shirt sales for Marcus. The sale ran from the end of February until mid-March, Sandrock said in an email. The shirts were completed in time to be worn by a team of osteopathic medicine students during MSU's Relay for Life event. Sandrock said he thinks selling the shirts did result in its intended impact — raising colon cancer awareness among young people. "It also raised awareness in our smaller medical student community," Sandrock said. "When we've learned about it, it's always been kind of a disease of people who are middle aged or a little more advanced in age and not of someone who is 26 years old and one of our peers. So that, in a sense, kind of made people more aware that this could happen to anyone." Bringing awareness is exactly what Marcus would want, his mother wrote in an email. And Michele hopes to finish the movement he started. "There's things that need to change, you know? To make it better,” Michele said. “Marcus would want it changed and he would do it in a good way."
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MONDAY, APRI L 24 , 2 01 7
From left to right, John Anderson, Cory McCurry and Jamal Mohamud wear T-shirts to support Marcus Moses and raise awareness for colon cancer at the MSU Relay for Life event on March 18. Photo courtesy of Eric Sandrock.
Contents
Cameron Macko Managing editor cmacko@statenews.com
ONLINE
Solar car ports to be installed Five lots will have solar panels built as an alternative power source at MSU
BY T H E N U M B E R S
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Percent of MSU students who said stress has affected their academic performance See page 8
Campus to Coast paddlers 120 paddlers went down the Red Cedar on a two-day event sponsored by the MSU Outdoors Club
Nassar’s foundation violates law Larry Nassar’s Autism Foundation appears to have been noncompliant with state law since 2014
“They didn’t run onto the stage, but they ran up to the stage. And it’s like, whoa, you know? And it was at that point that Simon and Garfunkel, they did an encore number.” Bill Newcomer, MSU alumnus who saw SImon and Garfunkel in concert PAGE 6
Documents reveal details of Auston Robertson’s alleged rape case BY STEPHEN OLSCHANSKI AND CASEY HARRISON FEEDBACK@STATENEWS.COM
MSU football's former defensive lineman Auston Robertson allegedly raped an acquaintance on April 9 in her apartment while his girlfriend waited outside in the car, according to court documents obtained by The State News. Robertson joined the team this fall. The incident was described in detail by Meridian Township Police investigator Rebecca Payne, who leveled the charges in front of 55th District Court Magistrate Mark E. Blumer while seeking a warrant for Robertson's arrest. According to the documents, the victim attended a party in East Lansing where she ran into Robertson. The victim said she consumed an unknown type of alcohol and was intoxicated at the time of the incident. The victim, suspect and a male acquaintance walked to Blaze Pizza in East Lansing where the suspect and the male acquaintance ate food. Robertson called his girlfriend to pick him, the victim and the acquaintance up and dropped the victim off first. Once they arrived at the victim's residence,
Robertson said he would walk the victim up to her residence to make sure she got there safely. Inside her apartment, the victim described Robertson as allegedly raping her despite pleas to stop. Robertson allegedly refused to stop and advised the victim not to tell anybody about the incident. The victim was advised at a later time Robertson had fled to his home state of Indiana. Payne contacted Robertson on April 13, and he admitted he had requested an attorney and did not give a statement; however, he acknowledged he left for Indiana prior to a meeting with the attorney and was gone for approximately four days. Payne later obtained surveillance footage from Blaze Pizza, which confirmed the victim's account of her time there with Robertson. Payne also spoke with the male acquaintance who was in the vehicle while Robertson was in the victim's apartment and said he had no knowledge of the incident, but he confirmed Robertson left the state afterwards. Payne also contacted the victim's boyfriend and friend who she initially disclosed the incident to. Both described the same incident the victim had.
