State News The
Rankings according to Military Times
38 111
? 76
50
Where does MSU stand with Veterans? MSU recently achieved gold status, but do other rankings and opinions of veterans agree? GRAPHIC: MADELINE GUZZO
NEWS
S P OT L I G H T
F E AT U R E S
I GOT AN MIP. WHAT DO I DO NOW?
“We have a long way to go towards the education experience and making veterans feel welcome.”
LIVING WITH AUTISM
Police offer advice after 431 minor in possessions on campus last year
Kyle Kissinger, MSU Student Veterans of America president
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@THESNEWS
STAT ENEWS .COM
Students describe their experiences of what it’s like to live with autism spectrum disorder PAGE 12
News
Josh Bender City editor city@statenews.com
What you can do if you are charged with a minor-in-possession in E.L. BY COLTON WOOD CWOOD@STATENEWS.COM
MSU police reported there were 431 minor-in-possession arrests made in 2015 on campus. For students convicted of a MIP-related charge, MSU and the city of East Lansing offer information to help them through the legal process. A person charged within the East Lansing city limits will either receive a citation or be arrested based on the situation, assistant city attorney for East Lansing David Meyers said. Meyers said a person convicted of a MIP in East Lansing will have four to 10 days to go to the 54B District Court, located on Linden Street in East Lansing, for an arraignment. The physical extent of East Lansing’s legal reach regarding MIPs is clearly defined. “If an arrest is made north of Grand River (in East Lansing’s precinct) by a city of East Lansing police officer, then the city of East Lansing is the prosecutor,” attorney Ray Purdy, a frequent provider of legal counsel to MSU students, said. But if the arrest is made on campus, this changes. Purdy said if a person is charged on campus and arrested by MSU police, they will be prosecuted by Ingham County. If the person pleads guilty under East Lansing prosecution, the MIP charge will go on the person’s record and they will have to pay a $500 fine. Meyers said a first offense will not result in a person’s license being suspended or revoked, but repeated offenses could result in such action. If a person pleads not guilty, Meyers said there are three options for the offender: trial, a statutory diversion program or go through the city of East Lansing’s deferral program. Through the statutory diversion program, Meyers
said the offender will go through an online class, pay a $500 fine and face three months of probation. Upon completion of these requirements, the charge will no longer go on the person’s public record, but will however, stay on their non-public record. Meyers said East Lansing’s deferral program is the most commonly used method to combat MIP charges. This program will downgrade a MIP charge to a civil infraction littering charge as long as the person takes the required online classes, pays a $550 fine and does not face more criminal charges for three months. If the person meets these standards, not only could their MIP be reduced to a civil infraction, but the charge will go off their public and non-public records. If a person is charged with a MIP on MSU’s campus, their offense falls under the state of Michigan’s diversion program, which means the person is subjected to 90 days probation, mandated to complete an online alcohol course and face a $495 fine while also undergoing random breathalyzer tests throughout the first 60 days of the program. MSU police Capt. Doug Monette said he is highly supportive of the programs MSU has available for MSU students, specifically ASMSU’s Student Legal Services. ASMSU partners with the law firm Jeffries and Newton to provide free legal services for MSU students. “If you pay a student activity fee (on your MSU bill) and take classes then you’re eligible for our services,” attorney Brian Jeffries of Jeffries and Newton said. Jeffries said his firm has been offering free legal services to MSU students since 1984.
Below is information from assistant city attorney for East Lansing David Meyers regarding MIPs: 1
2 You will have 4-10
3 You can plead
4 If plea is guilty,
5 First offense goes
6 If plea is not guilty,
7 Go through the
8 Go through the city’s deferral or program, the most
9 MIP is downgraded
If charged for MIP in East Lansing, you will get either a ticket or an arrest based on the “situation”
charge will go on record along with $500 fine
statutory diversion program, which includes an online class, $500 fine, off public record, on non-public, three months probation
days to go to 54B District Court for arraignment
on license record, but license is not suspended or revoked. Multiple offenses could result in a suspension or revocation
choice, according to Meyers (See next step)
guilty or not guilty
there are three options: go to trial, go through the statutory diversion program or the city’s deferral program
to a non-criminal littering ticket, have to take online classes, $550 fine and if person does not have any more criminal charges for three months, goes off public and even non-public record
E.L. City Council hears report from Financial Health Team BY MCKENNA ROSS MROSS@STATENEWS.COM
The East Lansing City Council heard a progress report from its Financial Health Review Team, a committee of residents and experts examining the city’s finances, on Oct. 18. The report comes as the city seeks to address $100 million in anticipated future costs which are not covered by the current level of funding at the city’s disposal. After eight months of work, the team is nearly done with its research, which focused on legacy costs for city employees such as pensions, property taxation, development incentives, funding strategies for city infrastructure and the quality of city services. Financial Health Review Team chairman Mike Moquin said the team split into six committees based on the topics, and several are still gathering information and planning to report to the council by the end of the year. The team is researching a city income tax for the council to consider. The tax would be no more than one percent for residents and a half percent for non-residents, by state law. “I think recognizing that there are all these forces coming in where costs are increasing, 2
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but the pot of money to pay for those services is not increasing,” Moquin said. Mayor Mark Meadows said in the meeting the council wants to limit the impact of the possible income tax on students. He said he would like to hear community input on the subject. “I’ll be interested, if this does become an issue the council discusses, in hearing from students about that issue,” Meadows said. “We want it to have the least possible impact on student incomes as they’re struggling to make ends meet in school.” But the Financial Health Review Team is struggling to get community involvement, Moquin said. “I think it’s important that these be discussed and citizens be engaged,” he said. “It’s been somewhat of a challenge to obtain attendance at the hearings.” There will be two more Financial Health Review Team meetings this year. The first is at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 in the Hannah Community Center, and the second is the same time and place on Nov. 28. Councilwoman Susan Woods said she thinks more people will be interested once the team begins making recommendations.
“If you (the Financial Health Review Team) state that these meetings are having recommendations, that people will want to come (t0),” Woods said. “There will be some definitive results and I think that will draw people.” Moquin stressed the team’s advisory role and said it is up to the City Council to take action. “The council can then decide which of these make sense, how do you prioritize them,” he said. “They may decide things they won’t pursue. In 1998 they looked at an income tax, and ultimately decided they weren’t going to pursue that.”
