State News The
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I didn’t want to register with the university as disabled or immediately tell any professors. I didn’t want to use lupus as an excuse. Erin Kotecki, Journalism senior
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AFFLICTED, BUT NOT DISABLED After 20 years and a diagnosis, one student comes back to MSU GRAPHIC: TAYLOR SKELTON
NEWS
NEWS
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350-YEAR-OLD TREE FALLS
“If you Google lupus you will immediately see the mortality rates, which are not good. This was beyond scary.”
MEMES AT STATE
A storm in July nearly killed a landmark older than campus
Erin Kotecki Journalism Senior
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An MSU professor created MSU Memes 2.0 on Facebook to help students and faculty relieve stress
PAGES 4 AND 5 @THESNEWS
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Rachel Fradette Campus editor campus@statenews.com
Summer storm splits campus tree in half, reveals 350-year-old age BY MADISON O’CONNOR MOCONNOR@STATENEWS.COM
When one of the oldest trees on MSU’s campus was blown down by a windstorm last July, it was devastating for Department of Plant Biology professor Frank Telewski. The tree had split, and only a small section remained. But, when the large white oak tree went down and Telewski started counting the rings of the tree to estimate its age, he discovered something remarkable. “This tree … is actually still with us,” Telewski said. “It hasn’t completely died, and that’s why we haven’t taken it down. I can say to you without any doubt in my mind that this tree right here is, at a minimum, 350 years old and it likely germinated sometime in the early part of the 1600s.” The large white oak, located between Linton Hall and the MSU Museum, was taken down by 65 mph winds in July. The day of the storm, Telewski said he saw leaves blowing off of trees and window screens blowing off the sides of buildings from the wind, he said. “We had several big trees down,” Telewski said. “We lost about — I think it was about 20 or so trees on campus that I had to report damage from the wind storm.” Telewski immediately called MSU campus arborist Paul Swartz to let him know what happened and then began to survey the campus for more trees impacted by the storm, Telewski said in a written account of the event. “Well, you know, I was pretty amazed that the wind had taken such a large tree,” Swartz said. “Luckily, it didn’t cause any harm coming down, but yeah, it was pretty sad to see one of the large specimens on North Campus go like that. It was probably one of the largest ones that we lost in that storm.” Upon finding the white oak, Telewski noticed
a metal cap on the tree. Soon after MSU was established, the tops of many trees were cut off to try to force the trees to grow outward instead of upward for shade. Later, metal caps were placed over the trees’ wounds to prevent decay, Telewski said. Finding the metal cap on the fallen white oak that made everything click for Telewski. “When I looked down, I saw that metal cap on there and it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s one of the old trees that predates the campus,’” he said. In an attempt to pinpoint the white oak’s age, Swartz and his crew found a partially solid point of the tree and cut a cross-section to be dried and analyzed, Telewski’s written account said. “When I started counting those growth rings and I got beyond 250, and I still had a long way to the bark, I had the excitement that I felt,” Telewski said. “We get very excited. We have 400 year old trees amongst us right on our very campus. And who knows if they’re even older?” The impacts of such an old tree are huge. If the tree germinated in the early 1600s, it’s been around to see the Native American encampments on this land, the clearing of the forest and the establishment of MSU, the fire that burned down Saints Rest right next to it, the construction of the sidewalk over its roots, droughts and much more, Telewski said. “It’s seen probably every single student who’s been on the MSU campus, because I can’t imagine if you were a student at MSU that you didn’t walk by here,” he said. “Every Spartan on this campus has probably passed this tree. Maybe some in the distance, but within visible range of this tree. It’s been here that long ... I mean, think of all of the things that have happened in 300, 400 years. This tree survived it. And it’s still surviving.” Even though only a fraction of the tree remains, what’s left of the tree survives. As long as the tree continues to sustain its current branch, it could go on for decades, Telewski said.
One of MSU’s oldest trees, a white oak, stands on Sept. 21 outside of Linton Hall and the MSU Museum. The tree split during a storm in the summer and MSU campus arborist Paul Swartz estimates the tree to be more than 350 years old. PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA
“It was kind of amazing,” Swartz said. “Even after that destructive storm, a small part of it is still living.” Telewski hopes the white oak will produce acorns so the tree’s legacy will live on. Acorns are collected from the trees on MSU’s campus on a fairly regular basis, he said. “We take them out to Beaumont Nursery,” Telewski said. “These are the original trees, these are the original genetics of the forest here over 150 years ago. Why not try to keep those trees growing and plant them back on campus?” As for the rest of the tree, the wood was hauled by Swartz’s crew to their storage yard where it currently sits, Swartz said. “We plan to repurpose it in some fashion,” he said. “It is a significant tree, so the wood will be used in some project to preserve it in some
form. We’re going to try to preserve it as much as possible.” Much of the wood from trees that fall on MSU’s campus goes through the program MSU Shadows, where the wood from fallen trees is transformed into new items for purchase. Products include tables, cutting boards and frames. Both Telewski and Swartz agree MSU’s trees need to be preserved and maintained because of their significance on campus and what they’ve been through. “Something that old, it’s not something you find every day,” Swartz said. “We have some old trees on campus, but it was really a surprise to find out it was that old. I think something that old really requires some special attention and special consideration.”