Marketing junior Kaitlyn Setter works on her laptop on April 18 at the MSU Hatch at 325 Grand River Ave. in East Lansing. “It’s provided me with an awesome experience I get to work with different people constantly, it’s always different. A lot of jobs on campus are pretty standardized but this is completely different and it’s unique and it allows me to really focus on my skills in regards to pursuing my career in marketing and be able to help people create their businesses,” Setter said. PHOTO: ZAINA MAHMOUD
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Spotlight
Former MSU football player founds orphanage after growing up in one BY CONNOR CLARK CCLARK@STATENEWS.COM
Former MSU football defensive lineman John Shinsky played with grit and determination on the field. Off the field, he was molded into a new man because of his childhood. When Shinsky was 8 years old, his father died from a heart attack. Through the grieving came even more disbelief. With his father gone and his mother the only one left to take care of him, she made the decision to place him in an orphanage. "I always had in the back of my mind, 'Oh yeah this is just temporary, I'm going back,' but after a while it was a reality that – I wasn't going back," Shinsky said. Day after day, he felt confused as to why this happened to him. "I could never understand why a mother could give up her child and I dealt with that all the way until I took her to my graduation," he said. "And I realized, that it wasn't about me, it was about what she did to give me up." But now without a family – Shinsky was on his own. The Early Years Shinsky's mother placed him in an orphanage in Parma, Ohio, located a stone's throw from the city line of south Cleveland. At the orphanage, he would begin his new life. He went to school and participated in extracurricular sports. He learned the politics of the orphanage – toughest kid rules – and had his daily dose of chores. But each day was a struggle. Shinsky wasn't able to have a chest full of toys to himself like many experience in a regular childhood. The only thing he had to his name was a toothbrush. Yet over time, he started to grow physically and develop a determination to succeed. In 1965, he attended St. Joseph High School, a private all-boys school of about 2,000. Today the name is Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School after it merged with an all-girls school in 1990. His start to high school was not ideal. "Coming up as an orphan and feeling like you're abandoned, you always feel like you have to establish yourself and prove yourself to people, they just don't automatically accept you like in a regular family," he said. In order to establish himself, Shinsky would be involved in physical altercations with other students. He said that's how it works at the orphanage – duke it out and get over it. But school didn't work that way, so Shinsky was suspended and nearly expelled for his behavior. It was then he was recommended to play sports as a way to release stress and energy. He began
Former MSU defensive lineman John Shinsky helps children during the 2000 Mile Bike for the Orphanage in 2009. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN SHINSKY.
to wrestle and play football. His wrestling coach, lineman coach and health teacher John Storey, instantly recognized Shinsky as a gifted talent. "He stood out immediately," Storey said. "Not only in his physical size, but his aggressive type of play." At 165 pounds, Shinsky worked in the offseason to get stronger each day. He said his workouts started with a two-mile run, followed with another mile jog and on the field. He would run 100 yard dashes 100 times. "Determination and hard work for me was the thing that did it," he said. His efforts were rewarded his senior season with a record of 10-0-0. However, the strain he put on himself ended with knee surgery, which didn't affect his collegiate scholarship. While he clearly chose MSU to play college football, he was recruited and had the opportunity to play under Woody Hayes of Ohio State
“I could never understand why a mother could give up her child and I dealt with that all the way until I took her to my graduation.” John Shinsky, Former MSU football defensive lineman
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University and Bo Schembechler of University of Michigan. "You know what your school is, Michigan State is who I am," Shinsky said. In 1973, Shinsky was named All-Big Ten Second Team under former head coach Denny Stolz. Shinsky started at MSU with Duffy Daugherty in charge. Stolz was the defensive coordinator at the time. One appreciation Shinsky had for Daugherty was he adopted children of his own. After college football, Shinsky had opportunities to play in the National Football League, however his contract said if he suffered another knee injury he wouldn't have to be paid and he decided to end his football career. Years later he was approached by former MSU head coach Nick Saban to help recruit two players from St. Joseph High School. Shinsky said both of those players were leaning toward MSU, but on the last day to sign, they switched to U-M. They were future Super Bowl winners, quarterback Elvis Grbac and the Heisman winner Desmond Howard. Life after football Shinsky earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at MSU. He helped teach children with special needs and ran a summer camp for children with disabilities in Cleveland. However, the camp didn't have enough money to pay him, so he worked there for free and worked as a bouncer at night. "Those are the greatest choices that you will always make in your life," Shinsky said. "When