“I think it’s important that these issues be discussed and citizens be engaged. ” Mike Moquin, Financial Health Review Team chairman
Contents
Cameron Macko Managing editor cmacko@statenews.com
ONLINE
Women’s Hall of Fame inducts Simon MSU president Simon inducted into Women’s Hall of Fame for lifelong achievements
BY T H E N U M B E R S
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Combined penalties during the hockey game between MSU and Lake Superior State See page 9
MSU Rap Gang forms on campus Group forms after finding inspiration on walk sign’s distinctive beat
Third presidential debate See how issues mentioned during the third debate affect students
“I would tell her (my mom) that I wished that I had white skin, green eyes and blonde hair. She was like, ‘No ... you are you and God made you this way.’”
Ellen Hicks Psychology senior PAGE 11
TEDxMSU announces “Mosaic” as 2017 theme for conference in April BY BRIGID KENNEDY BKENNEDY@STATENEWS.COM
TEDxMSU has announced “Mosaic” as the theme for the 2017 TEDxMSU conference. “Mosaic” is about diversity, collaboration and complexity, TEDxMSU administrator Nina Capuzzi said. The theme for the 2016 TEDxMSU conference was Möbius, “a 2D construct existing in our 3D world,” according to the TEDxMSU website. The theme was intended to “challenge our community to consider concepts that might be unfamiliar — or uncanny — at first glance.” The theme reveal was held at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum on Oct. 13. Jazz studies senior Jordyn Davis performed with a small band during a cocktail hour at the start of the event. Posters containing quotes from people in the community about topics like love, winter and growing up were hung around the Alan and Rebecca Ross Education Wing of the museum. TED got its start in 1984 as a conference on Technology, Entertainment and Design, though today TED conferences cover “almost all topics,” according to the TED website.
Speakers at the 2016 TEDxMSU conference covered a range of topics. Ania Pathak spoke on different kinds of infinity, Frances Pouch Downes spoke on providing cheap and effective treatment against tropical diseases, Maen Hammad spoke about skateboarding in Palestinian youth culture and Peter Burroughs spoke about the process of video game creation and its applications in everyday life, according to the TEDxMSU website. Applications to speak at the 2017 conference, which will be held on April 5, opened after the theme reveal, and are due Nov. 18, TEDxMSU president Ksusha Karnoup said. Applicants are encouraged to speak on issues related to the “Mosaic” theme, or the East Lansing community. “We want to get more than just the MSU community involved,” Taylor Whittington, TEDxMSU finance and events overseer, said. While students are welcome to apply, TEDxMSU hopes to see more applications from Lansing and East Lansing residents, Whittington said. Although some TEDxMSU members were concerned the group would lose their TED licensing because of a technicality regarding their sponsor, the problem has been completely resolved, Karnoup said.
Students bike to class along the Red Cedar River on Oct. 17 outside of Wells Hall. PHOTO: CARLY GERACI
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RELIGIOUS GUIDE Spotlight Look for this directory in the paper every Thursday and online at: www.statenews.com/religious All Saints Episcopal Church 800 Abbot Road East Lansing, Michigan 48823 Phone: (517) 351-7160 E-mail: allsaints@allsaints-el.org Website: http://www.allsaints-el.org Worship Times: Sunday Worship: 8 am & 10 am Sunday School: 10 am Sunday Vespers: 5 pm Thursday Prayer & Breakfast: 7:30 am
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: Ascension Lutheran Church 6:00pm 2780 Haslett Rd., E. Lansing Little Flock Christian Between Hagadorn & Park Fellowship Lake Rds. A Non-Denominational(517) 337-9703 Evagelical Church Adult Bible Study: 9am MSU Alumni Chapel Sunday School: 9am (Basement Hall) Worship Service: 10am Sunday Worship Service: ascensioneastlansing.org 10am-12 Noon. Fellowship Lunch after the Chabad House of MSU service Your Jewish home, Weekly Bibly Studies & away from home Students’ Meetings. 540 Elizabeth St. littleflock.msu@gmail.com East Lansing, MI 48823 www.littleflock.org (517) 214-0525 chabadmsu.com Martin Luther Chapel Friday evenings: 20 minutes 444 Abbot Rd. after sunset followed by East Lansing, MI 48823 Shabbat dinner (517) 332-0778 Saturday: 11am, Torah martinlutherchapel.org reading at 12pm Sunday: 9:30am & 7:00pm Wednesday Worship: 9pm Eastminster Presbyterian Mini-bus pick-up on Church 1315 Abbot Rd, East Lansing, campus (Fall/Spring) MI, 48823 River Terrace Church (517) 337-0893 1509 River Terrace Dr. www.eastminsterchurch.org East Lansing, MI 48823 Worship Gatherings: (517) 351-9059 Sunday Worship 10:00 am www.riverterrace.org UKirk Presbyterian Campus Ministry Wednesdays at 7pm Service times: 9 & 11:15am www.ukirkmsu.org St. John Catholic Church and Student Center Greater Lansing Church 327 M.A.C. Ave. of Christ East Lansing, MI 48823 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. (517) 337-9778 East Lansing, MI stjohnmsu.org (Meeting at the University Sunday: 8am, 10am, Noon, Christian Church building) 5pm, 7pm (517) 898-3600 Monday, Wednesday, Students welcome! Friday: 12:15pm Sunday Worship: 8:45am Sunday Bible class: 10:15am Tuesday & Thursday: 9:15pm Sunday Evening: Small Group Wednesday: 7pm - bible study Students please feel free to call for rides http://www.greaterlansingcoc.org
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/
More resources sought for MSU student veterans, rankings vary
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 University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-5193 universitychristianwired.com Sunday: 11:15 am Sunday Bible Study: 10:15am 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
Human biology junior Sean Riley, left, talks to East Lansing resident Caleb Herrick during the Fall Veterans Welcome Picnic on Sept. 22 at the Student Services courtyard. Riley is the vice president of MSU Student Veterans of America. PHOTO: VICTOR DIRITA
BY RACHEL BEARD FEEDBACK@STATENEWS.COM
When MSU Student Veterans of America Vice President Sean Riley first came to MSU, he wasn’t quite sure how to adjust. “When I first got here, I was kind of lost,” Riley said of his experience as a veteran on campus. “I didn’t even know about any veterans groups or anything like that.” Though MSU varies widely on different rankings, some student veterans don’t think MSU is where it needs to be. This year, the US News and World Report University rankings revealed something surprising: MSU tied for 50th in the ranking for best colleges for veterans with Texas Christian University and the University of Iowa. This comes about two months after MSU was awarded a gold status for a veteran-friendly campus by the Michigan Veterans’ Affairs Agency, or MVAA. MSU achieved all of the seven criteria required by the MVAA to receive a gold status. Military Times had an even stricter ranking. MSU wasn’t on their list of 125 best universities for veterans. However, four other Michigan universities were: Saginaw Valley State University was ranked No. 38, University of Michigan was No. 50, Western Michigan University was No. 76 and Grand Valley State University was No. 111. Improvements needed Riley said he believes MSU isn’t doing all it should be doing to help student veterans. “There’s a lot of stuff that could be done, but I