New program director motivated by students BY ALEXEA HANKIN AHANKIN@STATENEWS.COM
Eric Gonzalez Juenke walked into his new office in Room 200 South Kedzie Hall at 9:06 a.m. on Monday. He was planning to get in at 9 a.m., hopefully before. “Sorry I’m late,” Juenke said. “I’ve been up since 4:30 with a sick 7-year-old.” Juenke has been named the new director of the Chicano/Latino Studies Program in the College of Social Science at MSU. He’s worked ERIC JUENKE as a professor within the program and is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science. Despite his undeniably busy schedule and being married with kids, Juenke still has a big focus — his students. “The greatest part about this job is the students,” Juenke said. “Seeing one student excited and motivated and passionate about what they’re doing can change my whole day around from bad to good.” Most of Juenke’s career has been focused on studying Latino 2
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politics, minority representation and voter bias against Latinos. He’s been a professor at MSU and previously worked at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo. With the new director position, Juenke admitted he was a bit downcast that he interacted with less students on the job. But he only teaches one less class, so he said it’s not so bad. “It’s been made up for by my interactions with students here, meeting with them individually, and so I think the quality of the interaction in terms of mentoring is better here in this position, but certainly the quantity is reduced and that makes me sad,” he said. “The ones that do show up are the best and most passionate. ... You get a mixed bag.” MSU’s Chicano/Latino Studies Program, Juenke said, is sort of a hidden gem to the university. It is believed to be one of the first founded in the nation, and is one of the only programs of its nature in the entire Big Ten. “There’s so many programs offered at MSU,” Juenke said. “For some of us, it’s a little harder to stand out. But we are here.” The Chicano/Latino Studies Program offers a select amount of classes and research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students as a minor. There isn’t a major for the program yet, Juenke said, but that means students come from a vast variety of majors and are able to focus whatever work they do — from education to social work — on the basis of Chicano/Latino issues. “The CLS minor really gives students the specialty expertise in a population that they will definitely be interacting with in
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the future,” Juenke said. Juenke said one of his big goals for the program is to get more people to check it out, and for students to come to his office as a place to unwind. He admitted the new job is hard work. “The emails — there’s like a never-ending stream of them (that) all of a sudden you have to read and reply to,” Juenke said. It’s been challenging, learning a new job, but the feeling of succeeding, of really helping students is what keeps me going.” He had a long day ahead of him: a meeting at 10 a.m. and countless unknown interactions with students he might not even know yet. As he began unpacking his bags for the day, he took out three large bags of Twizzlers and set them on his desk. “No special occasion,” he said, laughing. “I just really like them. I figure if I eat them so much, students probably will, too.”
“Seeing one student excited and motivated and passionate about what they’re doing can change my whole day around from bad to good.” Eric Juenke, Director of Chicano/Latino Studies Program
Contents
Cameron Macko Managing editor cmacko@statenews.com
ONLINE
ASMSU vice president resigns
Lacking campus resources
Men’s soccer takes on Maryland
VP for academic affairs Tyler Orlando resigned his position because of health-related reasons
Students make suggestions on resources they think MSU needs
No. 22 MSU men’s soccer will face No. 1 Maryland on Friday
BY T H E N U M B E R S
20 Ranking of MSU volleyball team before facing No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday See page 10
“The only difficulty I’ve ever experienced there was, due to my color blindness, in the daytime I usually can’t read the numbers so I just have to guess. I have gotten on the wrong (bus) sometimes, but at night it’s much easier since the light is lower.” Henry Busby, Doctoral student PAGE 11
MSU freshman dies in car crash Monday BY STAFF REPORTS FEEDBACK@STATENEWS.COM
An MSU student died in a car accident on Monday, MSU spokesman Jason Cody said. Neuroscience freshman Mitchel Kiefer was driving back to MSU when he was involved in a crash on I-96, according his family. The crash, which was initially reported by the Lansing State Journal, happened at 8 a.m. Kiefer’s car was rear-ended, which caused him to cross the median and collide into a truck hauling an empty horse trailer headed the opposite direction, according to the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities closed the eastbound lanes of I-96 for six hours proceeding the crash, reopening the freeway at approximately 1 p.m, the Lansing State Journal reported. Kiefer, 18, was a Northville, Mich. native. A tribute was posted by his former high school hockey team. “He graduated in 2016, so just a few months ago,” Detroit Catholic Central Father John Huber said. “Our hockey team as a whole showed up to mass this morning—we have an optional mass every morning—at 7:20 in
the morning and all of them chose to come today and sat and spoke with one another and needed to talk things out.” Huber said he was in East Lansing later on Tuesday to meet with other former Catholic Central students to talk about Kiefer. Tuesday’s meeting with students was planned before the accident. Huber said the meeting had a different tone than the original one because many of his friends were in mourning and needed comfort. The meeting with Detroit Catholic Central students was held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Dublin Square. “The thoughts and prayers of the MSU community are with Kiefer’s family and friends,” Cody said in a statement. “MSU’s Office of Student Affairs and Services is reaching out to the family to provide support.” A memorial service was held Tuesday night at St. John Church and Student Center, organized by friends Friends and former classmates expressed their sympathies to his family on Facebook and Twitter, with some posting condolences on his Facebook wall. Read more at statenews.com