you choose for people, versus money, versus failure, versus other things." He also spent years giving back in the Lansing scene. Shinsky would bring alternative spring break trips to Mexico to help build housing. When a project went unfinished, he went back with his wife, Cindy, to finish the job on their honeymoon. "Well, John is like a big teddy bear," Cindy said. "He's a big guy, but he has such a big heart and soul and is just a kind person." On their honeymoon, Shinsky met another orphan named Amelia, who was found in a Mexican dump, chained to the wheelbase of a car and left to die. "I could just tell she was special," he said. Shinsky said the conditions in Mexico were harsh and he wanted to make a change. "I could see myself in those kids and I could see what was unfolding in them." Shinsky said. "I knew at that point that was the calling for me." The Shinsky Orphanage Despite few Spanish speaking skills, his location for the orphanage is Matamoros, Mexico, a town up against the Rio Grande River across the border from Brownsville, Texas. With a plan in place, he needed the money to get it going. For a leap of faith, Shinsky took $4,000 and invested it into a penny stock – which hit – turning into $65,000. While plans were coming together, he was stricken down once again. In his neck, a cancerous tumor was discovered. He began cancer
Spotlight
Cameron Macko Managing editor cmacko@statenews.com
“The orphanage project, I’m going to take it on no matter what, I’m going to do whatever it takes to get it done.” John Shinsky, Former MSU football defensive lineman treatment in November 2007. But he wouldn't let this setback derail his goal. "The orphanage project, I'm going to take it on no matter what, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get it done," he said. "In whatever amount of time it takes to get done I'm going to get it done, because I have a goal and my goal is to get my kids an education." To him, failure wasn't an option. "If we don't do it – who does?" he said. For the final amount of money and the opening of the orphanage, Shinsky along with two friends and former MSU teammates, Joe DeLamielleure and Eljay Bowron, began a new physical journey. DeLamielleure is one of three MSU football players to be in the National Football League Hall of Fame after a successful career with the Buffalo Bills. Instead of hitting opponents, the trio embarked on a bike trip from Spartan Stadium to Matamoros, a trip for nearly 1,700 miles that lasted 18 days. They made the trip in April of 2009. "If you knew John as a freshman and how he is now," DeLamielleure said in a previous article by The State News. "I described him as a lump of coal and now he's a diamond. He has come farther than any human being I've ever met." Shinsky was able to collect the remaining $500,000 needed to open a 17-acre orphanage. "He's just such a wonderful role model," Cindy said. "He walks the walks, he talks the talk and he is just a genuine awesome person." The Orphanage Today From the opening in 2005, to 2012, the "Ciudad
de Los Niños," or the City of Children, has grown from nine children to more than 80. Their facilities include bunk beds donated from the MSU Surplus Store and full-time staff members are working to build fences and keep conditions to a high standard. The orphanage is a partner with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, or NPH, which translates to "Our little brothers and sisters." NPH was founded in 1954 and serves more than 18,000 children in nine countries. The children of Ciudad de Los Niños attend school and have daily chores to become contributors to the orphanage. Since its opening, there have been nine high school graduates with multiple children attending universities. One particular graduate, Leslie, whose name was changed to protect their identity according to the NPH website, was valedictorian of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos High School in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Shinsky said education is the path for orphans in order to integrate to society. With an education, members of the orphanage could become successful members in the community. His hope is that each orphan goes on after graduation and takes with them a humanitarian interest to give back. Each graduate goes through a year of service at an orphanage before attending a university. Shinsky said a graduate named Noe told him, "I want to build a home just like John and Cindy built for our kids," which provided complete admiration and satisfaction. Today the orphanage has some dangers surrounding them with the drug cartels in Mexi-
Former MSU defensive lineman John Shinsky poses with a child during the 2000 Mile Bike for the Orphanage in 2009. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN SHINSKY.