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think it’s kind of like a check in the box,” Riley said. “‘Oh, yeah, we fulfilled these things, and now we get a gold standard.’ But we’re trying to make it better and we just need help from other people in charge, but we’re not very visible.” MSU Student Veterans of America president Kyle Kissinger also said MSU isn’t where it should be on supporting veterans. “We’re doing really good on our transition with the G.I. Bill and making sure that credits transfer over, as well as anything that you learned in the military maybe applying as college credit,” Kissinger said. “But we have a long way to go towards the education experience and making veterans feel welcome through the involvement of things like our Student Veterans Resource Center.” There are a lot of stumbling blocks that come with fully developing a Student Veterans Resource Center, as well as a Student Veterans of America chapter on a college campus. Riley works at MSU’s veterans center, and he said he finds it troubling that the center is in the basement of Student Services. “What we have is not very visible, so not too many people know about it,” Riley said. “It’s in the basement. I feel like all of the places down in the basement should probably be more visible, like the sexual assault center. That needs to be on the first floor. There’s all kinds of space, either at the Union or the Student Services building.” Although Riley has seen “a lot more participation from student veterans” recently, he said it can still be struggle to get veterans involved. “Sometimes, veterans, when they’re non-tradi-
T H U R S DAY, O C TO B E R 2 0, 2 01 6
Spotlight
Cameron Macko Managing editor cmacko@statenews.com
tional students, don’t really want to hang out with a bunch of other veterans,” Riley said. “They’re kind of done with the military, some people. So it’s good to just reach out to them and (say), ‘hey, we’re here, if you just want to come down to the center if you need any help.’” Bigger than MSU Three years ago, all the schools in the Big Ten got together to talk about student veterans on their campuses. In the second week of October, all the Big Ten schools met in Wisconsin to discuss their best practices when it came to student veterans. Director of the Office of Military and Veterans Services at Ohio State University Michael Carrell said these meetings can be helpful for all the schools involved. “If somebody has a neat program, they’ll share it,” Carrell said. “Some other people can try it out, or sometimes it’s just, ‘hey, have you ever heard of this group? They want to come on campus’ and ‘oh yeah, we had great results with them’ or ‘no, we didn’t.’” Ohio State University, ranked No. 31 by U.S. News and World Report, also struggled with visibility when their veterans resource center was first starting out. Carrell explained that working with their chapter of the Student Veterans of America was key in getting their programs off the ground. “I always joke that we use the student veterans organization as an adviser group to us,” Carrell said. “To tell us a lot of things on our campus, like we have a veterans’ lounge, the orientation, the peer-to-peer program. These were suggestions from student veterans themselves. So a lot of what we do, the programming and things, are based on what the students are telling us they need on our campus here.” While OSU might be ranked higher than MSU, they also have approximately 2,000 student veterans on campus compared to the 630 at MSU. U.S. News and World Report ranked U-M as 17 for best universities for student veterans, but UM-Flint student and Student Veteran Resource Center employee Chris Shea said it hasn’t always been that easy. Their veterans center is also in an out-of-the-way location on campus, which makes it difficult to get veterans to notice it. “That was hardest part, because we went through a part in time where there was the same three to four people in here all the time,” Shea said. “We saw it becoming a problem, so in the beginning, we really prepped up for this fall.” U-M-Flint has a little less than 10,000 students, 350 of whom are veterans. The veterans center on campus held a meet and greet for and were able to successfully recruit student veterans. “Most of them didn’t even know (the veterans resource center) was in here,” Shea said. “So I think just letting them know it’s there and the resources, like the computers and the printing and we have a TV in there, a couch. We try to show them that they can come here, away from all the distractions and be around vets, which usually makes it a little easier.” A staff of one Staffing at the veterans center is another problem MSU faces. Currently, the MSU Student Veterans Resource Center has one employee – Sarah Mellon, who is on a grant that expires in May. Kissinger hopes to get at least one full-time posi-
Supply chain management senior Kyle Kissinger, left, talks to a guest during the Fall Veterans Welcome Picnic on Sept. 22 at the Student Services courtyard. Kissinger is the president of MSU Student Veterans of America. PHOTO: VICTOR DIRITA
tion in the center by the end of the academic year. “If we don’t have a full-time staffer, we don’t have anything for veterans after that,” Kissinger said. “She only came here on a grant, and the veterans pull in — I think it’s over $2 or $3 million onto campus — and we can’t afford a position?” U-M-Flint and OSU each currently have three full-time employees in their student veterans centers as well as several student employees. This is only the second year the Student Veterans Resource Center has been on campus, and a lot of their problems stem from that. While some goals might currently be out of reach, that hasn’t stopped Mellon from planning for the future. “We have a lot planned for this fall semester,” Mellon said. “We’re really excited going into our second academic year here in the Student Veterans Resource Center to get a lot of those things going and see how a lot of the work that we’ve done initially has led to the gold level status for the second year in a row.” Forging a new path The MSU Student Veterans Resource Center is currently working on implementing Peer Advising for Veteran Education, or PAVE, a peer support program for student veterans. OSU has a similar program, which Carrell said has been very successful at allowing their veterans center to network with student veterans on campus. Kissinger said he has two main goals for this academic year: securing a full-time staff position at the veterans center and getting priority registration for student veter-
“We have a long way to go towards the education experience and making veterans feel welcome through the involvement of things like our Student Veterans Resource Centers.” Kyle Kissinger, MSU Student Veterans of America President