Premedical freshman Kyle Isaacson expresses himself during the prayer service in memory of MSU student Mitchel Kiefer, who died in a car accident, on Sept. 20 at St. John Church and Student Center at 327 M.A.C. Ave. “He’s my best friend ... he’s like my brother,” Isaacson said. “I just miss him.” PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA
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RELIGIOUS GUIDE Spotlight Look for this directory in the paper every Thursday and online at: www.statenews.com/religious Ascension Lutheran Church 2780 Haslett Rd., E. Lansing Between Hagadorn & Park Lake Rds. (517) 337-9703 Adult Bible Study: 9am Sunday School: 9am Worship Service: 10am ascensioneastlansing.org Eastminster Presbyterian Church 1315 Abbot Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48823 (517) 337-0893 www.eastminsterchurch.org Worship Gatherings: Sunday Worship 10:00 am UKirk Presbyterian Campus Ministry Wednesdays at 7pm www.ukirkmsu.org Greater Lansing Church of Christ 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI (Meeting at the University Christian Church building) (517) 898-3600 Students welcome! Sunday Worship: 8:45am Sunday Bible class: 10am Wednesday: 7pm - praise and worship Students please feel free to call for rides http://www.greaterlansingcoc.org Hillel Jewish Student Center 360 Charles St., E. Lansing (517) 332-1916 Friday Night Services: 6pm Dinner: 7pm September - April Lansing Church of God in Christ 5304 Wise Rd., Lansing, MI 48911 http://lansingcogic.org/ Worship hours Sunday: 10:30am, 5:00pm Monday Family Prayer: 6:00pm
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 www.littleflock.org Martin Luther Chapel 444 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-0778 martinlutherchapel.org Sunday: 10:30am & 7:00pm Wednesday Worship: 9pm Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring) Peoples Church Campus Ministry 200 W Grand River Ave., East Lansing 517-332-5073 www.ThePeoplesChurch.com Sunday: Worship 10:30AM, Student Lunch & Gathering, 11:30AM Monday: Student Dinner & Bible Study, 6:30PM River Terrace Church 1509 River Terrace Dr. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-9059 www.riverterrace.org Service times: 9 & 11:15am St. John Catholic Church and Student Center 327 M.A.C. Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 337-9778 stjohnmsu.org Sunday: 8am, 10am, Noon, 5pm, 7pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12:15pm Tuesday & Thursday: 9:15pm The Pentecostals of East Lansing 16262 Chandler Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 337-7635 www.pentecostalel.org Like us on Facebook! Sunday worship: 11am Thursday Bible study: 7pm Thursday young adult group: 8:30pm Wednesday campus Bible study: 8pm at MSU library
The Islamic Society of Greater Lansing 940 S. Harrison Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823 For prayer times visit www.lansingislam.com/ Trinity Church 3355 Dunckel Rd. Lansing, MI 48911 (517) 272-3820 Saturday: 6pm Sunday: 9:15am, 11am trinitywired.com 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
One student’s quest to get her degree 20 years since leaving MSU
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 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 580-3744 www.msu.edu/~weisluth 6:00pm Saturday
Religious Organizations: Don’t be left out of the Religious Directory! Call 517-295-1680 today to speak with an Account Executive
Journalism senior Erin Kotecki with daughter Hala Vest (left) and son Jackson Vest (right). PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN KOTECKI BY SASHA ZIDAR SZIDAR@STATENEWS.COM
Earning a bachelor’s degree not only represents hard work, but achieving a goal many college students strive to do before beginning their careers. After leaving MSU 20 years ago without a degree to begin her career and now facing a deadly autoimmune disease, journalism senior Erin Kotecki re-enrolled at MSU online to finish what she started. Early Years at MSU Kotecki grew up in St. Clair Shores, Mich. and graduated from South Lake High School. Kotecki first attended MSU in 1993 to pursue a degree in journalism, but in 1996, early into her junior year, she was offered a job in Orlando, Fla. at a radio station. “My first real journalism job was for WCDO in Orlando from 97-99,” Kotecki said. Though Kotecki had a job lined up in Orlando, there was a deeper reasoning for her leaving MSU. “I was in a very abusive relationship at 21 years old and felt I needed to leave Michigan to make sure myself and my family were safe,” Kotecki said. By using voice clips she gained while interning at a Port Huron, Mich. radio station, she found a job in news radio faster than she expected.
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“It was a very difficult decision to make,” she said. “I hated leaving my parents and brother, but I needed to do something drastic to save myself.” Kotecki said she felt lucky that an opportunity arose in Orlando, because of the issues she faced in Michigan. Climbing the ladder of Journalism Later Kotecki moved to Los Angeles to work for KFWD, where she was recognized for her reporting skills. “I’ve received six Golden Mic awards for my work as a reporter at KFWB in Los Angeles,” Kotecki said. “They were for everything from best newscast to best investigative reporting.” However, behind closed doors, Kotecki struggled without her bachelor’s degree as she moved forward in her career. For example, many journalists use AP style, a specific way of formatting designed for newswriting which is taught in many journalism classes. Without a degree, she struggled with knowledge many of her peers learned in school. “I was constantly carrying around my AP stylebook,” Kotecki said. “A tool of journalists, and relying on mentors to help fill in the blanks.” She said she knew that without a degree the process wouldn’t be smooth sailing in the journalism industry as she worked to prove herself and she would work to make up for her lack of a degree with skill.