Former MSU defensive lineman John Shinsky poses for a photo at his orphanage in 2012. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN SHINSKY.
co. Shinsky said they build walls up slowly, so members of the cartel think nothing is important inside. Shinsky said the former Director of the Secret Service gave advice on how to stay safe. "In relation to Mexico, I just know I'm in an environment that has danger," Shinsky said. One employee for the orphanage experienced a run in with the cartel in San Fernando, Mexico, which is known for two massacres in 2011 and 2012. Shinsky said the employee was on his way to pick up a child for the orphanage, when he was stopped and stripped of his possessions. He said the employee told him he was helping orphans, which is why his life was spared. He doesn't live at the orphanage full time. When he visits, he stays there, however currently Shinsky is a professor and interim special assistant to the dean of community impact at Grand Valley State University. Soon he will take the position of vice chair of NPH National Board located in Chicago. During his life, Shinsky has obtained several different awards. "The awards really don't mean anything to me, they're just things that recognizes what everyone has done but there is one particular award that I take great pride in and I think Michigan State should take great pride in because they are the ones who have nurtured this to, I have become who I am because of them," he said. Although at MSU he was named an Academic All-American, with the success of the orphanage, Shinsky was awarded the 2015 Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award. The award recogniz-
MONDAY, AP RI L 24, 201 7
es Big Ten football players who have achieved success in the areas of leadership and humanitarianism after their college careers have ended. "At one point in my life I didn't even know where I was going and in this point in life – I'm pleased to where I've gone," he said. His future goals are to continue a successful orphanage and he said he hopes his legacy can inspire more people to give back. "The one thing I learned about legacy, people always talk about legacy, 'Legacy is not really what I left … in my mind legacy is what is lived through other people,'" he said. To donate, visit shinskyorphanage.org.
“At one point in my life I didn’t even know where I was going and in this point in life – I’m pleased to where I’ve gone.”
John Shinsky, Former MSU football defensive lineman
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L.A. Times Daily Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
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50 years later: the Simon and Garfunkel concert
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1 Keebler cracker 6 Hotel employee 10 Consequently 14 Reference containing insets 15 Big name in luxury hotels 16 What some hogs hog, with “the” 17 Sheet for plotting in math class 19 Rich rocks 20 Added to the collection plate 21 Scrutinizes 23 Menlo Park inventor 25 Fort Worth sch. 26 Prohibition __ 29 Advent mo. 30 Silent approvals 33 Author Capote 35 Gridiron pass-defense scheme 37 Brand for Fido 40 Misspell or misspeak 41 Nibble (on) 42 TV series starter 47 Points a finger at 48 Decant 49 Soft slip-on 52 Traditional Asian sauce base 53 Seventh Greek letter
55 One-named Tejano singer 57 Eggs __: brunch dish 61 General Bradley 62 Object of adoration 64 Market research target 66 Door openers 67 Provide a fake alibi for, say 68 Come together 69 Minimal effort 70 Storied loch 71 Mystic’s deck
DOWN
1 Took a sharp turn 2 Online financial site 3 Like Croats and Serbs 4 Carton sealers 5 Volcanic debris 6 Reaction to a bad pun 7 Miami Sound Machine sound machines 8 Klutzy 9 Dish Network competitor 10 Jogger’s pace 11 Member of the Apocalypse quartet 12 Abu Dhabi’s fed. 13 Militant ‘60s campus org. 18 Attach, as a name tag 22 Restore to health
24 Tokyo-born Yoko 27 Hindu melody 28 From the beginning 31 Like the diving-board end of the pool 32 Rx, for short 34 Hard-to-resist impulse 35 Go like heck 36 Estimate words 37 BOLO equivalents 38 Disney’s “__ & Stitch” 39 Don Juans 43 Many a manga fan 44 “Coming Out of the Dark” singer Gloria 45 Expels by force 46 Dr. with Grammys 49 Life story 50 Running by itself, and where the first words of 17-, 35-, 42- and 64-Across can be placed 51 “Magic” transport 54 Photoshop maker 56 Doone of fiction 58 Otherwise 59 Puts frosting on 60 Scissors snips 62 Cold War prez 63 Org. busting dealers 65 __ reaction: instinctive feeling
