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Students from across the state gather at MSU to share tactics and plans for on-campus activism. SEE PAGE 6 ILLUSTRATION: MARGEAUX PHILLIPS
T HU R S DAY, JUN E 4, 2 015
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Opinion
Rachel Fradette Opinion editor opinion@statenews.com @thesnewsopinion
MSU environment celebrates individuality
C A R TO O N
BY RACHEL FRADETTE RFRADETTE@STATENEWS.COM
DEON HOWARD
OPINION POLL W E D N E S DAY ’ S R E S U LT S
Where are you spending all your time this summer? 6%—At the library. I’m taking as many classes as possible.
66%—At work. I’m spending all my time working. 28%—At the beach. I have a job, but I’m not going to let my summer go to waste!
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I have always admired people who do and say exactly what they want. You know, those whose randomness brightens your day. Whether they wear crazy clothes or start singing on the bus, they are just cool individuals. Wandering eyes and stonecold glances usually meet their gaze, but it’s almost like they have a filter that doesn’t allow the impending judgement to reach them. I’ll admit sometimes I look at someone or listen to what they have said and think, “What an odd person. Why are they acting in such a way?” I concluded that the environment they live in makes them feel comfortable enough to act the way they want. A situation that several unique people would envy. Particularly in college you
meet new, interesting people with different views and perspectives. After only one year I have met so many people and they all have unique personalities. In fact, one of my favorite parts about MSU I observed my freshman year is that weirdness is kind of cool here. The more you branch out and have fascinating ideas, the better. Boring and transparent people obviously are still around even in the college setting, but they make up less of a majority group. There will always be people who want to dress exactly the same and have all the same opinions as their peers. I cannot help but feel a little discouraged for those who want to live vicariously through another person just because it’s easier. People tend to walk around with masks, they are nervous of how people will react to their looks or attire. When you can find a place where you don’t need a mask to avoid disdain from others, that’s when you have found your place. MSU has incredible people who will accept you and listen to your original ideas, if
you trust them. I can relate to wanting to conform in order to fit in, but now I understand why all those people wear the clothes they wear and act the way they do — it’s freeing. Open-mindedness is something that hits home for me. There is no one I dislike more than someone who chooses to hate or ridicule an individual just because they are not a carbon copy of the status quo. The acceptance I have found at MSU, unfortunately, is a rarity nationwide. I can only imagine how many students at other colleges and universities do not find a place where they feel comfortable being themselves for fear of being judged. I have realized just how easy it is to be yourself at MSU and it’s a beautiful thing. Whether it’s a club, sport or another community, students care here. Being a little peculiar is refreshing and unique in a world that has kind of walked away from that idea. It’s nice to see a piece of the future, even a small piece, that celebrates individuality. Rachel Fradette is The State News opinion editor. Reach her at rfradette@statenews.com
Weekend co-op stay shows variety in what MSU students call home
BY CAMERON MACKO CMACKO@STATENEWS.COM
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to stay at a rather interesting co-op that shall remain nameless. And honestly I was so far out of my comfort zone I had the vague feeling I had stepped in a portal and was transported to an old run-down Soviet-era apartment complex. I couldn’t believe people lived like that. A huge mountain of dishes screaming to be put away, a basement resulting from what seemed like decades of neglect and cats running around. For some reason. But that isn’t necessarily bad.
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One thing I’ve noticed in my first year of college is that people are a lot less hive-minded than I remember them being at high school. Then everybody was from the same town, with parents generally working similar jobs at the biggest employer in town, making vaguely similar amounts of money. In that environment, you get a lot of people with a similar way to go about even the most menial things. With a much larger range of people at MSU, I see people do things far more individualistically than the hive mind I remember. And that definitely applies to how people live. My dorm wasn’t the cleanest thing last year, but I (unfortunately) have seen much worse and much better, especially with my roommate, who kept his side of the invisible dividing line a well-oiled machine. “A place for everything and everything in its place,” was
I’m sure the unofficial motto of my roommate, whereas mine reminds me of that episode of Rugrats where the gang has to climb a Mount Everest size pile of clothes. I don’t think one way is better or worse. While my co-op experience made me appreciate just a little more all my mom did to keep the house clean, people can live however they want, in whatever conditions that might be called decrepit from an outside staying for a weekend. In terms of the culture of this glorious building I stayed in, it was different too. To be fair, my only experiences were living at home and Hubbard Hall, but dorm culture can be described as a lot more immature than what I experienced this weekend. Dorm residents aren’t the most laid back individuals I’ve met, in terms of senseless drama that forces one angry girl to move to
another room down the hall and give her ex-roommate stink-eye during all future encounters. People across town seemed to take a live-and-letlive approach, an aspect of maturity, where little battles just aren’t worth fighting anymore. People are simply more or less comfortable in different environments and there’s nothing wrong with that. Though at a certain point things can get a bit much in terms of messiness — my room is a lot like my thoughts: scattered but I can sort through them. And while it would take a while for me to get used to living in a co-op like that one, those people, and the kinds of people who lived there, seemed most comfortable there and I say more power to them. Cameron Macko is The State News Academics and Administration reporter. Reach him at cmacko@statenews.com
Contents INSIDE
Sherman’s drunken rant raises point about NCAA drug testing
Summer volunteer opportunities abundant in Lansing, East Lansing
Renovated Amtrak station on track to open this fall
PAGE 10
PAGE 4
PAGE 5
Vintage Tech Recyclers employee Anthony Seay picks up a television to be recycled May 30 at the annual Recycle! East Lansing event on 1400 Abbott Road. PHOTO: ASHA JOHNSON
Correction: W E E K LY N U M B E R
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In the May 28 Humans of East Lansing feature, Great Clips hair stylist Kelsey Ingram was incorrectly quoted. In fact, she said a man shouted into the salon saying, “Do you guys trim pubes?” as a joke and promptly left without her having seen the man’s face.