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Spotlight
Cameron Macko Managing editor cmacko@statenews.com
“I was in a very abusive relationship at 21 years old and felt I needed to leave Michigan to make sure myself and my family were safe.” Erin Kotecki, Journalism senior “It was a trial by fire when I was thrown into the deep end of field reporting,” Kotecki said. “A degree most certainly would have helped.” Diagnosis and Family As years passed, Kotecki left her mark as a journalist. Landing her job in Orlando opened up many doors to her career and was where she also met her husband, Aaron Vest. “I went to the University of Central Florida in the city of Orlando, which is where we met,” Vest said. “I was a radio television major which is how, again, how we met.” With two children and a loving marriage, Kotecki seemed to have the world in the palm of her hands. But then life threw her a curve ball. Kotecki was diagnosed with lupus in 2010 after several years of being chronically sick. Because of her disease she was unable to continue her job as a journalist. “The diagnosis was a big blow to myself and my family,” Kotecki said. “I didn’t even know what lupus was or what it entailed. If you Google ‘lupus’ you will immediately see the mortality rates, which are not good. This was beyond scary.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women are five times more likely to die of the disease than men. Dr. Reddog Sina, an alumnus from MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and assistant professor health programs said, lupus is also known as “the great imitator” because when it affects many different organ systems, it looks like other diseases. “It’s a disease that effects the immune system of the body,” Dr. Sina said. “Essentially what it does is it goes haywire and the body starts attacking its own parts.” It effects every organ system of the body, Dr. Sina said, and can range from very severe to more easily managable. One of the treatments used for lupus is suppressing the immune system so it doesn’t attack the body. “They do that with either steroids or immune-modifying drugs or they use what they call monoclonal antibodies, which are injectable drugs that effect the immune system to calm it down.” Dr. Sina said. In 2010 Kotecki was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus, also known as SLE disease. “She had been sick for a long time before the diagnosis came,” Vest said. “The doctors said they had to do an exploratory surgery, which lead to two other surgeries.” After three surgeries, Vest was at work when he had received the call of his wife’s diagnoses. “It was a pretty big shock,” Vest said. “Leading into those surgeries my attitude was, ‘yay, let’s have these surgeries, let’s get these done and the problems will be fixed.’” With her family by her side, Kotecki found outlets to stay occupied during her time in the hospital. “As the years went by and I battled my disease I found myself online a lot,” Kotecki said. “Reading, writing a blog, trying to keep myself busy while resting.” While browsing online, Kotecki said she wanted to finish her degree at MSU after almost 20 years away. Kotecki, who is now 41, started researching the idea and came up with a plan. “I realized that with Michigan State’s online courses it just might be possible that I could continue to rest my body while keeping my mind busy,” Kotecki said. “I spoke to some advisers and decided to go for it.” Back to School Erin decided she no longer wanted to sit in the hospital bed searching for options, so she decided to finish her degree in journalism at MSU. “I reapplied to Michigan State and they accepted me, which shocked me,” Kotecki said. With six Golden Mic awards and years of being a successful journalist in her back pocket, Kotecki had her heart set on finishing school. “I didn’t want to register with the university as disabled or immediately tell any professors,” Kotecki said. “I didn’t want to use lupus as an excuse.”
Journalism senior Erin Kotecki with daughter Hala Vest (left) and son Jackson Vest (right). PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN KOTECKI
MSU offers online courses that Kotecki said are easy to access and would give her more room to pace herself. Kotecki utilizes the online courses through MSU as she resides on the west coast. “I can think of two times where I took my finals from the hospital bed,” she said. “I didn’t tell my professors I was hospitalized. Unfortunately, I’ve been hospitalized so many times I hated to use the excuse yet again.” MSU professors have cooperated with Kotecki and do whatever is necessary to help her through to do well in classes, she said. “The dean at the time took my decade of experience as a journalist and used it as my intern credit,” Kotecki said. “So I didn’t have to be an intern.” Kotecki said she tries to be like any other student and does not desire special treatment. “I thought and continue to think that my disability shouldn’t be an excuse for being late on a paper, forgetting an assignment or bombing a test,” Kotecki said. “Not having a degree was absolutely something I needed to overcome.” What’s Next? Kotecki can only take one to two classes per semester, anything more is too stressful on her body and mind. “I’m not sure how I’m going to feel when I finally earn my degree,” Kotecki said. “It’s been this elusive unicorn for so long, I can’t image what it will be like when I can finally say I’ve graduated.” Slowly but surely, Kotecki is focused on receiving her bachelor’s degree. “Life at this moment is hard. I love going to school, but I hate being sick,” Kotecki said. “If I could relive my early days at MSU I’d take more core classes and work harder to graduate young.” Despite her disease, she doesn’t let it stop her from achieving her goals. “Who knows what I will do next, I like to push the limits on chronic illness,” Kotecki said. “Maybe I’ll go to graduate school.”
Journalism senior Erin Kotecki with niece Kamilla Kotecki. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN KOTECKI
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# 8 MICHIGAN STATE VS. # 11 WISCONSIN
S N
12 P.M. ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 SPARTAN STADIUM, EAST LANSING, MICH. TV: BTN RADIO: SPARTAN SPORTS NETWORK TWITTER: @THESNEWS_SPORTS FOLLOW LIVE BLOG ON: STATENEWS.COM
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With Stephen Olschanski and Casey Harrison
GO TO STATENEWS.COM TO LISTEN TO SN PODCAST
“MSU and Wisconsin are known for stout rushing attacks. Whichever team establishes the running game will be able to open up the offense, and have a better chance at victory.” -MSU football beat reporter Stephen
msu wisconsin RUNNING BACK BATTLE LJ Scott Corey Clement
*Stats after 2 games
*Stats after 3 games
42 42 203 197 2 3 Attempts
Yards
Running back LJ Scott. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO
Attempts
Yards
MSU Loses If
Predictions
Nathaniel Bott
LJ Scott outruns Corey Clement and MSU speeds up the game to make the Badgers uncomfortable.
Wisconsin finds rhythm at quarterback and the offensive line fails to pick up linebacker blitzes.
28-17 MSU
Tyler O’Connor continues to manage games and the offense keeps the playbook open like it did at ND.
If the defensive line gives up 200-plus yards on the ground and MSU shies away from going to its targets.
32-20 MSU
MSU Wins If
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Wisconsin running back Corey Clement. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DAILY CARDINAL.
Touchdowns
Stephen Olschanski
Touchdowns
6
2-0 3-0
DID YOU
KNOW? Mark Dantonio is 4-3 against Wisconsin since becoming MSU head coach in 2007.
The last seven meetings have all been decided by 10 points or fewer, the biggest victory a 10 point win for MSU in 2010.
R.J. Shelton is MSU’s lone member from the state of Wisconsin. Shelton is from Beaver Dam, Wis.