ans. Currently, MSU athletes, disabled persons and RAs have priority registration, but Kissinger said it’s important veterans get the same opportunity to sign up for classes first because of their age and their restrictions from funding requests. “Coupling those two together, if a course fills up because they’re lukewarm between junior sophomore, well, they can’t afford an extra semester or an extra year and they might not be able to take a class if there isn’t an opportunity,” Kissinger said. For Veterans Day, UM-Flint holds a Veterans Week with special veteran-focused events everyday. Kissinger would like to do the same at MSU, but said it is more of a “pipe dream” than anything else. “We wouldn’t have anything if it wasn’t for the Student Veterans Association here on campus setting up at least a Veterans Day breakfast,” Kissinger said. “All of that over there was done and paid for by the university over in Flint. So there’s a lot of things that would be really, really exciting and really cool to see here, but we’re not there yet.” The Student Veterans of America will be holding a breakfast again this Veterans Day, and they are expecting a large turnout. Also on Veterans Day, they will host a 5k race that is open to everyone. Registration before the week of the event is $15. Riley said he is committed to networking with other groups on campus to expand the visibility of Student Veterans of America. Carrell said visibility is important, but highlighted communication between the administration and student veterans was the best way to achieve that. “I really think just listening to (the veterans), because every campus is going to be a little different,” Carrell said. “Over time, veterans’ needs might change. If you have a lot of them coming out of combat, those needs might be different, or if you have a lot from the National Guard in your state, they might have some different needs, or whatever it might be.” While MSU might be struggling to get its student veterans resources off the ground, Riley said he still feels the Student Veterans Resource Center and the MSU Student Veterans of America are on the right track. “We’ve been doing a better job of getting more veterans involved in the community at Michigan State,” Riley said. “We’ve been improving a lot since last year, and we’re just trying to get more veterans involved.” T H U RS DAY, OC TOB E R 2 0, 2 01 6
How MSU and other Michigan schools rank with student veterans MSU Collegefactual.com: 193rd Military Times: Unranked US News and World Report: 50th Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency: Gold Status U-M Collegefactual.com: 8th Military Times: 50th US News and World Report: 17th Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency: Gold Status WMU Collegefactual.com: 211th Military Times: 76th US News and World Report: Unranked Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency: Gold Status SVSU Collegefactual.com: 909th Military Times: 38th US News and World Report: Unranked Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency: Gold Status GVSU Collegefactual.com: 216th Military Times: 111th US News and World Report: Unranked Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency: Gold Status
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Senior quarterback Tyler O’Connor (7) waits for the snap during the game against Indiana on Oct. 1 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. The Spartans were defeated by the Hoosiers in overtime, 24-21. PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA
MICHIGAN STATE VS. MARYLAND 7:30 P.M. ON OCT. 22, CAPITAL ONE FIELD AT MARYLAND STADIUM TV: Big Ten Network | Radio: Spartan Sports Network | Twitter: @thesnews_sports
MSU
4-2
2016 RECORD
2-4
427.0 274.0 153.0 37.4 365.0 169.6 19.2 -0.17 113 115 27:36 3.17 3.00
TOTAL OFFENSE*
384.3 136.2 248.2 24.2 378.2 148.5 30.0 -0.50 114 121 29:50 2.50 1.00
RUSHING OFFENSE* PASSING OFFENSE* SCORING OFFENSE* TOTAL DEFENSE* RUSHING DEFENSE* SCORING DEFENSE* TURNOVER MARGIN* FIRST DOWNS FIRST DOWNS GIVEN UP TIME OF POSSESSION* SACKS ALLOWED* SACKS*
DID YOU
KNOW? MSU Wins If Nathaniel Bott
UMD
STATS WITH * AVERAGES PER GAME
The game on Saturday marks just the third time MSU has ever traveled to Maryland for a football game. In 1944 MSU won 8-0 and again in 2014, 37-15.
Stephen Olschanski
Mark Dantonio
“I think the most important thing to recognize is that wherever we’re going, is to try to get back to that point, continue to compete, continue to build into the players in terms of what we’re trying to do, concentrate on fundamentals, get our younger players ready to go, along with our older players.”
The secondary changes pay off and MSU can contain D.J. Moore, get off the field on third-down, and slow down the nation’s 16th-best rushing attack. Quarterback play is consistent from the start, the offensive play calling begins to favor the pass and the defense finally picks up four sacks.
MSU is 2-0 against Maryland since their arrival to the Big Ten in 2014.
MSU is 26-11 in Big Ten road games under Mark Dantonio (0-1 this year, 1-1 on road overall).
MSU Loses If Predictions They have poor quarterback play and their defense fails to generate any pressure.
35-31 MSU
The defense continues to lose leverage on outside routes and Maryland’s running backs churn through the defense for easy yards.
33-27 MD
6 PREVIOUS MATCHUPS (1944-2015) 1
WINS
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THURSDAY, OCTOB E R 2 0, 2 01 6
This is MSU’s third road game this season at night.
WIN
News
Josh Bender City editor city@statenews.com
Housing ordinances to get hearing BY MCKENNA ROSS MROSS@STATENEWS.COM
Non-conforming housing ordinances, which limit updates landlords make to some homes, are one step closer to being changed. East Lansing City Council set public hearings for two of the four related proposed ordinances. Ordinances 1380 and 1382 were moved to public hearings on Nov. 9. Two other proposed ordinances and a recommendation from the city’s planning commission were also heard at the council’s Oct. 18 meeting. Ordinance 1380 allows the East Village area, between Bogue Street and Hagadorn Road and Grand River Avenue and the Red Cedar River, to allow building increases up to 20 percent of the square footage of the property. The other three ordinances — 1381, 1382 and 1383 — are about changes to non-conforming properties in all of East Lansing. Tim Dempsey, director of planning, building and development, said those proposed ordinances were the main focus. “They pertain to what’s the crux of the issue,” Dempsey said. A public hearing for Ordinance 1382 passed
unanimously, while public hearings for Ordinance 1381 and 1383 did not pass council. Mayor Mark Meadows voted against a public hearing for Ordinance 1381. He said in the meeting the council should focus on the ordinances that were most highly-recommended. “I believe we should go forward with ones we know we’ll vote on,” Meadows said. Ordinance 1382 proposes to allow any interior changes and additions of up to 20 percent of the square footage of a property above ground. Dempsey said the planning commission described the ordinance as the most permissive of the three proposed ordinances. Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Beier said the council moved Ordinance 1382 to a public hearing because it was the best option, by the planning commission’s recommendation. “We could only choose one because they conflicted with each other,” Beier said. “We went with the one that was most recommended. The one we’re going with was recommended by the planning commission.” Even though they only moved one of the three forward, Beier said they were just recommendations and the council can amend the proposed ordinances with ideas from the other two.