“I think toward the end it became apparent that the voters’ frustration with the state legislature was going to lead Proposal 1 to defeat.”
MSU Track & Field entires headed to Oregon to compete in national championships June 10-13. See page 12.
East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett on the future of road funding. Read more on page 4
VOL . 105 | NO. 146
CONTACT THE STATE NEWS (517) 432-3000 NEWSROOM/CORRECTIONS (517) 432-3070 feedback@statenews.com GENERAL MANAGER Marty Sturgeon (517) 432-3000 ADVERTISING M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (517) 432-3010 ADVERTISING MANAGER Griffin Engel COLOPHON The State News design features Acta, a newspaper type system created by DSType Foundry.
The State News is published by the students of Michigan State University, weekly on Thursdays during the summer. Subscription rates: $5 per semester on campus; $125 a year, $75 for one fall or spring semester, $60 for summer semester by mail anywhere in the continental United States. One copy of this newspaper is available free of charge to any member of the MSU community. Additional copies $0.75 at the business office only. State News Inc. is a private, nonprofit corporation. Its current 990 tax form is available for review upon request at 435 E. Grand River Ave. during business hours.
THUR SDAY, JUNE 4, 2015
EDITORIAL STAFF (517) 432-3070 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AJ Moser CONTENT EDITOR Michael Kransz OPINION EDITOR Rachel Fradette COPY CHIEF Amber Parsell DESIGN EDITOR Lauren Shields Copyright © 2015 State News Inc., East Lansing, Mich.
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Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews
Proposal 1 has failed, what’s next for roads in East Lansing? BY JOSH THALL JTHALL@STATENEWS.COM
Now that Michigan’s Proposal 1 has failed, cities across the state are forced to find alternate funding to repair the poor conditions of their roads. East Lansing mayor Nathan Triplett said he, along with other East Lansing city officials, did not expect for the proposal to pass when creating the city budget for this year, so they had a plan prepared. “I think toward the end it became apparent that the voters frustration with the state Legislature was going to lead Proposal 1 to defeat,” Triplett said. East Lansing Director of Public Works Scott House said approximately 62 percent of local streets and 57 percent of major streets in East Lansing are rated in poor condition according to the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) study, and the worst area is the Chesterfield Hills neighborhood. Triplett said Chesterfield Hills is where the city has their one large-scale street repair project planned to take place this year. The planning for this project began last year, when the city set aside $600,000 from the general fund as a down payment for that project. It was supposed to include infrastructure repairs to the neighborhood, such as reconstruction of the streets, new sewer and water lines and renovations to curbs, gutters and sidewalks, according to Triplett. The project would have cost the city approxi-
mately $12.5 million, coming from the $600,000 set aside from the general fund, a small portion of the $2.8 million the city receives from tax on gasoline, and the rest coming from the city water and sewer funds, House said. House said Proposal 1 would have added $3.6 million in gas tax revenue over a three-year period that then could have been used to fund large road repair projects. House said the proposal would have given East Lansing “an additional $600,000 increase over the next three years, culminating in $1.2 million in addition to the current $2.8 million.” Triplett said, unfortunately, the city does not have the revenue required to make all of those improvements, but the $600,000 will be enough to significantly improve the quality of the streets in Chesterfield Hills. “So, what I proposed to the council after Proposal 1 failed is that we take that $600,000, or a portion there of, and dedicate it to providing immediate relief to the neighborhood in the form of street improvements, while we are working on longer-term solutions toward the road funding challenge in the community,” Triplett said. House said the city is currently exploring the idea of doing a “mill and fill” which consists of removing the existing surface layer with a milling machine and filling it with new material, on about two miles of street in Chesterfield Hills, which would extend the service life of those streets 5-7 years. The pavement would cost approximately $370,000 to do a thin mill and fill.
More space for sports on vacant summer campus
House said the city is also exploring infrastructure upgrades to sidewalk crossings and ramps for Chesterfield Hills, which would be a multi-year project costing upwards of $200,000. Triplett and House both mentioned that one of the big problems communities such as East Lansing face is that the gas tax — the 19 cents per gallonput toward maintaining East Lansing’s streets — has not been changed since 1997, and funding has not increased since 2005. “We are receiving the same level of funding in current dollars today from the state that we received in 2005 — so a decade ago,” Triplett said. “In the meantime, the cost of materials to build streets, and of the labor associated with that and salt to keep the roads clear in the winter; everything our street funds pay for, all of those costs have gone up.” Triplett also noted when adjusted for inflation, the city receives about $912,000 less per year today for roads compared to 2005. Triplett said he hopes the state Legislature can find a solution soon, because he believes this is a statewide issue and not something communities will be able to solve by themselves. “My hope is that if we ultimately do see a proposal from the state, that it is a genuine investment in our infrastructure and not robbing Peter to pay Paul by taking money from things like schools or communities to put then toward roads,” Triplett said. “In my mind, that’s not a solution, it’s an accounting gimmick, and it’s not going to be good for the future of the state of Michigan.”