News
Josh Bender City editor city@statenews.com
Trump 2016 opens Lansing office BY RILEY MURDOCK RMURDOCK@STATENEWS.COM
A campaign office for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump opened in Lansing on Sept. 17, after a Hillary Clinton campaign office that opened last month. Michigan state director for the Trump campaign Scott Hagerstrom said the office is one of 15 official Trump campaign offices in Michigan, with 16 more projected to open. Trump has been active in the state during his campaign, visiting Detroit twice in addition to stops in Dimondale and most recently, Flint. Hagerstrom said the campaign hopes to win Michigan, though the state has gone blue in presidential elections for the last two decades. “Michigan is unique, most people that are voting age are registered to vote, so it’s our goal to get them to the polls and vote,” Hagerstrom said. Hagerstrom, an MSU political science alumnus, worked in the Michigan House of Representatives for 15 years and is currently working out of Trump’s Lansing office. Hagerstrom said the office’s central location makes it easy to reach a majority of Michigan’s population. “We’re really emphasizing getting out and knocking doors of ... registered voters, people who haven’t voted recently,” Hagerstrom said. “Mr. Trump has really appealed to a demographic of people who feel abandoned by the process, feel abandoned by the political elites in Washington D.C., so we’re real-
ly reaching out.” Hagerstrom said the office has not yet campaigned at MSU, but has plans to campaign in East Lansing neighborhoods and at MSU football tailgates. MSU College Republicans president Jeff Litten said the student organization has not been working with the new office, but a new Trump student group is forming that will directly work with the Trump campaign. “It’s going to be an independent group, but we’re going to work together,” Litten said. Genetics senior Kevin Kramer began volunteering at the Lansing office on Sunday. Kramer said he works a full-time job, but plans to contribute 10-15 hours a week volunteering at the office. “My primary goal is to get my friends who are Trump supporters to speak out about their views,” Kramer said. “I know that there’s a lot of us who are afraid to speak our mind on campus because it’s not popular to be conservative.” Kramer supported Trump shortly after he announced his candidacy, but said Clinton’s recent labeling of a swath of Trump supporters as “deplorable” pushed him to get involved with the campaign. Kramer, who said he’s worked more than 3,000 hours of community service, believes the characterization is unfair. “I couldn’t sit back anymore and see people who I know as friends be called ‘deplorable’ people,” Kramer said. “I hope through my own actions that I can show people what we stand for.”
The outside of the Trump office pictured on Sept. 21. The office is located at 2819 E. Saginaw St, Lansing, MI 48912 . PHOTO: DEREK VANHORN
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L.A. Times Daily Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
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Rachel Fradette Campus editor campus@statenews.com
Renovation of Case Hall study lounges has students mixed on updates and look ACROSS
1 Pour love (on) 5 Sledding spot 10 Work the aisles, slangily 13 Very familiar with 14 Not spontaneous 15 Howe’er 16 “Good Guys Wear Black” star 18 Haul to the shop 19 Sailor’s pronoun 20 Full of energy 21 Stereotypical Geek Squad employee 22 Mass-mailing tool 24 Post-performance celebration 27 Went astray 29 Pupil’s cover 30 Drawn-out account 31 Not as demanding 35 USN clerk 36 Stroke with a wedge 39 Take steps 42 Defiant retort 43 __-Seltzer 47 Touchdown spot 49 Log-shaped pastry 51 Display for lecture illustrations 55 “Siddhartha” author 56 Charitable gift 57 Instagram upload 59 “__ matter of fact ... “ 60 Young __: tykes, in dialect
61 Sofa decor 64 Shear (off) 65 Residences 66 __ Romeo 67 Onetime rival of Delta 68 Having a key, in music 69 Go against
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1 Title for Prince William’s wife 2 The “thee” in “Get thee to a nunnery” 3 Seeing the sights 4 Letter-bottom letters 5 Dispassionate 6 Cocoon contents 7 Ungentle giants 8 Shar-__: wrinkly dog 9 Paper staff, briefly 10 Downright 11 Skimpy nightgown 12 Folksy greeting 14 NBC skit show broadcast from 30 Rock 17 Prince William’s wife 21 Scottish isle denial 23 Finger-clicking sound 25 A little laughter 26 Prefix with technic 28 Unhook, say 32 “Crikey!”
33 Sailor’s pronoun 34 Doctrinal suffix 37 Desktop with an AppleCare option 38 “Canterbury” story 39 Guilty 40 “Operators are standing by!” 41 Bygone weight-loss pills 44 French explorer who named Louisiana 45 Rude dismissal, in slang 46 Passage between buildings 48 AWOL seekers 50 Kenneth __, portrayer of Judge Lance Ito in “The People v. O.J. Simpson” 52 Baker’s protection 53 Valerie Harper sitcom 54 Item draped on a rack 58 Scout gps. 61 Skin pic 62 “True Detective” network 63 Stripling
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International relations junior Sree Sarma reads a newspaper on Sept. 21 in the study lounge of North Case Hall. Sarma said of the lounge, “I really like it, it’s a great place to sit while you wait for class. ... It’s more colorful than the rest of Case.” PHOTO: EMMETT MCCONNELL BY BRIGID KENNEDY BKENNEDY@STATENEWS.COM
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Renovations completed during the summer in Case Hall have been a blessing and a curse depending on which James Madison College student you talk to. During the summer, Case Hall’s north and south lounges were renovated. Old sofas and armchairs were replaced with modular furniture and large study tables, and murals have replaced what was once exposed brick. It was time to replace the worn-out furniture, said interim director of Residence Education and Housing Services Ray Gasser, but these renovations were mainly spurred by the elimination of the computer lab that used to be housed in Room 337. “We had an opportunity to transform the two Case lounges with new furniture and computers,” Gasser said via email. Students are generally happy with the redesign. “I think it’s nice — it’s a lot more modern,” comparative culture and politics junior Erica Teklinski said. “There are a lot more study tables if you need to do group projects.” Comparative culture and politics junior Kayla Ashley-White said she hadn’t realized that the lounges were new, but she likes the design of the south lounge. The north and south study lounges were designed to fit different needs, Gasser said. The north lounge is a social lounge, he said, with “places and technology that would allow for students
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to engage and socialize whether it be with a TV or just space that is more open for conversation.” The south lounge has been designed as “a more quiet and concentrated place for studies,” Gasser said. Although students generally prefer the new design and furniture of the lounges, they have one major concern. What used to be Case Hall’s computer lab is now a Rooms for Engaged and Active Learning, or REAL. The room is focused on learning through technology, but it also requires students to bring their own computers to class. Each lounge now holds only eight computers, far fewer than the 30 or so that were available in the former computer lab. Students are worried the computers in the lounges won’t be sufficient during class breaks and exams. “If you have to print a paper and you come now, you’re pretty much screwed because all the computers are full,” Teklinski said. Comparative culture and politics junior Caitlin Aitchison said it’s not surprising that MSU is reducing the available computers. “At this day and age, everybody needs a laptop,” Aitchison said. Aitchison said the computers in the updated lounge are a lot faster and obviously new. The renovations have been praised, but most students agree the area is becoming almost too popular. “I think we’ll find out when everyone’s papers are due how efficient it is,” Teklinski said.