“I’m not sure if people have thought about this, but once people start talking about this we can amend it however we want,” Beier said. “Just because we start with this one doesn’t mean we can’t add pieces to it.” Ordinance 900, which put the non-conforming zoning into place, was intended to create more single-family homes, Beier said. The goal at the time was to move students into more fitting housing and decrease the value of the homes so that they eventually become family homes instead of student housing. With these possible changes, the goal could be shifting, Beier said. “To go in this direction we’re going, which is let them improve, goes against (the) theory of the nonconforming ordinance, because making improves will improve the value,” she said. “Left alone, I don’t think we’d do this at all. There’s a good argument to be made that we’re finally starting to see these results and that students are shifting towards new developments that are student-friendly. The argument that the nonconforming committee was convinced by was that at some point by implementing this ordinance, we affected student housing, which was never the intention.”
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W H AT ? Non-conforming housing ordinances 1380 and 1382 were moved to public hearings set for Nov. 9 ORDINANCE 1380 Proposes to allow the East Village area, between Bogue Street and Hagadorn Road and Grand River Avenue and the Red Cedar River, to allow building increases up of up to 20 percent of the square footage of the property. ORDINANCE 1382 Proposes to allow any interior changes and additions of up to 20 percent of the square footage of a property above ground in East Lansing. W H AT ’ S T H E I M PAC T ? “If landlords are allowed to do interior reconfigurations or exterior additions this would then potentially change some of the rental properties in town. People could end up renting a place with an extra bedroom or bathroom. It could make some of the older properties more attractive to people.” - Tim Dempsey, director of planning, building and development
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Crossword
L.A. Times Daily Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
News
Rachel Fradette Campus editor campus@statenews.com
Study reveals MSU lost money in deals Sinking deep
MSU has lost money on business deals with banks. How much money is that exactly?
$112.4 M
$17.8 M
interest rate swap payments
ACROSS
1 With 66-Across, crisp serving with pâté 6 Gush forth 10 Australian gem 14 Mountains between Europe and Asia 15 Singer Guthrie 16 Bring on board, workwise 17 Enjoy to the max 18 Mug for the camera 20 Govt. assistance program 21 “Holy smokes!” 22 Hot spot 23 Pitch in 27 Battery post 29 Aggressive poker words 30 Some iTunes downloads, briefly 32 Queen __ 33 Road problem needing patching 36 Catcher’s protection 37 Do the slightest thing 39 Aware of 41 Voice of Carl Fredricksen in “Up” 42 “What’s up, __?” 43 iPhone, e.g., briefly 44 HOW THIS IS TYPED 48 Shoulder wrap
50 What the winning quarterback may do as time runs out 53 Contemptible sort 55 Prosecutors, for short 56 Seine season 57 Theatrical “Good luck!” 59 “Really, bro?!” 61 Was sorry for 62 Grand soirée 63 Super Bowl party bowlful 64 Chianti and cabernet 65 Paradise 66 See 1-Across
DOWN
1 Granola kin 2 Error remover 3 Rita Moreno or Gloria Estefan 4 __-ray Disc 5 Snake that bit Cleopatra 6 South Pacific island nation 7 Shrimp kin 8 Fraternal club member 9 Misfortunes 10 “Terrific ... not!” 11 Lounge with keyboard music 12 Video game spots 13 Dixie general 19 Remote batteries
21 Stimulated, as one’s appetite 24 Scoop up, as salsa with a chip 25 Starting on 26 Meat markets 28 Cry of fright 31 Cents 34 Attacked 35 All __ sudden 36 Pfizer rival 37 Plant that is poisonous to livestock 38 Rowlands of “The Notebook” 39 Crooks may have fake ones 40 “You lie!” 43 Company car, e.g. 45 Lack of vim and vigor 46 Colorful flower parts 47 “Caught that movie last week” 49 Detectives follow them 51 Singer with the albums “19,” “21” and “25” 52 Sotomayor colleague 54 Senate aide 57 “I’m freezing!” 58 Young fellow 59 Fake it 60 “__ goes there?”
Get the solutions at statenews.com/puzzles Level: 1
2
3
4
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 MONDAY’S PUZZLE
Get the solutions at statenews.com/ puzzles
10/18/16
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© 2016 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved. THE STATE N E WS
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$54.1 M
termination fees for interest rate swaps
potential terminations
=
25
MSU students’ tuition for all four years, at the current rate of in-state tuition ($14,880 per year) or
= 1887.5 Students
275 Students
675 Students
14,880 x 4 x 25 GRAPHIC: ALEXEA HANKIN
BY ALEXEA HANKIN AHANKIN@STATENEWS.COM
$2.7 billion. That’s the number of dollars scholastic institutions like MSU have lost at the hands of big banking, according to a recent study published by The Roosevelt Institute. In a study conducted between 19 public and private universities ranging from Harvard to the University of Michigan, The Roosevelt Institute found MSU only contributed to about 4 percent of this $2.7 billion total. But overall, MSU has lost $130.2 million in fees from bad business deals with banks formed in the late 1990’s to early 2000’s. Business sophomore and policy director at MSU’s Roos-
evelt Institute chapter Nathan Feather equated the deals, now called interest rate swaps, to gambling. He called working with the Roosevelt Institute “eye-opening.” “What we did in those deals is, essentially, we took a complete risk,” Feather said. “Essentially a gamble, and a gamble on whether or not interest rates would be above a certain percent. The problem is, these deals have not produced very effective results for us.” Starting in the late 90’s MSU, alongside many other public universities across the nation, entered into these interest rate swap deals to compete with one another in the “amenities boom” across college campuses, former chapter head at the MSU Roosevelt Institute chapter and current midwest regional coordinator Mario Gruszczynski said. To get more money flowing into the university, officials decided to take out these loans to finance big-scale projects like stadiums, cafeteria renovations and other amenities deemed attractive to future students. Communications director for the MSU Roosevelt Institute chapter Walter Hanley said these deals looked great at the time. They were given to universities as a realistic way to pay for big projects and get money back in the process. But they never went as planned, he said. “Basically, there’s two ways you can finance a long-term debt budget: with a variable rate or a fixed rate,” Hanley said. “With a fixed rate, you’re always paying the same thing. A variable rate changes based on economic conditions.” To sum it up, banks offered universities a deal. Universities pay the banks a fixed interest rate, while banks pay universities a variable interest rate, according to the Roosevelt Institute’s Financialization of Higher Education report. “If the interest rate is really high, the university would make money,” Hanley said. “But if it’s very low, we’re going to lose money. The issue with a lot of these, is that 2008 happened, and the financial crisis lowered interest rates to basically zero.” But the financial crisis is not only to blame for this, Gruszczynski said. READ MORE AT STATENEWS.COM