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Art Garfunkel pictured during a performance. PHOTO COURTESY OF DICK BEST BY JOHN LAVACCARE JLAVACCARE@STATENEWS.COM
Bill Newcomer was a freshman at MSU in the fall of 1967. Coming from a sleepy town in rural Michigan, he'd never had the chance to see a major artist in concert. When he heard Simon and Garfunkel would be coming to MSU, he said he jumped at the chance to attend. "When I heard that they were going to be performing at Michigan State, it was like, there's was no question," Newcomer said. "If I have to sell my socks to get a ticket, I'll go. I was familiar with their songs, I had several of their LPs, I really loved their music and it was like, man, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. And as it turned out, it was the opportunity of a lifetime." Simon and Garfunkel's October 1967 concert at Jenison Field House will mark its 50th anniversary this year, but Newcomer still remembers the show like it was yesterday. "There were other concerts at Jenison during my time at MSU, but none ever topped S and G," Newcomer said in an email. Newcomer's most prominent memory of the concert came at the end. "When they come to the end of the concert, and we know it's the last song ... the audience on the main floor, they jumped out of their seats and ran up to the stage," Newcomer said. "They didn't run onto the stage, but they ran up to the stage. And it's like, whoa, you know? And it was at that point that Simon and Garfunkel, they did an encore number." Newcomer said he was a big Simon and Garfunkel fan starting in high school, as he owned the duo's albums "Sounds of Silence" and "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" and frequently listened to their songs on the radio. He said hearing them in concert was a seminal experience for him. "It was like, in some sense, a sensory overload," Newcomer said. "I'm hearing the songs I've heard on the radio. I'm hearing the songs I've heard from the LP coming over the stereo. I'm hearing these guys do this live. I'm watching them. You know, they're up there on the
stage, they're standing, and it's incredible to me, coming from where I came from. It's like, wow, you know? I don't know that I have words to describe it." Ray Walsh, now the owner of Curious Book Shop and Archives Bookshop in East Lansing, said he "probably" attended the concert as a fan. He remembers being a fan of Simon and Garfunkel, who he said had "songs you could relate to." "I think Simon and Garfunkel were at a very good point in their career, so I was certainly very enthusiastic," Walsh said. "Lots of good music, good vibrations, so to speak." East Lansing resident Dick Best was at the concert as a photographer for MSU's yearbook, then called The Wolverine. He said he remembers few specific details about this concert, but he shot many of the big concerts MSU put on during that era. Best said he remembers being a fan of the group. "They were in tune with the times," Best said. "They were good at expressing what people were feeling, I think. One reason why they were so popular, and probably why I liked them, too." Though Simon and Garfunkel are not as associated with the protest spirit of the 1960s as other artists like Bob Dylan, and although Newcomer and Best do not remember any protests around the concert, some of their music did have a protest spirit to it. Newcomer remembered "Silent Night/7 O'Clock News," a song in which the duo sing "Silent Night" over a recording of the nightly news, including headlines about the Vietnam War. According to her article in the Oct. 30, 1967 issue of The State News, then-Features Editor Roberta Yafie also felt that Simon and Garfunkel were relatable amidst a world in turmoil. "We may feel we've the weight of a generation's, daresay a world's problems, frustrations, hang-ups, crises et al, on our shoulders," Yafie wrote at the time, according to a scan of the article in the MSU archives. "It takes people like Simon and Garfunkel to clearly illustrate that there are others who've been through these movies before."