JSTEELEY@STATENEWS.COM
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how much the city of East Lansing has currently set aside for the road project
$2.8 Million: the amount East Lansing currently receives from gasoline tax
$3.6 Million:
the gasoline tax revenue Propsal 1 would have added
$12.5 Million: the project cost of East Lansing’s largescale street repair project
Summer volunteer opportunities abundant in Lansing, East Lansing BY JESSICA STEELEY
East Lansing resident Julius Smith skateboards on MSU’s campus June 1 near East Circle Drive. PHOTO: WYATT GIANGRANDE
$600,000:
The MSU community can seem as though it’s a world apart from the city of East Lansing, but in the summer, with most of MSU’s students gone, there are chances to get more involved in MSU’s surrounding community through volunteering. Marketing senior Adelia Coski volunteers at the Capital Area Humane Society in Lansing, and she said volunteering is a meaningful experience that makes people well rounded. “You feel like you’re making a contribution,” Coski said. “It gives you a purpose and it’s something you can feel good about.” Coski said volunteering isn’t something you do for yourself, and working at the shelter allows her to give attention to animals that were abandoned. But if you’re looking to volunteer a little closer to home, the city of East Lansing has made it easier by creating a volunteer page on their website, Ami Van Antwerp, the city’s communication coordinator said. Van Antwerp said anyone can volunteer for the listed events and programs by filling out an online volunteer registration form, also located on the webpage. “There (are) just so many opportunities in this community,” Van Antwerp said. A variety of volunteer locations appear on the webpage, from East Lansing’s Public Library to the East Lansing Environmental Stewardship Program. Another opportunity, which is not listed, is Haven House. Haven House is a homeless shelter for familles, Volunteer and Special Projects coordinator Leah Weidner said, adding they take one-parent families or couples with at least one child.
Human development and family studies senior Grant Davis, an intern at Haven House, said he decided to work there because he wanted to help people. Davis also has a past of volunteering at elementary and preschools. “I saw a lot of kids who weren’t getting meals at night and not having a good life outside of school, so I decided I wanted to help them,” Davis said. Weidner said Haven House offers a 30-day program for families to learn financial responsibility and get them on the track to stability and permanent housing. She said some families stay longer, depending on their situation, but the average length of stay is 17 to 18 days. “Our motto is ‘ending family homelessness one family at a time,” Weidner said. The shelter is always looking for more volunteers, Weidner said, especially to help with cooking the nightly family dinners and helping with the children. Other opportunities include working in the prayer room and volunteering or doing an internship in the office. “Working in the office you really learn the ins and outs of how we operate and how we help families,” Weidner said. Haven House can accommodate up to 20 volunteers at one time and you are able to volunteer as a group, Weidner said. Many students come in for class requirements and are either placed in the office or with the kids, both of which require training. Weidner said the kids are excited to work with the volunteers. Davis said he learned about Haven House through a school assignment and he is currently going through training, but he thinks there are many benefits to volunteering. “It’s a good feeling when you get home at night, to know that you made a difference in someone else’s life,” Davis said, adding that volunteering can be a way to add great job experience.
News
RELIGIOUS GUIDE
Renovated Amtrak station on track to open this fall
Look for this directory in the paper every Wednesday and online at: www.statenews.com/religious Ascension Lutheran Church 2780 Haslett Rd., E. Lansing Between Hagadorn & Park Lake Rds. (517) 337-9703 Sunday Worship: 10am Sunday School: 9am Adult Bible Study: 9am ascensioneastlansing.org Faith Fellowship Baptist Church 1001 Dakin St. Lansing, MI 48912 517-853-9897 Sunday Morning Worship: 11am Sunday School: 10am Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study: 6:30pm Van service available to church Campus Bible Study: Thursday at 7:30pm in Chemistry Bldg. www.ffbc.us
BY LESLIE HEMENWAY LHEMENWAY@STATENEWS.COM
After several bumps in the road, the East Lansing Amtrak Station renovations will soon be completed on schedule and within budget. T he r e nov at ion s we r e announced back in 2012 after the Capital Area Multi Modal Gateway Project received a $6.28 million federal grant, but because CATA had to wait to receive the funds, construction on the area was delayed. Now there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel. CATA Director of Marketing Laurie Robison said the station will open this summer, when the existing site will be destroyed
and the final work site will be completed. However, the project won’t officially wrap up until fall. Robison said the prioritization of Multi Modal Gateway, which occurred through a joint partnership between the Michigan Department of Transportation, City of East Lansing, MSU and CATA, led to the station renovations. The goal, she said, was to update Multi Modal Gateway and make it more welcoming to those traveling to and from the area. Part of that goal included renovating the Amtrak Station, a project which Robison said was much needed. “It was a very, very old building and there was not a whole
lot of room in there. There’s a lot of demand for rail service in this area,” she said. Improvements to the station include parking for up to 150 vehicles, bike storage under the covered area of the facility and bay canopies that will extend the sheltered area over bus doors. There will also be floor-to-ceiling windows for enhanced visibility and aggregate concrete floors for better maneuverability for mobility devices and luggage. “(There will be) full access to multi modal transportation (and) better access to cabs,” she said. “I know there will be more vendors within the facility.” At this point, Robison said all that is left to be done are finishing touches.