Sports
Casey Harrison Sports editor sports@statenews.com
Now healthy Davis looks to gain more reps against No. 11 Wisconsin BY NATHANIEL BOTT NBOTT@STATENEWS.COM
The last time MSU sixth-year linebacker Ed Davis played Wisconsin, he was a redshirt-freshman. He recorded a tackle for loss in that game, and seemed to bring an extra competitive fire wherever he played, whether it was through his work on the scout team, his redshirt season or his 58 tackles his junior year as a starter. The hype surrounding him prior to his knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 2015 season was substantial, as he was named to numerous award watch lists. Finally, with the long-awaited approval of the NCAA to grant him a sixth year of eligibility, Davis is back with the Spartans. Now, Davis is finding his way into the full swing of things, re-working his way into the linebacking corps he was supposed to lead the previous year. “It was real hard, me still not knowing if I’d be able to come back and play,” Davis said. “It was a tough process, but I persevered through it and in the end, God came through and gave me my chance.” Davis didn’t see much of the field against Notre Dame despite suiting up, he only entered the game for one play. MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio said he wants his sixth-year senior to be fully healthy and not have to experience a situation like he had in the past. “We just felt like he wasn’t quite there yet,” Dantonio said. “It’s a week-to-week thing. It’s rehab, it’s all these different things that are tied together, but he did play last week. If he’s capable of playing, he’ll be in that football game.” Davis said he is fully capable of playing, and it showed with his teammates’ ecstatic attitude regarding his tumultuous ordeal with injuries and the NCAA. “It’s a blast because we are all cheering for each other,” junior linebacker Jon Reschke said.
A LOOK AHEAD FRIDAY 9/23
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Glen Oaks Invitational Centerville, Mich. Time TBA
SATURDAY 9/24 Women’s Golf
STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO
Showtimes for Sept. 22 - Sept.25
Men’s Soccer
Women’s Volleyball
No. 1 Maryland College Park, Md. 7:30 p.m.
Iowa Jenison Field House 7:30 p.m.
Finding Dory
Thurs 115 B Wells Hall 8:30 PM Fri & Sun 115 B Wells Hall 7:00 & 9:00 PM
Star Trek Beyond
Men’s and Women’s
Football
Mary Fossum Invitational Cross Country Forest Akers West Roy Griak Invitational All Day St. Paul, Minn. 11 a.m.
No. 11 Wisconsin Spartan Stadium 12 p.m.
Field Hockey
Women’s Soccer
Miami (OH) Ralph Young Field 2 p.m.
Then-junior linebacker Ed Davis makes a gesture to get the crowd pumped before a play during the game against Ohio State on Nov. 8, 2014, at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans were defeated by the Buckeyes, 49-37.
“We know whoever is out there is going to make plays and we feed off each other. One guy does something well and we want to do it well, too.” And with Wisconsin lurking and Saturday quickly approaching, Davis said he is ready to be back on the field, and with a gritty offensive rushing attack to face at the start of Big Ten play, it doesn’t get much better than a matchup with the Badgers. “I got my wind back,” Davis said. “My strength is up to par, and I’m just tweaking some little things and getting back. I should be back to my normal self in no time. I hope to play a lot more on Saturday.” With Davis ready to go, it further solidifies the strength of the MSU linebacker unit, which with the addition of Davis gets a fifth player that Dantonio has the potential to start or play in any situation. He already had that with senior Riley Bullough, juniors Chris Frey and Reschke, as well as sophomore Andrew Dowell. Dantonio said he thinks it is a good problem to have, especially when trying to get Davis back into game conditioning and to his old playmaker self. “I think the more good players you have, the better it is,” Dantonio said. “The more you can spread it around a little bit, keep people fresh, different packages, different things we can do to try to get him (Davis) involved.” Above all else, Davis said he just wants to get back to playing football, and putting up stats like he did in his 2014 junior season, where he was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection and ranked third on the team in tackles for loss with 12 for 48 yards and in and sacks with seven for 33 yards. “When I ran out there (against Notre Dame), my adrenaline was just rushing,” Davis said. “Kind of fast-paced, you know I didn’t know he was going to put me in at the time. I really couldn’t feel anything, I was so hyped up and my heart was going so fast that I just felt like I was out there on clouds.”
Women’s Volleyball No. 1 Nebraska Jenison Field House 7 p.m.