Sports
Souichi Terada Sports editor sports@statenews.com
Adaptive sports and wheelchair tennis offer a chance to compete BY CASEY HARRISON CHARRISON@STATENEWS.COM
n April 5, 33-year-old doctoral student Piotr Pasik O was working feverishly with MSU men's tennis head coach Gene Orlando on a number of drills. It was Pasik's last chance to work with Orlando to perfect his serve or master his backhand before he left for the Collegiate Wheel Chair Tennis Nationals hosted by the University of Alabama. But Pasik isn't like many other pupils Orlando has had. He isn't sanctioned to play by the NCAA, but he still brings the essentials with him to the court: his racquet, an undying passion to be on the floor and — most importantly — his wheelchair. Pasik has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder caused by a malformation in the brain which affects body movement and muscle coordination, according to cerebralpalsy.org. He can use his legs to walk short distances but is mainly bound to his wheelchair or scooter. Pasik is also the founder and coordinator of the MSU Adaptive Sports and Recreation Club — a university-sponsored program available to anyone with a disability looking to get active and make friends. Pasik said the club handles all the costs of equipment and transportation to topple any barriers to entry. "For me and the disabled population in general, it's a very good outlet," Pasik said. "It's a social outlet and physical outlet that has a lot of physical health and psychological wellness benefits. I think by human nature everybody is competitive on the inside. We just don't have a lot of opportunities to express that in a positive way. Tennis was just perfect for that. I tried it and stuck with it and here I am today." Pasik first met Orlando in 2010 and participated in the MSU wheelchair tennis program at the advice of his disability specialist. After a hiatus, Pasik created the club three years ago and asked Orlando to incorporate the wheelchair tennis program. Since then, Orlando and Pasik have met for tennis practice on the first and third Wednesday of each month. The turnout differs from year-to-year, but Orlando said this year the attendance has been great. "My goal is to have them get the opportunity to recreate, play some tennis, have some fun and share some friendships," Orlando said. "It doesn't matter how much ability they have. We have people in the electric chair, we have people in a regular chair and people with all different disabilities." Orlando jumped on the opportunity to help out with the wheelchair tennis program when he arrived at MSU 26 seasons ago. On March 27, he was named by the United States Tennis Association, or USTA, as the recipient of the Brad Parks Award for his longstanding contribution to growing wheelchair tennis at the local level. "One thing coach does really, really well is include everybody," Pasik said. "He kind of plays on people's' strengths and keeps them involved and coming back. This is by no means a program for your elite athlete, but you don't get to that level if you don't start somewhere." Orlando has created tournaments through the USTA Wheelchair Tennis Link and has gained the support from the university administration in the form of grant proposals and other expansions of wheelchair tennis opportunities on campus. When Orlando accepted the award, he was adamant in his speech that he didn't accept the award on his behalf, but for everyone else who continues to help grow the program. "To be honest, I treat them like I would treat any other athlete. Obviously, quickness and mobility is a factor, and we work on that," Orlando said. "I've
learned a lot from these guys and I've found out that they really don't want help. They do it on their own. In fact, if you help they'll probably be upset. It's something unique." Pasik has been able to grow the adaptive sports club with outreach from members all over the state and play other sports like hockey and rugby. One of the club's greatest contributors is Bryan Wilkinson, 35, of Hartland, Mich., who oversees a similar program at the University of Michigan with the help of head coach Adam Steinberg. Practices at U-M are held the opposite weeks to allow the same players a chance to practice every week. Wilkinson is a regular at Orlando's practices and has been for years. After becoming paralyzed in 2000 from a motorbike accident, Wilkinson worked oneon-one with Orlando at expanding a statewide wheelchair tennis program. As the program continues to grow, Wilkinson said the experience Orlando has worked to create is unlike any other. "The experience to come into a facility with his talent and the time he's been a coach is a very cool and exciting