Sports
Casey Harrison Sports editor sports@statenews.com
MSU hockey team looks to solve power play issues against Denver BY SOUICHI TERADA STERADA@STATENEWS.COM
When the puck dropped between MSU and Lake Superior State University, it signified the start of a new season, as the team kicked off its 76th campaign as a program. While the results weren’t pretty — they lost both games, 6-1, 7-3 — head coach Tom Anastos said he wanted to use the games as building blocks. To start off the campaign, the name of the game was simple —special teams and a lot of it. Combined, the Lakers and Spartans tallied 31 total penalties with 23 power play chances between the two. While there were so many infractions going on, Anastos stressed the game itself wasn’t choppy. Instead, he said it was because of the rule changes the NCAA started to enforce this year. “I think all of us, the two teams, the four officials, we’re all trying to adapt to the standard of enforcement directive that is out there nationally,” Anastos said. “It was a little bit of a trying evening in that regard for both teams.” Game one was decided between who could execute on the power play better. The Lakers made the best of their opportunities, converting on 4-for-12 of their one-man advantage. On the other side of the rink, it was the complete opposite story. MSU capitalized just once, going 1-for-11. “We really thought going into the weekend special teams would be a real factor early in the season,” Anastos said. “We just didn’t perform on those on either side.” A huge chunk of even-strength play was taken up by special teams, leading to a different vibe to the game. Freshman Logan Lambdin — who competed in his first collegiate game — said he felt the contrast between a normal match. “(The game) just didn’t feel like hockey,” Lambdin said. “It was a really slow-paced game, constant whistle after whistle. There was no flow to the game.” During the Spartans’ exhibition win to begin the year, the team faced similar struggles. While they scored twice, both were on even strength as they faltered on all of their power plays. In that game, they were 0-for-6 on the man-advantage. At that point in the school year, the Spartans hadn’t even practiced their special teams. As a result, Anastos and his players said they weren’t concerned about the issue after the game. However, during the regular season, the stakes change as the games start to count, and the special team woes arguably followed. Even in the second match of the season, the Spartans couldn’t generate anything on the power play, finishing 0-for-7. While the season has just begun, the struggles on the penalty-kill are a sharp contrast to last season, where the Spartans excelled. They were first in the Big Ten and seventh nationally with a .864 penalty-kill percentage. Additionally, MSU had its fair share of defensive lapses to start the season, allowing 13 goals between the two games. While concerning, Anastos said it was partly because of the team’s inexperience and hesitancy on the ice. “I think we played afraid to make mistakes, and that’s not a way that you can play,” Anastos said. “We’re trying to take that pressure off guys. It’s easier said than done, but I think
that’s an important part of trying to get comfortable. Just go play hard.” The second match of the series proved to be even more challenging. Redshirt-senior Rhett Holland wasn’t in the lineup because of disqualification and junior Carson Gatt was out nursing an injury. With the duo out, the youth of the team was on full display as the Spartans featured five freshman defensemen in their lineup. All five were getting their first looks on the ice during their collegiate careers. Starting on the ice with the first line at left defense, redshirt-freshman Jerad Rosburg said he understood the defensive struggles tied in with the team’s youth. To counter it, he said that the unit needed to look at its mistakes and go from there. “(We have to) watch the film, see where it broke down, where it went wrong and just continue to get better each day,” Rosburg said. “We have a lot of young guys back there on the penalty kill with Gatt and Rhett being out. I think just every day that we’re at the rink working on it, we’ll get a little more comfortable with it.” The start of the season was rough, with only their first game close going into the third period. Because of that, senior Joe Cox said he wants to keep his team’s morale high and to encourage them going into the rest of the season. “I would just say (after a tough weekend), just stick with it,” Cox said. “Stay with coach, Senior forward JT Stenglein (22) skates the puck up ice during an exhibition game against the work hard in practice because it’s going to University of Toronto on Oct. 2 at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans defeated the Blues 2-1 in an take time to get adjusted. There’s highs and overtime shootout after ending regulation in a 2-2 tie. PHOTO: DEREK VANHORN lows in the season. Right now, we’re riding a little bit of a low but I think if we can come and have a good week of practice that we can turn it all around.” Looking forward, the Spartans will welcome No. 6 University of Denver for a two-game series. Last year, MSU dropped both of their matches to Denver at Magness Arena early in the season. “(Denver) has a lot of skilled players, great puck movement,” Cox said. “So having good sticks and getting on people fast is going to be Food for Change a huge key going into this weekend.” The home opener and game one of the series Fri 117 B Wells Hall 7:00 PM against Denver is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Suicide Squad Oct. 21. and students have free admission to Thurs 115 B Wells Hall 8:45 PM the game. The second match will be at 5:05 p.m. on Oct. 22. Both games will be hosted at Fri, Sat, Sun 115 B Wells Hall Munn Ice Arena. 7:00 & 9:15 PM
Showtimes for Oct. 20-23
“I think we played afraid to make mistakes, and that’s not a way that you can play, so we’re trying to take that pressure off guys. It’s easier said than done, but I think that’s an important part of trying to get comfortable. Just go play hard.” Tom Anastos, MSU hockey team head coach
Sausage Party
Thurs 119 B Wells Hall 9:00 PM Fri, Sat, Sun 115 B Wells Hall 7:15 & 9:10 PM
Showtimes for Oct. 27-30 Sneak Preview Edge of Seventeen
Time to be announced
Don’t Breathe
Thurs 115 B Wells Hall 9:00 PM Brody Aud 7:00 & 9:00 PM Fri & Sat 115 B Wells Hall 7:15 & 9:15 PM
Hocus Pocus
www.rha.msu.edu ccc@rha.msu.edu 517-355-8285 T H U RS DAY, OC TOB E R 2 0, 2 01 6
Thurs 119 B Wells Hall 8:30 PM Fri & Sun 119 B Wells Hall 7:00 & 9:00 PM TH E STATE N E WS
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Sports
Casey Harrison Sports editor sports@statenews.com
MSU student athletes find housing options in South Neighborhood “I feel like if I stayed off campus this year I would miss out on many things — also, I wanted to have one more year to be a kid.” DeJuan Jones Sophomore forward on the MSU men’s soccer team BY DENISE SPANN DSPANN@STATENEWS.COM
MSU is home to more than 50,000 students, 800 of which are student-athletes who live on campus. Whether or not a student is here for academics or athletics, they must find housing, either on campus or off campus.