Thurs 119 B Wells Hall 9:00 PM Fri & Sun 119 B Wells Hall 7:10 PM & 9:25 PM
Showtimes for Sept. 29 - Oct. 2 Swiss Army Man
Thurs 115 B Wells Hall 9:00 PM Fri, Sat & Sun 115 B Wells Hall 7:15 & 9:15 PM
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. 7:30 p.m
Into The Forest
SUNDAY 9/25 Women’s Rowing
Field Hockey
Women’s Golf
Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. 10:30 a.m.
Ohio State Ralph Young Field 2 p.m.
Mary Fossum Invitational Forest West Akers All Day
Thurs 119 B Wells Hall 8:45 PM Fri, Sat & Sun 119 B Wells Hall 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM www.rha.msu.edu MONDAY, S E P T E MB E R 1 9, 2 01 6
ccc@rha.msu.edu
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Sports
Casey Harrison Sports editor sports@statenews.com
No. 20 MSU will host Iowa, No. 1 Nebraska to start conference play BY SOUICHI TERADA STERADA@STATENEWS.COM
After the MSU volleyball team had a successful non-conference portion of the season, the team will look toward starting Big Ten conference play on Saturday. No. 20 Spartans will head into their matches with an 11-1 record and the prestige of being a ranked team for the second straight week. Conference play for the Spartans figures to be tough, with eight Big Ten teams in the top-25 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, AVCA, national poll. A ninth team, the University of Illinois, also received votes, showcasing the Big Ten’s overall talent. The No. 1 University of Nebraska, one of MSU’s opponents this weekend, received all 64 first-place votes in the poll. Head coach Cathy George, in her 11th year at the helm of the Spartans, understands the grind the Big Ten season can be. George, however has shown success against conference opponents in recent years. In the past five years, MSU has been one of only four other programs in their conference to have a winning record. George said she doesn’t dwell on stats or wins to assess her team — instead, she said she prefers to look at a holistic approach of her
team, wondering if she has effectively utilized her talent. “The thing that you’re doing is you’re looking at your season and you’re trying to become the best you can be,” George said. “And so, are you maximizing your talent or not? The league is tough, we know that. But are your players growing, are they getting better?” Through the years, George has developed her players, filling the starting lineup with experienced veterans. For senior Allyssah Fitterer, she understands the toughness of conference play. “The Big Ten is like a bloodbath every night,” Fitterer said. “You go into every game just going all out. Any team can win in the Big Ten and we want to be one of those teams.” While Fitterer explained the toughness of the Big Ten, she also knew what her team needed to produce to be successful within the conference. She said that making sure the team is prepared for every game will make a difference down the road. “It’s really which team is tough enough to last those two months and really put their all out there every game,” Fitterer said. “It’s those matches that you’re either not expected to win or those losses that you’re not expected to lose that really define your season and really depend where you are in that ranking for the Big Ten.” Throughout the season, the Spartans have also created their own
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motto, “Together as One.” Junior Alyssa Garvelink said it brings the team together. “I love the saying, actually,” Garvelink said. “It unifies our team and I think our chemistry is really good this year. I think because we want the person to our left and our right to succeed, I think it just makes it exciting and easier to play with people that have the same goals as you.” Fitterer had a slightly different mindset on the team’s saying. She said by taking one thing at a time, it shines a set mindset she thinks her team also follows. “It’s not only ‘Together as One’ as a team for the season, but it’s also one game at a time,” Fitterer said. “We want to take one thing at a time. So even though we do have big goals to go as far as we’ve ever gone in the tournament and in the season, the number one goal for the entire season is to take one thing at a time, really focus on the process instead of the end goal.” The Spartans will host the University of Iowa and No. 1 University of Nebraska this weekend at Jenison Field House. The match against the University of Iowa will be played 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 23. The next day, the Spartans will face off against the consensus No. 1 team in the country, the University of Nebraska at 7 p.m. on Sept. 24.
Then-sophomore outside hitter Chloe Reinig spikes the ball as Nebraska setter Mary Pollmiller and middle blocker Meghan Haggerty attempt to block Oct. 10, 2014, at Jenison Field House. The Cornhuskers defeated the Spartans, 3-1. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO
Visit the MSU Drumline before the game! Free QD doughnut holes & cider Stop in before and after
MSU BEATS WISCONSIN!
FRI: 9-8 SAT: 9-8 SUN: 11-5 FREE VALIDATED PARKING
Visit with Jack Ebling 9 to 11 Saturday and pick up a signed copy of his new book “The Perfect 10” the backstory to the classic MSU/UM 2015 football game FOLLOW US: @SBSMSU
351-4210 • order at sbsmsu.com 10
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Then-senior middle blocker/outside hitter Jazmine White spikes the ball as Nebraska middle blocker Meghan Haggerty and outside hitter Amber Rolfzen attempt to block the ball Oct. 10, 2014, at Jenison Field House. The Cornhuskers defeated the Spartans, 3-1.STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO
Features
Connor Clark Features editor features@statenews.com
MSU doctoral student shares his struggles with visual impairment BY JONATHAN LEBLANC JLEBLANC@STATENEWS.COM
Vivid flashing lights and the cast of light through a prism are taken for granted each day. However, for doctoral student Henry Busby, those colors might as well be the dark side of the moon. Visually impaired because of a disease called achromatopsia, Busby’s field of vision is subdued more than the average person. There are several visual impairment diseases like achromatopsia. In Busby’s case, his disease doesn’t take away his full sight. There are also two subsets of achromatopsia — rod monochromatism and blue cone monochromatism, according to Achromatopsia.info. “The experimental differences between the two is that people with rod monochromatism do see in all black and white,” Busby said. Busby has blue cone monochromatism, which allows him to see some color. However, blue cone monochromatism can make it difficult to discriminate colors from each other, according to the Blue Cone Monochromacy Families Foundation. “People with the rod monochromatism completely lack any cone cells in their retina,” Busby said. “I have some, just not very many.” Rod and blue cone monochromatism is passed down from generation to generation. Blue cone monochromatism affects one in 100,000 males, according to BCM Families Foundation. “In order for someone to get rod monochromatism, they have to receive the defective gene from both parents. I would think,
that would make it rarer, but for whatever reason it’s more common,” Busby said. “People like me with blue cone monochromatism, it’s X-linked recessive, meaning they get it through our mothers only.” According to the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities website, there are several accommodations that can be requested such as housing accommodations, alternative testing and transportation. Although Busby — who’s pursuing a doctorate degree in history after earning his bachelor’s degree at the University of Memphis and master’s at the University of Wyoming — has never thought of using all of these resources.