experience for us," Wilkinson said. "And that's what really makes the practices, just being here with coach." Pasik and Orlando's program has been able to strengthen friendships and establish new ones through the years as well. One of Wilkinson's best friends, 53-year-old Tom Hoatlin from South Lyon, Mich., has been attending practices with Wilkinson whenever he is available. Wilkinson and Hoatlin have been friends for nearly a decade after previously working together. Hoatlin has been in a wheelchair for nearly 25 years after he was shot at the base of the neck during an armed robbery while working as a general manager at a hotel in Livonia, Mich. Hoatlin said he loves how the program brings people together and creates lifelong bonds, even when they're new to the sport. "Everybody has value here," Hoatlin said. "It's a great feeling at night knowing you've played a match and the camaraderie of other folks in chairs creates peer mentoring. People say, 'Yeah, my racket works when I do this,' or 'This is is the kind of chair I like,' or things that have nothing to do with tennis." And for Pasik, the hardest part of it all isn't finding a way to motivate his fellow players or staying committed to the program, it's orchestrating a way to get so many people involved. From volunteers to athletes, and practices for the club's other activities nearly every day, finding time for himself and improving his game can be the biggest issue. Admittedly, Pasik knows it's a good problem to have. "I'm glad we have options for different people with disabilities that they can take advantage of," Pasik said. "As frustrating as it can be sometimes I'm happy to do it, and to be honest it gets easier every week. At the end of the day, I love what I do."
“For me and the disabled population in general, it’s a very good outlet. It’s a social outlet and physical outlet that has a physical health and psychological wellness benefits. I think by human nature everybody is competitive on the inside.” Piotr Pasik, MSU doctoral student
Dearborn Heights, Mich. resident Kevin Konfara serves the ball during a wheelchair tennis practice on April 5 at the Indoor Tennis Facility at 3571 Mount Hope Ave. in Lansing. PHOTO: JON FAMUREWA
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Facts, figures and tips to keep in mind before finals week begins BY SAMANTHA LEWAKOWSKI SLEWAKOWSKI@STATENEWS.COM
With finals beginning May 1, the students’ stress levels are known to rise, and de-stressing is easier said than
KEEP IN MIND Stress is experienced by a large majority of the student body. We live in a fairly competitive society and environment, Martell said. "Let's face it: students are
84%
done. "One of the things that I tell students is, 'reframe it,'" MSU’s Health Promotion Department Coordinator Dennis Martell said. "Number one: it's not the end of the world. There are a lot of things that you will have to
putting forth a lot of money to get an education," Martell said. "Maybe we should stop calling it finals, maybe we should start calling it, 'the end of this part of your academic career and onto the next one.'"
deal with in your life that are going to be very stressful and this is just one of them." Five days of testing, projects and papers that typically count for a large percentage of the overall grade appear daunting, but there are ways to counteract this burden.
Foods high in folate help to regulate your mood: Green, leafy vegetables, asparagus, broccoli, citrus fruits, beans and avocado are all high in folate.
reported feeling overwhelmed at least once in the past year, according to the State of Spartan Health 2016 survey.
MSU students reported stress as being one of the TOP 10 impacts on their academic success.
27%
reported stress impacted their academic performance.
Martell said he likes to remind stressed out students to go back to the basics. "Most students have very healthy coping mechanisms but tend to forget those or not prioritize them when it comes to
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finals or any stressful situation," Martell said. He recommends these three stress relief strategies:
1. Sleep "You cannot do well if you don't get sleep, even if you're thinking of doing an overnighter," he said. "It's just not going to work out well."
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2. Exercise According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, "exercise and other physical activity produce endorphins—chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers—and also improve the ability to sleep, which in turn reduces stress." 3. Do meditation or prayer "Academics is important, but you're also here to learn about life," Martell said.