ONLINE
Follow the latest developments in the Meng Long Li trial, along with the ongoing court case against five teenage women accused of beating an MSU student with a baseball bat and robbing the student of her phone, at statenews.com
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Okemos Community Church 4734 Okemos Rd. Okemos, MI 48864 (517) 349-4220 www.okemoscommunitychurch.org Sunday Worship: 10am Sunday School: 10am-11:15am Adult Studies: 9am & 11am
One Community-Lutheran (ELCA)/ Episcopal (TEC) Campus Ministry 1020 South Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-2559 www.facebook.com/onGreater Lansing ecommunitymsu Church of Christ Sundays: 8:30, 10:45am (at 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. University Lutheran East Lansing, MI 48823 Church) Sundays: 9:30am (517) 898-3600 (at All Saints Episcopal Sunday Worship: 8:45am Sunday Bible Study: 10:15am Church) Sunday Evening: Small Group Peoples Church Wednesday Bible Study: 200 W. Grand River Ave. 7:00pm East Lansing, MI 48823 www.greaterlansingcoc.org (517) 332-6074 Hillel Jewish Student Center www.peoples-evolution.org Sunday Worship: 8:30am, 360 Charles St., E. Lansing 9:30am (517) 332-1916 Tuesday: Love Life: 7-9pm Friday Night Wednesday: Dinner at Services: 6pm, Dinner: 7pm 5:30pm, September - April Journey at 6:30 Islamic Center of East Red Cedar Friends Lansing Meeting 920 S. Harrison Rd., East 1400 Turner St. Lansing, MI 48823 Lansing, MI 48906 (517) 351-4309 (517) 371-1047 www.Lansingislam.com redcedarfriends.org info@Lansingislam.com Sunday Worship: 9:00am, 1st Friday Prayer: 12:15 pm 10:30am 2nd Friday Prayer: 1:45 pm Little Flock Christian Fellowship A Non-DenominationalEvagelical Church MSU Alumni Chapel (Basement Hall) Sunday Worship Service: 10am-12 Noon. Fellowship Lunch after the service Weekly Bibly Studies & Students’ Meetings. littleflock.msu@gmail.com littleflock@hotmail.com www.littleflock.org
University Baptist Church 4608 South Hagadorn Rd East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-4144 www.ubcel.org 10 AM Worship service 11:15 Coffee Hour 11:30 Sunday School University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-5193 universitychristianwired.com Sunday: 11:15 am Sunday Bible Study: 10:15 am University United Methodist Church MSU Wesley 1120 S. Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-7030 universitychurchhome.org msuwesley.org Sunday: 10:30am 9:00am Garden Service in the summer TGIT: 8:00pm Thursdays Sept. - April WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbott Road East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 580-3744 www.msu.edu/~weisluth 6:00pm Saturday St. John Church and Student Center 327 M.A.C. Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823 Sunday: 8am, 10am, Noon, 7pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12:15pm
Unity Spiritual Renaissance 230 S. Holmes St. Lansing, MI 48912 (517) 484-2360 or (517) 505-1261 Sunday: 10:30am Wednesday: 6:30pm meditation Office: Monday-Thursday 9:30-12:00
Religious Organizations: Don’t be left out of the Religious Directory! Call 517-432-3010 today to speak with an Account Executive
MENG LONG LI THUR SDAY, JUNE 4, 2015
Martin Luther Chapel 444 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-0778 martinlutherchapel.org Sunday: 9:30am & 7:00pm Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring)
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Spotlight
Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews
Activists from multiple Michigan universities converge at MSU Rather than representing isolated pockets of socialpolitical action, student activists from across the state united at MSU to share stories, resources and tactics BY CAMERON MACKO CMACKO@STATENEWS.COM
The climate of activism on many college campuses can be discouraging for some. A small group of on-campus activists trying desperately to convince the student body, who are more often concerned with exams and the 10-page essay they’ve been neglecting for a week, why issues they can’t directly see, matter. A relatively new grassroots organization, the Michigan Student Power Network, took a major step forward this weekend at the Michigan Student Power Convergence 2015. Looking at strengthening bonds between campus groups and strategizing for the next few years, the MSPN picked MSU to hold its state-wide event, organizing to better fight the injustices they so strongly advocate against. ORIGINS OF THE NETWORKFounded in April 2014, the MSPN is a 14-month-old “association of young people in the state of Michigan formed
to co-ordinate action, share skills and build statewide unity around social justice causes,” according to the group’s Facebook page, also aimed to connect progressive student organizers across the state. They partner with campus groups at nine different universities across Michigan, mainly concentrated in the lower thumb region, although a major suggestion from members going forward was to expand north in the months and years ahead. At MSU, the MSPN is associated with groups such as MSU Students United, the Black Student Alliance and the Black Lives Matter movement. Many of the activists have different backgrounds in the issues they specialize in — some come from the LGBT community, some care most about issues of race and privilege and others have an environmentalist bent — but the outlook uniting them is a progressive one. One major undertaking by the network was the march on the Capitol in March, at which MSU jazz studies senior Duncan Tarr was arrested. State-wide organizer and University of
A group of students discusses issues most important to them during a speed dating exercise in the Combating White Supremacy Culture in Radical Spaces workshop. Traven Michaels (center) listens to his partner while the rest of the group also participates May 29 in Berkey Hall. PHOTOS: WYATT GIANGRANDE
During a group discussion in the Combating White Supremacy Culture in Radical Spaces workshop, Trish Abalo (right) speaks as Justin Murshak (left) listens May 29 in Berkey Hall.
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Michigan alumnus Ian Matchett, said their yearly operating budget is effectively $10,000, which comes from union and other progressive group donations. A common theme among campus activists is dealing with a larger apathy, which can discourage members, but the MSPN looks to broaden the perspective of activists on campus. “It’s really kind of getting a broader vision of like, this is not just ... one cause in one room that may be doing well or poorly at any given moment, but it’s part of a whole movement and everyone is kind of contributing consistently,” Matchett said. BUILDING BONDS When the Convergence was called, a primary goal was simply to give activists from across the state time to know each other and bond over shared causes. Major attendant numbers at the event came from Grand Valley State University, the University of Michigan, Central Michigan University and MSU itself. Jacob Peck, a neuroscience and premed senior from the University of Michigan, said he is involved in the Student Socialist Union and that campus faces the same problem of student apathy and having very few radically-minded people. “A pretty big gathering of like-minded people like this who do a lot of organizing, that wouldn’t really happen at Michigan’s campus,” Peck said. A handout detailing the Covergence said the MSPN hoped the event would “build the connections and skills that would carry MSPN forward for years to come.”