“They ran a series of tests on me. They said you didn’t pass one of the them but come back in a few weeks and run it again. I said if I didn’t pass it today, I’m not going to pass it three weeks from now.” Henry Busby, Doctoral student
“History courses aren’t really challenging visually,” Busby said. “There’s a lot of reading, but my solution to that ... I just hold something (really) close.” Busby also uses a pair of binoculars that help cater to his classroom needs, like seeing the board in the front of the class. Moving around campus first provided a challenge to Busby. He struggled using the Capital Area Transportation Authority, or CATA, bus service. “The only difficulty I’ve ever experienced there was, due to my color blindness, in the daytime I usually can’t read the numbers so I just have to guess,” Busby said. “I have gotten on the wrong one sometimes, but at night it’s much easier since the light is lower.” There was a point in time when Busby could get behind the wheel. However, the issues surrounding his disease limited that chance. “They ran a series of tests on me. They said you didn’t pass one of the them but come back in a few weeks and run it again,” Busby said. “I said if I didn’t pass it today, I’m not going to pass it three weeks from now.” A teaching assistant as well, Busby said he has issues connecting names and faces. Busby said there was one semester at University of Wyoming when one of his classrooms was particularly difficult to teach in. “Something about the dispersal of light in the classroom I was in it was just so difficult,” he said. “There were some students who came to me at the end of the term (that said) ‘We always raised our hands’ and I told them, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’” READ MORE AT STATENEWS.COM
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Go State! Doctoral student Henry Busby uses a pair of binoculars to help him see. Busby has a condition known as blue cone monochromatism. PHOTO COURTESY OF HENRY BUSBY
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Features
Connor Clark Features editor features@statenews.com
MSU dean integrates memes as a form of stress relief for students BY BRYCE AIRGOOD BAIRGOOD@STATENEWS.COM
With stress piling on students and faculty, associate dean for administration and academic governance and professor in the Lyman Briggs College Robert LaDuca has found a new way to help relieve stress and help students better connect with class ROBERT LADUCA material. Memes, pict ures with texts to invoke a comedic response, help with the stress of college, LaDuca said. LaDuca said he believes people learn better with a laugh on their face and will enjoy life the more they laugh. He wants MSU Memes 2.0 to be a place where students can laugh at odd, fun situations, he said. “You know we’re all stressed out, whether on
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the professor side of things or the students side of things, just lots of demands,” LaDuca said. “We need to kick back and laugh and laughter is essential for mental health, so that’s what I want the place to be.” Business freshman Josh Lange said he thought MSU Memes 2.0 would definitely be run by someone younger than 25 years old. He definitely didn’t expect it to be someone like LaDuca, Lange said. “I guess that kind of makes me want to be in his class,” Lange said. “That’s awesome that somebody that’s that high of university status would still be participating in youthful activities.” LaDuca has made memes since 2010. Sometimes called Dr. Meme, meme lord and the meme king, according to rate my professor, LaDuca said he has always had a thing for odd visual humor, which accounts for his love of memes. “I’ll play around — I love them, I love memes, I love making jokes,” LaDuca said. “I think if I weren’t a professor I’d probably be eking out a living in a comedy club circuit somehow being a bad comedian.” LaDuca said he took over the MSU Facebook
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memes front between 2011-12 because the old Facebook memes page, MSU Memes, had gone through some changes. “You know, there was a lot of good stuff and then it got taken over by some sort of spammer,” LaDuca said. “I started MSU Memes 2.0 and a lot of the fun people came over, we’ve almost got 3,000 people in the group now.” The page has brought forth some avid meme makers like Lange. Lange said he first became somewhat meme famous for printing out a photograph of Michael Phelps with a sign that had been photoshopped to say, “Harbaugh killed Harambe” and passing them out to people. There was such a demand for the meme that Lange created a GoFundMe that raised $15 for the printing cost after he printed about 250 copies. “It just clicked in my head as something that was funny and something I could spread around on Facebook and Twitter and various social media,” Lange said. Lange said he was recently added to the MSU Memes 2.0 page when someone tagged him in
a post and told him they were his people. He said college students like memes because they are entertaining and relatable. One of his more popular memes used “Forrest Gump” as the example, Lange said. In the meme, Forrest Gump is pictured running in front of Akers Hall with the caption, “When you have to walk to Akers from Brody.” “I guess it’s just something that’s really relatable because people walking from Akers to Brody know how tough it is to get,” Lange said. Chemistry junior Brianna Lemon said she had to turn off the notifications from the page because it was becoming too distracting. She said the memes posted by LaDuca piqued her interest the most because they often had to do with chemistry and she could connect with them. “I kind of like school memes,” Lemon said. “Just like the student ones that kind of relate to how you are, how you feel about school and life in general.” LaDuca said that he uses memes to connect with students and uses them as a teaching method. READ MORE AT STATENEWS.COM