Olivia Argeros is a freshman on the women’s soccer team. She lives on campus for her first year at MSU and is surrounded by student-athletes in South Neighborhood. “I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage to be surrounded by all student-athletes, but socially I think it helps a lot to connect with others because we all go through similar situa-
HISTORY OF FOOD & ALCOHOL Communications sophomore Asya Reynolds, right, sits on a couch with her friend Debbie Threatt, who was visiting from out of town, on Sept. 30 at South Wonders Hall. Reynolds is a track athlete for MSU. PHOTO: VICTOR DIRITA
HST 220/ HNF 220 SPRING 2017
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tions,” Argeros said. Case Hall, Wonders Hall, Wilson Hall and Holden Hall are the dorms that make up the student-athlete living space, according to Argeros. Academic sophomore and cornerback for the football team Joshua Butler said living in Case Hall is convenient because it’s only a short walk away from the Skandalaris Football Center. North and South Wonders halls have a wide variety of student-athletes within its walls. Wonders Hall houses almost every type of athlete from wrestling, golf and gymnastics to track and field and soccer. Even though there isn’t a cafeteria inside the building anymore, it is the center residence hall of South Neighborhood, surrounded by three cafeterias. Argeros said she is thankful for the cafeterias being so close, and said a lot of people take it for granted that they’ll ever be so close to the things they need in the coming years. “My favorite part about living in South Neighborhood is living in the same building as other athletes and teammates,” DeJuan Jones, sophomore forward on the men’s soccer team, said. “We make a lot of memories in the dorms, and I’m even happy to have another year to even make more memories.” For athletes on the track, gymnastic, wrestling and volleyball teams, the walk to Jenison Field House for their corresponding facili-
ties is approximately 10 minutes. Athletes who travel to the complexes at Old College Field, like DeMartin Soccer Stadium, Secchia Softball Stadium and McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field are all within a close proximity to Wonders Hall as well. Another perk of student-athletes living in South Neighborhood is the Clara Bell Smith Center — an academic facility for student-athletes where they meet with their advisers, get access to free tutoring and have access to areas to study for any classes including two active computer labs and free printing. “It’s so convenient to live so close to our practice field and academic center,” Jones said. “That’s where I spend the majority of my time, so the proximity was a huge factor for me.” Sophomores have the option to move off campus after freshman year, but with everything in such close proximity, some student-athletes wait before they transition into apartment lifestyle. Butler said he plans to wait to move off campus until there are apartments closer to the football building, while Jones wanted to stay on campus to stay connected to student life. “I feel like if I stayed off campus this year I would miss out on many things — also, I wanted to have one more year to be a kid,” Jones said. “I feel like moving into an apartment is one step closer to being an adult, so I’m glad I decided to have one more year in the dorms.”
Features
Connor Clark Features editor features@statenews.com
MSU Chinese students give insight into being adopted, start new club BY JONATHAN LEBLANC JLEBLANC@STATENEWS.COM
From being on MSU’s Homecoming Court to living in Hong Kong as a child, psychology senior Ellen Hicks has always stood out from her peers. Hicks was adopted from China as an infant and stood out from her adoptive family, something she hoped to change as a child has become a positive influence on her life. Hicks said she always wondered why her international friends weren’t put up for adoption like her. Her foster parents told her why she was put up for adoption at an early age. “It comes to the conclusion of these girls
Psychology senior Ellen Hicks stands on the field during halftime in the Homecoming game against Northwestern on Oct. 15 at Spartan Stadium. Hicks was one of the 10 students who were selected to represent the university as a member of the Homecoming Court. PHOTO:
that come here, they come from the city,” Hicks said. “Me and Kirsten and other adoptees, we are usually coming from the countryside.” This is because of farmers during the onechild policy — which ended on Jan. 1 — depended on labor to provide for the family, associate professor of anthropology Andrea Louie said. Louie’s research focuses on Chinese adoption and Chinese adoptees. “In the countryside, you’re a farmer depending on the labor of your family, especially your sons, to make a living, you really need to have a son,” Louie said. This led to more girls being put up for adoption from the countryside rather than urban areas, Hicks said.
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Employment COURT ONE Athletic Clubs is hiring customer service reps and childcare attendants. Applicants can apply at either location: 2291 Research Circle, Okemos or 1609 Lake Lansing Rd, Lansing. 517-349-1199 or 372-9531. IMMEDIATE OPENINGS. $17.25 base-appt. Flex sched. around classes. Great resume builder 517-3331700. workforstudentsnow. com IN HOME assistant needed. Located in Haslett, MI. $9.25 per hr to start. Immediate openings for an in home assistant for a gentle young woman with Autism and development disabilities. We will provide training. Flexible scheduling (great for student!). Must be at least 18 yrs old, have a clean driving record, able to pass background checks. E-mail for more information at kkrcare123@gmail.com. Please include resume!
Apts. For Rent AUG 17 Downtown EL. Studio apts. Heat/Water/ Parking inc. Top Cond. Check out visual tours hudginsrealty.com 517-5750008 no pets.
Apts. For Rent
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2017 LIC for 4-6 bdrm houses. Close to MSU. Craigslist. boydrentals. com. (517) 896-2247.
NOW LEASING for 201718. Houses & Apts. Call 517-351-0765. Or visit HRIRENTALS.com GREAT 1 occupant apartments-Grand River+MAC. Free heat+water! Email mmarcinko@landmarkcres. com to receive detailed information.
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Houses/Rent 2017 AMAZING deals. A+ Nice Houses. Lic. 3-8. Great Locations. 481-6313. bairdrentals.com 2017 HOUSING Licensed 3,4, and 6. Visit msustudentrentals.com or call 517-202-0920.