“It’s really kind of getting a broader vision of like, this is not just like one cause in one room that may be doing well or poorly at any given moment but it’s part of a whole movement and everyone is kind of contributing consistently.” Ian Matchett, MSPN statewide organizer
Recent Grand Valley State University graduate Brandan Bilski said the biggest challenge facing student activists is learning how to overcome historic biases against them, and at his campus the climate is similar to MSU, with only a small, core group of activists. “I think having a state-wide organization allows that to change in a fundamental way,” he said. CONVERGENCE Convergence itself operated with a few rules of conduct, including respecting the chosen pronouns of participants and quickly apologizing if an offhand remark offended someone. In a spirit of pure democracy, those who spoke often were asked to give time for other voices and to not “delegitimize other people’s experiences.” About 60 people participated in the three-day event, with overnight lodging and food provided and social events and parties planned for late at night. However, the focus of the event concerned workshops and hands-on strategy activities, interrupted by break-out sessions and caucuses for
different racial and gender-identity groups. During break periods, activists would speak casually about issues, with concepts such as triggering, patriarchy, misogyny and white supremacy, governed by a mutual adherence to the agreed rules of conduct. On the final day, a major session involved an overview of “direct action,” defined by Tarr, the director of that session as, “a critical component of a variety of tactics used to change the world around us. Direct action is a disruption of business as usual. It either immediately solves a problem or it makes the operation of business as usual so dysfunctional that the change you want has to be met before your targets can continue operating.” The group shared past uses of direct action that involved protests, sit-ins and arrests. “It’s been really nice to talk with people from different parts of the state and from different states about what kind of organizing they’ve done and what sort of methods they’ve used (that) have worked ... just kind of sharing our stories. That’s been the best part of it, really,” Peck said.
FUTURE OF MSPN The final discussion of the weekend involved the future structure of MSPN. Currently grassroots, minimally organized and bottom-led, Matchett said it would be necessary to better organize and plan for when the MSPN would hopefully become a ballooning coalition across the state. An open forum discussion included setting up regional representation structures and expanding to the currently underrepresented northern part of the state, while also increasing the role of minorities in MSPN governance. Other goals suggested were to set up a funding platform, with one person suggesting they abuse university speaker funds and direct them to the MSPN, hopefully to hire more statewide organizers, though no suggestion has been officially endorsed by the MSPN yet. Fourteen nominees were named to form a committee that will put the suggestions into practice, with the goal of creating at least a plan by the end of the summer.
“Seeing people working together, talking together and connecting with (people) who hadn’t even met before this weekend, ... that’s why we’re doing the work,” Matchett said. Tarr, who was late making copies of handouts due to two broken copiers at the last training session on Sunday, shared an anecdote with the group that held important symbolic significance to the mentality of the MSPN in its view of current power structures. “This one piece of paper crumpled up and stopped the whole system from working,” Tarr said, to the approving laughter of the attendees.
ONLINE To read more about Michigan Student Power Network and other student activist groups on campus, visit statenews. com.
presents
A major success was the creating of bonds between the diverse membership, Matchett said.
Brandon Bilski (center) serves a plate of food to conference participant Avik Chakrabarti (left) with Aiko Fukuchi waiting in line behind him. The dinner was made and served entirely by the volunteers who organized the Student Power Network Conference.
Free Dessert! (Cookie, Brownie, or Rice Crispy Bars)
with the purchase of any Salad, Sandwich or Mac n’ Cheez 547 E Grand River Ave | 517-325-0850
T H U RS DAY, J U NE 4, 2 01 5
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Crossword
L.A. Times Daily Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
Features
Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews
HUMANS OF EAST LANSING
BY ANN ZHUANG PHOTO: ASHA JOHNSON
ACROSS
1 Los Alamos projects 7 “A Jug of Wine ...” poet 11 Shelter acquisition 14 Hat with a brim 15 Sport for heavyweights 16 Fertility lab supply 17 Heavyweight who dethroned Sonny Liston 19 NASA transport 20 Attacks 21 Other, to Orlando 22 Happy hour site 25 The London Eye, for one 28 Exception lead-in 30 Memorable “Richard III” words 31 Disadvantaged 32 One of the Mountain States 35 Some hot rods 36 Zesty meat coating 40 Roulette option 42 “Sorry” 43 Land of the banshee 46 Home of the NCAA’s Wolf Pack 48 “Tess” Golden Globe winner 50 Beer-making device 54 Slew 55 Level, in London 56 Spelunkers
58 Dash widths 59 Fictional wizard, and a hint to who would use the ends of 17-, 25-, 36and 50-Across 64 __ limit 65 Assist badly? 66 Words before “Happy New Year!” 67 Kenan’s TV pal 68 Chats 69 New York county on Lake Ontario
DOWN
1 Browns’ gp. 2 Cole Porter’s “__ Clown” 3 Takes too much, briefly 4 Peat component 5 Legal filings 6 Browns, perhaps 7 Word before nod or buzz 8 Millionaire starter? 9 Org. with a monthly Journal of Ethics 10 Kevin’s “Tin Cup” role 11 Disruptive spirit 12 Tibetans call it Chomolungma 13 They may be hot 18 Belarus or Ukr., once 21 “Looky here!” 22 Small seal 23 Low número
24 Circulation need 26 Humorist Mort 27 “Hold it!” 29 Bobble the ball 32 Market chain based in Chicago 33 Room with a recliner 34 Insurance fig. 37 Helper 38 Site of Mt. Mitchell, highest Appalachian peak 39 __ master 40 Taking five or ten 41 Drive up the wall 44 “King Kong” studio 45 Cologne article 47 Blow away 48 Heavy lifter, for short? 49 Aligned 51 Head-turner’s hardware? 52 Super Mario racers 53 One climbing the walls 57 Stash 59 Uris novel, with “The” 60 Old sports org. with a red-white-and-blue ball 61 Piggy 62 Writer’s coll. major, often 63 Vintage auto
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Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION TO WEDNESDAY’S PUZZLE
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Megan Penzkofer Genomics and molecular genetics and human biology MSU Junior Double major genomics and molecular genetics and human biology junior Megan Penzkofer is sitting by herself in Chipotle Mexican Grill. Her dream for the future is to become a doctor.
“I’m just interested in the biology in general, but also I feel like that part of it explains everything else. It is interesting to look at what kind of different relationships between organisms there are or looking at heritable diseases, there’s just a lot about it that’s interesting.”
Features
Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews
MSU researcher’s work with bees focuses on honey and habitats BY YUANZHE ZHUANG YZHUANG@STATENEWS.COM
Bees are everywhere in the summer, and bees’ habitats make interesting stories for researchers to study. Zachary Huang, associate professor in the Department of Entomology at MSU, has studied bees for more than 20 years. His job consists of three parts: extension, research and teaching. Huang said he started studying bees when he was in a PhD program in 1993. He received a Wang Fellowship scholarship to study in Canada, and then moved to the U.S. for further study. While Huang chose to go into research for himself, he has some visitors from China to help him study bees. Xian Bing Xie and Shudong Luo are two students from China who enjoyed working with Huang while they conducted their bee research. Studying bees is not always fun. “Occasionally I got stung in my eyes,” Huang said, “I could get stung 10 times, but it will go away. I don’t know
where they are now.” Bees are active from April to the fall season. Usually during the winter season there are samples collected to study. “You have to leave 60 pounds (of) honey,” Huang said. The bees will eat the honey in order to keep warm and stay alive during the winter months. “There are many things animals can do, but humans cannot,” Huang said. Huang used himself as an example of this. He said if he was alone in Germany, where he had never been before, if he walked away from his hotel he would have to return exactly the way he had come to avoid getting lost. “But bees can integrate all the terms and directions. They can recognize the shortest distance,” Huang said. “They can find the direct navigation to come home. Most humans cannot do that.” Huang said the explanation for this ability is that bees follow their own innate navigation mechanism. But he still thinks it quite interesting to see how it works. For video of the study, visit statenews.com
(Top) Zachary Huang shows a bee comb May 22 at the bee study field lab in East Lansing. Huang checks each box to make sure the bees are at regular honey production. (Left) Bees cluster together in a comb during the sunny weather on May 22 at the bee study field lab in East Lansing. PHOTOS: YUANZHE ZHUANG
Students weigh benefits of online summer courses JESSICA STEELEY JSTEELEY@STATENEWS.COM
Although MSU is more relaxed in the summer, there are still professors teaching on campus and students doing homework and going to class. “One of the biggest differences with the summer course is it’s only seven weeks, opposed to 15 weeks in the other semesters, so everything is rushed,” doctoral student Julie Bell said. Bell, who teaches the master’s level course Teaching Education 807 during the summer, said the rush makes it difficult for her to give quick feedback to students on their assignments. Computer science junior Alex Lambert agrees accelerated summer classes are tough; even though he’s only taking six credits, it can seem like 12. He said he does better in fall and spring classes as opposed to summer classes. However, Lambert takes them because it will allow him to graduate in three-and-a-half years and give him an easi-
er senior year. “I’d rather take classes now, and then have an easier senior year, than have 20 credits senior year,” Lambert said. Mechanical engineering junior Conner Archey said he’s taking summer classes to catch up on credits. “I have an internship for the second half of summer, so I wanted to keep myself busy,” Archey said. “Rather than getting a minimum-wage job, I figured I’d just get ahead on credits.”
“Without the real obligation to go to class, especially with the ... (heavier) work load, I think it’s harder to do online classes in the summertime.” Alex Lambert, computer science junior
In an opposite view from Lambert, Archey said he thinks he’ll do better in summer classes because he’s taking fewer credits and there are less distractions on campus during the summer. But Bell’s students are kept busy. She said all of her students are teachers pursuing their master’s degree, so they’re often teaching while also taking her online class. Despite this, she doesn’t think grades change based on the semester. During the regular academic year, she teaches undergrads and because her students are either far along in their degree or choosing to go back and get a higher degree, they
are invested in the courses and everyone does well regardless. Archey thinks he will do better in his summer classes, but he thinks the difficulty will be the same as if he had taken the classes in the spring or fall. The difference is summer classes just move at a faster pace. “It takes more time weekly, but you have less total credits, so it’s kind of a trade-off,” Archey said. Lambert views summer classes as a good way to focus on difficult mandatory classes, because they’re isolated and you can get them over with. “You can get rid of Calculus II, Calculus III ... or, if you fail a class, you can redo it in the summer time,” Lambert said. No matter what summer class students take, there is a disconnect between online classes and physical classes. Bell maintains online summer classes are hard to get used to, especially because they don’t give as much time or opportunity for her to get to know her students. Lambert agrees online classes are challenging because, in the summer, people would prefer to go outside instead of sitting in their rooms and doing classwork. “It’s more convenient to go to classes online,” Lambert said. “But … without the real obligation to go to class, especially with the ... (heavier) work load, I think it’s harder to do online classes in the summertime.” But both still see advantages to online classes. Lambert said they are more flexible time-wise, and Bell said it gives her the chance to include students from all around the country and the world in her classes. “It’s really cool, because we get all these different perspectives coming in from different locations,” Bell said, adding that doesn’t usually happen in a physical classroom. When thinking about taking summer classes, remember they go at a faster pace, but they can be a good way to get more credits in and focus on harder classes.