AUG. 2017, Licensed 4 and 5. Great Houses. Great locations. Recent Updates. 517712-9600. Avail August 2017. 2 bdrm lic. 2. msurentals.com 517242-6500. Close to campus. AWESOME HOUSE, 251 Gunson. Lic. 2. $650 per person. No Pets, hot tub, a/c, w/d, big bbq, garage, 333-9595. FOR RENT starting Aug. 20 2017. Lic. 4. Nice 4 bdrm 2.5 bath house on 400 block of Grove St. Call 641-4030 HOUSES FOR rent 20172018. RentMC.com licensed 3-6. Call 517-655-5941 for more info. SPACIOUS 6 BEDROOM. Close to campus. D/w + w/d. Call 517-599-5731 for appointment.
Go State!
“Because of China’s one-child-policy, they want males because that’s their way of social security,” Hicks said. “The males will grow up and take care of their parents. … When they have girls, they will marry into the guy’s side of the family.” Louie said the one-child-policy affected the rural population of China more than the urban population. This hasn’t stopped Hicks from learning about her Chinese descent and celebrating Chinese culture and holidays, such as Chinese New Year, she said. “What’s really distinguished, in a way, is (my parents) trying to integrate Chinese culture and to introduce us from where we come from into the home,” Hicks said. Hicks said both she and her sister were influenced by Chinese culture. Hicks’ foster parents adopted her sister from China when Hicks was three-years-old. Hicks’ parents allowed her and her sister to embrace their Chinese heritage, she said, which came in handy when they moved to Hong Kong when Hicks was in fifth grade. “They really wanted to show me and my sister where we come from,” Hicks said. “It’s one thing to learn about China in the books, it’s another thing to actually live in China.” Hicks also said she and her sister were able to go back to their orphanages, and were able to see where they came from. “(It) was super eye-opening,” Hicks said. Packaging sophomore Kirsten West was also adopted from China. West, however, hasn’t been able to revisit her home country of China. She’s the youngest in her family and has two older siblings who are biological children to her foster parents. “We didn’t really focus on the fact that I was Chinese, it was more like I was just part of the family,” West said. Other people would notice the discrepancy between West and the rest of her family, West said, but her family stood by her and told her they were one big family. The same happened with Hicks and her family, as when she was younger, Hicks’ peers were confused as to why she was Chinese and her parents were Caucasian.
“I would tell her (my mom) that I wished that I had white skin, green eyes and blonde hair,” Hicks said. “She was like, ‘No ... you are you and God made you this way.’” Hicks said these thoughts are now gone, and she loves the way she looks. All adoptions in China are closed adoptions, meaning there is no interaction of any kind between birth parents and prospective adoptive families, according to americanpregnancy.org. “It would be nice in the way that I could get medical records,” Hicks said. “I would also want to find my birth family … to see if I have biological brothers and sisters, or even a twin.” Not knowing their biological parents can be tough for some adoptees. When it comes to growing up as an adopted child, nobody can understand, Hicks said. “Only those who have been in our shoes really understand how we feel,” Hicks said. “I’m never going to be of one culture, there’s always going to be two cultures.” Although she is part of two cultures, Hicks said just because she was born in China doesn’t mean she isn’t American. “We (grew) up in America and are just as American as anybody else,” Hicks said. Hicks said being adopted has influenced her life and career at MSU. “Whenever I meet people who are adopted (domestically or internationally), I get very excited because we share an experience that most people wouldn’t understand,” Hicks said. West and Hicks created a club at MSU called Somewhere in Between, which is for domestic and international adoptees and for anyone who has been impacted by adoption, Hicks said. “We wanted to create a group where others could relate and have (an) adoption community,” Hicks said via email. Hicks said one of the goals of the club is to get a scholarship for those students who are adopted, since there are currently no general adoption scholarships offered. “There are scholarships that are very specific, e.g. those who are adopted at age 16 and scholarships for foster children, but there are no scholarships available for adoptees,” Hicks said via email.
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Features
Connor Clark Features editor features@statenews.com
Autistic students find helpful outlet at MSU BY BRYCE AIRGOOD BAIRGOOD@STATENEWS.COM
In many ways, computer science senior Anthony Capriglione is like any other college student — he’s excited to be done with school this December and he’s currently on the hunt for jobs. However, what differentiates Capriglione from others is that he has autism spectrum disorder. “Most people act surprised,” he said. “They don’t think I have it.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism spectrum disorder is, “a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.” For Capriglione, getting diagnosed in the fifth grade was a sort of relief. He said he felt some sort of acceptance, as he had always known there was something different about him in school. Because autism spectrum disorder affects social and communication behaviors, it affects different students in different ways. For Capriglione, talking to teachers and working in groups is hard, he said. He said a couple years ago, he was not feeling good about finding a job after college. That was when assistant professor of rehabilitation counseling Connie Sung and her Assistive Social Skills and Employment Training and the Employment Preparation and Social Skills Training programs stepped in. ASSET and EPASS are two programs Sung has run at MSU since the fall of 2013. Students start with ASSET in the fall for 10 weeks
and then transition to EPASS in the spring for 12 weeks. ASSET teaches the students soft skills while EPASS prepares them to step into the workforce. Sung said groups go through six different modules, which include communication, professionalism, problem solving, critical thinking, enthusiasm and positive attitude. “So those, based on different research studies, have shown a lot of the time people with disabilities or even general public, they lose their jobs not because they’re not able to do the job,” she said. “It’s because of their social aspect, maybe offending people without knowing, having difficulty taking perspective or communicating just in the workplace.” Capriglione said his condition makes it hard for him to talk to people sometimes. Sung said there are many different ways autism spectrum disorder can manifest itself in a person’s life, ranging from nervous habits to dietary and communication issues. When it comes to food, Sung said sometimes students with autism spectrum disorder cannot work anywhere food is readily available because they will impulsively eat it. Sometimes it is not food, but extracurriculars that get in the way of work. Sung said she knows one student who remembers every single football player and all of the facts about them. He cannot miss a single game. If the team he’s rooting for loses, he gets upset to the point he cannot go into work. He also gets incredibly nervous for the games and cannot focus on anything else. READ MORE ABOUT AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AT STATENEWS.COM
Core autism symptoms Associated neurological issues Associated systemic issues Related disorders
Sleep Disorders Sleep Deficits Mood Disorders
Intellectual Disability
ocd
Mood
Social Deficits
Anxiety Disorders Anxiety Attention Hyperactivity
Language Impairment
Repetitive Behaviors
Immune
Seizures
Dysfunction
GI Disorders
GRAPHIC: MADELINE GUZZO AND TAYLOR SKELTON
ADHD
Info from: www.autismspeaks.org
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