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News
Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews
Sherman’s drunken rant raises point about NCAA drug testing BY JOSH THALL JTHALL@STATENEWS.COM
While the drunken Twitter rant provided by former Michigan State basketball player Garrick Sherman on May 27 was entertaining for all who saw, it could be indicative of a larger issue of the collegiate sports landscape. For those who don’t know, Sherman is an ex-MSU basketball player who transferred to the University of Notre Dame after his sophomore season in East Lansing. After the final day of his pro-season with the Georgian soccer team FC Dinamo Tbilisi, Sherman had a few drinks the night of May 27 and later cited boredom as a driving factor in his tweeting. While it may have seemed to some that Sherman was throwing Michigan State and his former coach Tom Izzo under the bus by talking about how he helped Durrell Summers pass a drug test by peeing into a condom and giving it to him, he made very clear during his string of tweets that his aim was directed at the NCAA and its inability to do anything right.
And he might have shed light on an important issue. Are the drug tests conducted by the NCAA and colleges across the country as effective as they can be? “If nothing else gets accomplished. Let this Twitter rant show the inability of the ncaa to do anything at all of substance,” Sherman said on Twitter. The NCAA has a very strict policy for drug testing in an attempt to prevent cheating, according to an email from Christopher Radford, the associate director of public and media relations for the NCAA. “The NCAA follows a strict collection protocol, (including) fully observed sample collections to thwart urine substitution and contamination,” Radford said via email. “Samples are tested for concentration, and diuretics and other urine manipulators.” Dr. Jeff Kovan, MSU director of sports medicine and performance, said one of the biggest challenges for schools around the country and the NCAA is constantly trying to come up with new ways to stop athletes from cheating the drug testing process. “There are kinds of protocols you
Then-sophomore centers Derrick Nix and Garrick Sherman talks on the bench as they wear towels on their heads during the team’s game against Iowa on March 2, 2011 at Breslin Center. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO
have to do for testing now, that either you have to be naked when you go into the room, and then you don’t have to be watched, or you can take your pants down and someone watches you go to the bathroom,” Kovan said in an email.
Then-sophomore forward Garrick Sherman goes up for a shot against Bowling Green. Sherman had four points and three rebounds against the Falcons on December 4, 2010 at Breslin Center. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO 10
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TESTING FOR STREET DRUGS Kovan said that while drug te sting for common street drugs such as marijuana or alcohol is important, they have been urging the NCAA to stop and just let the schools handle street drug testing. He said the NCAA has cut back on street drug testing and focused primarily on the performance enhancers. “We know that many of the street drugs have a negative effect on performance,” Kovan said via email. “So for both academic and athletic reasons, we feel there is justification in testing for these to maximize both areas.” Kovan added they do not want to be police when it comes to drug use, but to educate their athletes to prepare them for the business world that is waiting for those who do not make it to the professional level. “Employers don’t generally ask why or are willing to counsel an employee if they fail a drug test,” Kovan said via email. “We hope that by our education, testing and treatment program, we can help better prepare the athletes for their careers once they graduate from MSU.” However, Sherman called the drug
testing process for college out, saying that if the NCAA wanted it to be efficient, they would use a hair test rather than the traditional urine test. “NCAA could do hair test any day of the week and actually be a real organization, but who would wanna take the top 25 players from the tourney,” Sherman said on Twitter. URINE TEST ALTERNATIVES Hair testing is an alternative form of drug testing that is not as widely used. Research shows, however, that hair testing can show drug use from several months instead of the couple of weeks a urine test is typically able to detect. Through a hair test, drugs will typically show up seven to 10 days after the drug was used, as that is the time it takes the affected hairs to grow above the scalp, and can detect drug use up to 90 days after use, according to the Laboratory Corporation of America. The method of urine collection the NCAA uses, as well as many individual colleges, has a period of the drug typically showing up between two and five hours after smoking, but does not show up for as long of a period — anywhere up to 12 weeks, depending on how often someone smokes. Radford said the NCAA chooses to use urine testing rather than hair testing, however, because urine testing better detects steroids and other PEDs. Urine testing also allows the
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to conduct all the required analyses required to meet the strict International Olympic Committee (IOC) code. Kovan said Michigan State experimented using hair testing about 10 years ago, but ultimately went back to the urine test because the hair test was found to be less accurate. “But the hair testing we talked about years ago, and we actually did it for a little while and found the problem with hair testing is that it gives you results from three months’ time, that part is OK, so you get a little broader spectrum of what an athlete might have used,” Kovan said. “But there is also some question as to (whether) secondhand smoke or other things have an impact on that? If the athlete doesn’t have any hair that’s long enough, because you need about 1 inch of hair to be able to get a sampling, then you have troubles with that. So there’s a lot of inadequacies of the hair testing which is why most schools have gone away from it.” Kovan said blood testing is the method most likely to take the place of urine testing in the future. He said the main issues with blood testing currently are that it is expensive and there is no easy way to do it. Kovan said there have been talks with the NCAA about the potential of blood testing, but they have to find a way to do it without requiring a major needle poke, but rather, just a small sample of blood.
Quick Reads
ELPD Chief Juli Liebler to retire at end of the month BY JOSH THALL JTHALL@STATENEWS.COM
East Lansing police Chief Juli Liebler talks with Veronica Balash after being sworn in on March 24, 2011 at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road. Liebler joined the force in 1987 and was named as the replacement of predecessor Tom Wibert, who retired in Oct. 2010. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO
Wharton Center for Performing Arts names new director GREG WEBER
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East Lansing Police Chief Juli Liebler, who has been with the police department since 1987, will be retiring at the end of the month. Liebler first joined the ELPD in 1987 as a part-time parking enforcement officer. She joined the force full-time in 1988, and eventually became deputy chief in 2006. She was named interim police chief in November of 2010 before being officially named police chief in March, 2011.
Beginning in early July, the Wharton Center for Performing Arts will have a new leader. Greg Weber will replace Diane Baribeau, who has more than 38 years of experience on campus, as the director of operations and management. Baribeau is heading north to Traverse City to become the executive director of the City Opera House, according to a Wharton Center statement. The job posting went up in early February, public relations manager Bob Hoffman said. The City Opera House and the Wharton Center have shared management since an agreement signed in 2009, the same year as an $18.5 million renovation of the Wharton Center. “They are their own entity, but we help them man-
“In her time with the City of East Lansing, Chief Liebler has been a consummate professional and a highly respected leader,” East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas said in a statement. “It has been a pleasure to work alongside her all of these years. She has helped to make the East Lansing Police Department what it is today and will be greatly missed by her fellow officers and colleagues.” East Lansing has already started its search for a new chief of police, who will be the city’s second in five years.
age,” Hoffman said. Weber has 30 years in management experience with the performing arts after working at Tulsa Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York and the Houston Grand Opera. Baribeau owns a summer home in the Traverse City area and her move up north will allow more time to handle day-to-day operations of the facility there. Hoffman said Weber’s new position will be to oversee the diverse range of programs managed by the Wharton Center. “He’ll continue the tradition of all of the amazing programs that we have,” Hoffman said. —CAMERON MACKO
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DIRECT CARE worker. Assist children/adults w/ autism. All shifts avail. High school diploma/GED, reliable trans. & valid driver’s lic. req. Call 517-374-7670.
SURVEY INTERVIEWERS needed. MSU’s Survey Research Lab is hiring telephone interviewers to conduct computer-assisted interviews in English for health and public policy studies. P/T, flex work schedule, evening and weekend hrs. req. Paid training. $9.00/hr to start, opportunities for advancement. To apply call 517353-5404 or come to Room 10, Berkey Hall with your resume.
WE ARE looking for a few people to join our team. If you are an experienced banquet manager, server, bartender or can help with setup of events please give us a call for an interview. If you could work the day shift for lunches and the evenings and weekends that would be an ineradicable bonus! Please only experienced, motivated, reliable need apply. Call 517-6995595 or forward resume to sales@charlarplace.com
AUG AVAIL. One bedroom and studio apartments. Great location, walk to campus. Filling fast. CRMC at 337-7577 or crmc1.com
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AUG ‘15. 5 bd & 4 bd houses, Both very reduced in price. 645 and 627 Evergreen E.L. 517-332-1623
LRG STUDIO, lic. 1-2, great for grads. $580/mth; parking, util, TV, internet. 3513117.
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MSU STUDENT wanted for nanny/housekeeping position. Weekends & Weekdays. Please text 517.214.0525 OFFICE WORK 30 hrs/wk Flex hrs. E-mail resume/ app to boctorengineering@ gmail.com
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2 OR 4 bedroom house for rent. Orchard St. just off of Grand River. Call 517-2907400 for more details. 2015-16 HOUSE(S). Licensed for 3 or 6. Super Location & Condition! 517490-3082.
Automotive FOR SALE 2010 Subaru Outback wagon 3.6R limited. 58K Mi. Fully equipped, still under warranty for next 18 mo. All service done at Subaru, exc condition. Navigation system w/blue tooth wireless. $20,860, price negot. Contact Joe at 517-339-7726.
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Sports
Michael Kransz Content editor mkransz@statenews.com @thesnews_sports
Big Ten-honored hockey defenseman to leave MSU
Then-freshman defenseman Josh Jacobs races to the puck followed by Penn State defenseman Taylor Holstrom and Penn State forward Connor Varley Feb. 13 at Munn Arena. The Spartans defeated Penn State, 3-0. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO
MSU Hockey head coach Tom A nastos announced on May 29 that defenseman Josh Jacobs would not be returning for the 20152016 season, instead choosing to pursue professional interests elsewhere. “Josh has informed me that he has decided to leave school to pursue his professional hockey interests,” Anastos said in a statement. “We are certainly respectful of his decision, appreciate his contributions to our program and wish him all the best in his hockey career moving forward.”
Jacobs himself said in a statement that he was “very thankful to Michigan State University and the hockey community for everything over the past few years and I wish them nothing but the best going forward.” Jacobs played in 36 games during the 20142015 season, scoring nine points with nine assists. He is expected to play for Ontario Hockey League Sarnia Sting, according to The Detroit News. —CAMERON MACKO
More than 100 Spartan athletes honored for GPA More than 100 Spartan athletes were on the list released by the Big Ten of the 2015 spring academic All-Big Ten honorees. To be eligible for academic All-Big Ten consideration, student-athletes must earn a varsity letter, be in at least their second academic year at a Big Ten institution and carry a GPA of 3.0 or higher. MSU has a total of nine spring sports, all of which had multiple athletes receiving the honor.
In total, the Big Ten honored 1,448 student-athletes across the conference including 13 athletes with perfect 4.0 grade point averages. Four of these athletes attend MSU. Garret Zuk of Men’s track and field, softball’s Kristina Zalewski and women’s track and field’s Katelyn Daniels and Alana O’Mara were four of the 13 student-athletes honored with perfect grade point averages. —JAKE ALLEN
MSU Track and Field prepares for national championships
MSU will send 10 entries to the Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. This is the most entries to date under ninthyear program director Walt Drenth. The Championships take place from June 10-13. Senior Leah O’Connor will defend her 3,000-meter steeplechase national championship in her fourth straight NCAA championship appearance. The women’s team qualified six other entries including Sarah Birkmeier (pole vault), Katelyn Daniels (discus), Tori Franklin (triple jump), Rachele Schulist (5,000 meters), Cynthia Watt (hammer) and a 4X100 meter relay team. The men’s qualifiers are Vinny Gjokaj (hammer), Antonio James (discus) and Tim Ehrhardt (decathlon). —JAKE ALLEN
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